Motorcycle commuting is visible in national travel data, but the main U.S. commuting survey does not isolate motorcycles from taxicabs and other means. The clearest motorcycle-specific figures therefore come from safety and helmet-use records, while commute scale, distance and timing require carefully labeled all-mode or private-vehicle context.
Key Motorcycle Commuting Statistics
The most useful figures for understanding motorcycle commuting in the United States are:
- 1.5% of U.S. workers aged 16 and over were in the combined taxicab, motorcycle or other commute category in 2019, excluding Puerto Rico.
- 1.5% of U.S. workers aged 16 and over were in that same combined category in 2021, in the United States excluding Puerto Rico.
- 1.5% of U.S. workers aged 16 and over remained in the combined category in 2022, with no significant change from 2019 according to the Census Bureau.
- 162,434,675 workers aged 16 and over appeared in the 2022 national commuting characteristics table for the United States.
- 15.2% of U.S. workers worked from home in 2022, compared with 5.7% in 2019.
- 41.289 million vehicle commute trips were estimated for the United States in 2022 across vehicle modes.
- 555,715 million vehicle-miles were attributed to U.S. commute travel in 2022 across vehicle modes.
- 13.43 miles was the estimated average one-way commute trip length across all modes in the United States in 2022.
- 27.72 minutes was the estimated average one-way commute time across all modes in the United States in 2022.
- 26.8 minutes was the average one-way commute in metropolitan areas in 2022, compared with 23.0 minutes in micropolitan areas.
- 6,335 motorcyclists were killed in U.S. traffic crashes in 2023, covering all riding purposes rather than commuting alone.
- 36% of motorcycle riders in fatal crashes were speeding in the United States in 2023, compared with 22% of passenger-car drivers.
- 1,584 motorcyclists, or 26% of those killed, were alcohol-impaired at a BAC of .08 g/dL or higher in the United States in 2023.
- 73.8% of observed riders used DOT-compliant motorcycle helmets in the United States in 2023.
- 82.7% of observed riders used DOT-compliant helmets in states requiring all motorcyclists to wear them in 2023.
- 65.9% of observed riders used DOT-compliant helmets in other states in 2023.
- 35% of motorcyclists killed nationwide in 2023 were unhelmeted, based on known helmet-use records.
Contents
- Motorcycle commuting scale and recent U.S. trends
- Motorcycle commuting in national travel patterns
- Commute distance, time and travel conditions
- Who commutes and when
- Motorcycle commuting safety statistics
- Helmet use and state differences
Motorcycle Commuting Scale and Recent U.S. Trends
The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey asks workers aged 16 and over which method they usually used to get to work during the previous week. Its published category combines “taxicab, motorcycle, or other means,” so it cannot be treated as a motorcycle-only national mode share.
| ACS year | Combined taxicab, motorcycle or other means | Population and scope |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1.5% | U.S. workers aged 16+, excluding Puerto Rico |
| 2021 | 1.5% | U.S. workers aged 16+, excluding Puerto Rico |
| 2022 | 1.5% | U.S. workers aged 16+, excluding Puerto Rico |
The Census Bureau reported no significant change between 2019 and 2022 for this combined category. The ACS annual sample covers about 3.5 million addresses in the United States and Puerto Rico, which describes survey coverage rather than the number of motorcycle commuters.
For context, workers who biked or walked represented 2.9% in 2022, while public-transit commuting increased from 2.5% in 2021 to 3.1% in 2022. Driving alone accounted for 75.9% of workers in 2019, 67.8% in 2021 and 68.7% in 2022.
Source: Commuting in the United States: 2022.
Motorcycle Commuting in National Travel Patterns
FHWA’s Summary of Travel Trends: 2022 National Household Travel Survey provides a broader travel framework, but its vehicle commute figures do not identify motorcycles separately. The estimates show how the overall commute market changed between 2017 and 2022.
| Measure | 2017 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle commute trips | 53.154 million | 41.289 million |
| Commute vehicle-miles traveled | 635,792 million miles | 555,715 million miles |
| Annual vehicle commute trips per worker | 339 | 261 |
| Privately owned vehicles as usual commute mode | 87.5% | 90.5% |
Commute travel represented 30.19% of total vehicle-miles traveled in 2017 and 30.07% in 2022. These are aggregate vehicle measures, so they should not be used to estimate motorcycle commuting volume.
Source: Summary of Travel Trends: 2022 National Household Travel Survey.
Motorcycle Commute Distance, Time and Travel Conditions
FHWA estimated an average one-way commute trip length of 11.46 miles across all modes in 2017 and 13.43 miles in 2022. The corresponding average travel times were 26.58 and 27.72 minutes, respectively.
| FHWA measure | 2017 | 2022 | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip length | 11.46 miles | 13.43 miles | All modes, one way |
| Average travel time | 26.58 minutes | 27.72 minutes | All modes, one way |
| Average commute speed | 23.42 mph | 25.51 mph | Derived where mileage and time were available |
| Private-vehicle trip length | 11.84 miles | 13.56 miles | Motorcycles not isolated |
| Private-vehicle travel time | 25.01 minutes | 26.94 minutes | Motorcycles not isolated |
The speed figures are derived measures, and FHWA calculated them only where both mileage and travel-time data were present. The private-vehicle figures are useful context for motorcycle commuters but do not describe motorcycle-only routes or speeds.
Source: Summary of Travel Trends: 2022 National Household Travel Survey.
Who Commutes and When
The 2022 ACS counted 162,434,675 workers aged 16 and over in its national commuting characteristics table. The population making a commute trip changed substantially as working from home became more common: 15.2% of workers worked from home in 2022, compared with 5.7% in 2019 and 17.9% in 2021.
Among workers who did not work from home, 19.6 million departed for work before 6 a.m. in 2019, compared with 20.5 million in 2022. In 2022, 92.1 million non-home-based workers departed between 6:00 and 8:59 a.m.
Average one-way travel time among commuters who did not work from home was 27.6 minutes in 2019, 25.6 minutes in 2021 and 26.4 minutes in 2022. In 2022, the average was 26.8 minutes in metropolitan areas and 23.0 minutes in micropolitan areas.
These figures describe all commute modes and do not identify motorcycle riders. They help define the timing and geography in which motorcycle commuting occurs, but they are not motorcycle-specific behavior measures.
Source: Commuting in the United States: 2022.
Motorcycle Commuting Safety Statistics and Risk Factors
NHTSA recorded 6,335 motorcyclists killed in U.S. traffic crashes in 2023 and 6,251 in 2022. These are all-riding-purpose fatalities, not counts of people commuting, and NHTSA’s motorcycle definition excludes people on motorized bicycles starting in 2022.
In 2023, 3,371 motorcyclist fatalities occurred during NHTSA’s weekday period, defined as Monday at 6 a.m. through Friday at 5:59 p.m. Another 2,958 occurred during the weekend period, defined as Friday at 6 p.m. through Monday at 5:59 a.m.; neither grouping is a commute-only split.
Other 2023 safety measures include:
- Riders aged 21–24 accounted for 611 motorcyclist fatalities, while riders aged 65 and over accounted for 625.
- Motorcycles with 501–1,000 cc accounted for 36% of fatalities, or 2,300 deaths; motorcycles with 1,501 cc or more accounted for 25%, or 1,609 deaths; and motorcycles up to 500 cc accounted for 11%, or 693 deaths.
- Thirty-six percent of motorcycle riders in fatal crashes were speeding, compared with 22% of passenger-car drivers; riders aged 21–24 had the highest motorcycle-rider speeding involvement at 54%.
- Among riders killed, 1,584, or 26%, were alcohol-impaired at BAC .08 g/dL or higher.
- Alcohol impairment affected 41% of riders killed in single-vehicle crashes and 18% in multi-vehicle crashes, while the corresponding nighttime and daytime figures were 38% and 15%.
NHTSA states that engine displacement is descriptive and has not established a causal relationship between engine size and fatality risk. The speeding and alcohol figures are fatal-crash measures, not exposure-adjusted commuting risk rates.
Source: Traffic Safety Fact Report: 2023 Data — Motorcycles.
Helmet Use and State Differences Among Motorcycle Commuters
NHTSA’s 2023 NOPUS survey observed DOT-compliant helmet use among 73.8% of motorcycle riders nationwide. The survey is not limited to commuting, and DOT-compliant is a specific helmet classification.
| 2023 observation | DOT-compliant helmet use |
|---|---|
| All U.S. observed riders | 73.8% |
| States requiring all motorcyclists to use helmets | 82.7% |
| Other states | 65.9% |
Among 6,335 motorcyclists killed nationwide in 2023, 35% were unhelmeted based on known helmet-use records. Among fatalities with known helmet use, the unhelmeted share ranged from 88% in North Dakota to 0% in Vermont.
In states without universal helmet laws, 51% of motorcyclists killed were not wearing helmets, compared with 10% in states with universal laws. Reported helmet use among fatalities was 65% for riders and 51% for passengers.
Among motorcycle rider fatalities, the state percentage that was alcohol-impaired ranged from 13% in Alaska to 44% in Connecticut. These state comparisons use fatality records and known helmet-use information; they are not exposure-adjusted state rankings or causal estimates.
Source: Traffic Safety Fact Report: 2023 Data — Motorcycles.