On average, Americans spend about half an hour commuting to work. Shopping trips, social events and parental responsibilities only add to the time spent on the road.
However, for those who want to ditch the car, there are cities that offer alternative options, such as rich networks of public transportation and walkable streets. With that in mind, we set out to find where living without a car is easiest by analyzing 114 cities across multiple relevant metrics, such as the share of locals using different commuting methods.
We also looked into walk and bike scores; the density of public transportation stations; cultural spaces; flex offices; retail stores; fuel prices; how often shared transportation breaks down; and average fare prices per trip.
You can find the full breakdown of all the metrics used, as well as their assigned weights, in the methodology section.
- New York City dominates when it comes to public transit, having the largest share of locals using buses, metros, or trains to commute, as well as the fourth-highest density of stations.
- Boston has the largest share of people walking to work among the top 20 with a pedestrian infrastructure that allows more than 13% of locals to commute on foot.
- When it comes to commuting on two wheels, Portland, OR, takes the lead among the top 20. Because biking is convenient for most errands, more than 3% of locals get around the city by pedaling.
- Newark, NJ, takes the crown for alternative commuting methods. In this city, more than 7% of locals commute via taxi, motorcycle or ride-hailing services.
Regional overview
With nine entries among the top 20, the Northeast provides some of the best conditions for car-free living. Specifically, cities like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia have a high density of stations, ensuring easy access to all parts of the city via trains, buses and subways. Additionally, the walkable neighborhoods — featuring high densities of recreational and commercial spaces — allow residents to complete some, if not most, errands on foot.
The West follows with five entries. Here, the high price of fuel is one of the reasons why residents from urban hubs like San Francisco; Oakland and Seattle go for alternative transit methods. Accordingly, shared transportation is a popular choice here, as is cycling.
Not to be outdone, the South and Midwest throw their hats in the ring with three entries each. In particular, Southern cities like Miami and Washington, D.C. are densely packed with cultural, coworking and retail spaces. Of course, walking becomes an attractive option when residents have most of the things they need within a square-mile radius. The urban infrastructure is also rich in sidewalks and bike lanes in Midwestern cities like Chicago and Minneapolis. So, besides public transportation, walking and cycling are also popular alternatives here.
Top 20 Cities Where a Driver’s License Isn’t Mandatory
1. New York, NY
The best place to be car-free in the U.S. is New York City, where public transportation replaces driving for nearly half of the commuting population. With three stations per square mile (the fourth-highest density) and the convenience of 24/7 transportation, it’s understandable why so many residents commute via bus, train or subway.
We can also find the largest density of retail spaces in NYC (nearly 14 per square mile) and the third-largest density of cultural locations (66 per square mile). Plus, this compact urban layout is one of the factors why walking is another popular alternative to driving: More than 9% of people commute on foot, placing the Big Apple in the eighth spot for this specific metric.
2. San Francisco, CA
Runner-up San Francisco provides great pedestrian conditions to the 9% of locals who commute on foot. In this case, the city has the third-best walk score (most errands can be done on foot), boosted by the second- and fourth-biggest densities of cultural and commercial spaces (with 86 and more than seven spaces per square mile, respectively).
Additionally, nearly 19% of residents travel to work by Muni buses, light rail Metro trains or cable cars, while more than 3% of the population bikes across the more than 464 miles of bikeways to get to their job.
Fuel prices also factor into the reason why people in San Francisco choose alternative ways of transportation. With gas at more than $6 a gallon (the highest price among all entries), anybody would be excited to head to the bus station instead of the pump.
3. Washington, D.C.
Third on our list, the nation’s capital is the place to be if you want to switch from driving to walking or biking. Here, we find the best walk and bike scores and, as a result, more than 9% of people commute on foot in D.C. using the city’s 1,407 miles of sidewalks, whereas a little more than 3% pedal across the 150 miles of recreational trails and bicycle lanes.
D.C. also has the third-largest share of people (20%) using the Metrorail and Metrobus network for convenient trips inside the city, while railway and local bus systems offer easy access to neighboring areas.
4. Newark, NJ
In Newark, the walk to the bus station is just as convenient as the walk to your car. With nearly 17 stations per square mile, it’s easy to understand why more than 19% of people use Newark’s buses, light rail (subway) or trains to get to work.
Furthermore, Newark has the largest share of people (more than 7%) using alternative commuting options, like ride-hailing services or motorcycles. And, for those who want to put their sneakers to good use, the city also has the seventh-best walk score, which comes with the third-highest density of retail spaces (nearly eight stores per square mile).
5. Boston, MA
The decision to take the bus or sub comes naturally in Boston, given how reliable and affordable public transportation is. At the same time, having nearly six stations per square mile and tickets priced at an average of $1.74 pushes nearly one-quarter of the population toward the bus station, instead of the parking lot.
Walking is another popular way to commute with more than 13% of people here (second-highest share) preferring to get to work on foot. City officials also encourage walking through ongoing local projects, like the pedestrian-first traffic signals.
6. Seattle, WA
Seattle makes walking easier through its dense, urban layout filled with a good deal of entertainment and shopping options. With 43 cultural spaces per square mile (the sixth-highest density), as well as nearly three shops per square mile, many locals are just a short walk away from what they need.
While residents currently lean more toward public transit and walking, biking is also a popular commuting alternative here. Despite the city’s hilly terrain, there’s a strong cycling culture in Seattle, embraced by 2.5% of the population. Notably, this culture is facilitated by bike-friendly infrastructure; the addition of cycling in events, like the Fremont Solstice Parade, and the integration of a bike and scooter share program, which hit 10.5 million rides in 2025 (the equivalent of about 26,000 fewer car trips).
7. Miami, FL
Miami’s great variety of work, retail and entertainment hubs — all within walking distance of each other — earns its spot in the top of our list. More precisely, residents have access to 122 cultural spaces per square mile (the largest density on the list), as well as 11 shops per square mile (second-highest density on the list). Getting to work is also easy, especially for hybrid workers, as there are more than 19 coworking spaces per 100,000 residents.
As a result of the compact urban layout, the city earned the sixth-best walk score. Otherwise, preferred alternatives to walking in Miami are ride-sharing services and motorcycles: More than 3% of locals commute via these services (the fifth-highest percentage).
8. Philadelphia, PA
Public transportation is one of the best substitutes to driving in Philly, and people know it. Nearly 17% of citizens rely on the public transit system to get to work, and this trust is the result of a network of buses, subways, regional rails and trolleys that cover 2,200 miles of the city with more than two stations per square mile.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s network of sidewalks — coupled with the convenience of having 28 cultural spaces per square mile and nearly five commercial spaces per square mile — influences more than 7% of the population to commute on foot.
9. Chicago, IL
As the ninth-best place to live without a car, Chicago provides reliable pedestrian and biking infrastructure, which resulted in the sixth-best walk and bike score. In the Windy City, nearly 6% of residents commute on foot, while more than 1% of people here use cycling as a car alternative.
Overall, nearly 18% of locals are using public transportation, placing Chicago in sixth place in this category. Reasons behind the high usage of public transit networks are the wide range of agencies providing daily transportation; the access to nearly two stations per square mile; and urban projects, like the red line extension, all of which further improve public transportation.
10. Minneapolis, MN
Coming in with the second-best bike score, Minneapolis is a great place for people who want to swap cars for bikes. When the weather allows it, 2% of locals commute using the city’s 89 miles of trails, 36 miles of curb-protected bikeways and paths, and over 140 miles of painted bike lanes.
What’s more, nearly 6% of on-foot commuters enjoy great walking conditions within the city: The urban layout, densely packed with cultural spaces and stores (47 spaces and more than three shops per square mile), earns Minneapolis the 10th-best walk score. Public transit is also accessible and affordable as there’s one station per square mile, and a one-trip fare costs a little more than $1.50.
11. Oakland, CA
When commuting by bus or rail, delays caused by technical difficulties are rare in Oakland. More precisely, with more than two stations per square mile and a low percentage of breakdowns and mechanical failures, Oakland’s public transit system is a reliable transportation source used by more than 12% of the population.
Another factor that might trigger residents to choose riding buses and subways versus driving their own vehicle is the cost of fuel: Priced at more than $6 a gallon, the city shares the highest gas price with San Francisco.
12. Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor is a city where walking dominates. Compared to the number of people taking the bus to work (7.2%), the city has nearly twice as many residents who get around on foot (13%).
Cycling is also a popular way of commuting, especially when the weather allows it. More than 2% of the population rides bikes to work with cyclists having access to plenty of on-street bike lanes, as well as 35.3 miles of shared-use paths, and 1.8 protected bike lane-miles.
13. Pittsburgh, PA
The streets of Pittsburgh were made for walking, and nearly 10% of locals who commute on foot can agree. Given that the city has 38 cultural spaces per square mile; nearly 13 coworking spots per 100,000 residents; and almost two stores per square mile, it’s no wonder that Pittsburgh’s number of pedestrian commuters is closing in on the number of residents who use public transportation.
Moreover, a little more than 11% of the public also travels via the public transit network, making use of the buses and rails that the city provides.
14. Portland, OR
Home to almost 400 miles of bikeways that factor into the second-best bike score, Portland is a great option for those who want to trade their car for a bike.
Here, more than 3% of people take advantage of bike-sharing services like Biketown and commute by bike (the third-largest community of cycling commuters), nearly matching the number of residents commuting on foot (a little more than 4%). Another reason that might boost the number of cyclists is the gas price (more than $5 a gallon).
15. Salt Lake City, UT
As we’ve seen, a lot of people use public transportation as the main alternative to driving, but things stand differently in Salt Lake City, where the share of residents commuting on foot (more than 5%) surpasses the share of people traveling by bus or rail (4.8%). And, with more than 15 flex offices per 100,000 residents (the fifth-largest density), Salt Lake City’s hybrid workers can have shorter, more convenient commutes.
However, this doesn’t mean that the local public transit system isn’t putting up a fight. With one of the lowest costs for public transportation tickets (one-trip tickets are a little more than $1) and one station every square mile, public transportation is also a convenient commuting method.
16. Albany, NY
You don’t always need a car to get around Albany as more than 8% of residents commute on foot (representing the ninth-largest share of walkers).
Public transportation is another solid alternative for a personal vehicle. More than 10% of the population is using the city’s network of buses and trains to travel, and almost 2% prefer using ride-hailing services and motorcycles.
17. Alexandria, VA
Much like Miami, Alexandria offers a plethora of workspaces, entertainment, and shopping possibilities, which facilitates trips on foot and on two wheels. Here, telecommuters have more than 18 flexible offices per 100,000 people (ranking third in this metric), 48 cultural spaces and nearly five commercial spaces per square mile.
Public transportation is also a solid car replacement as the average fare costs a little more than $1. Prompted by the low prices, among other factors, more than 12% of residents choose Alexandria’s public transit system.
18. Providence, RI
Providence is one of the most walker-friendly cities. Its reliable network of sidewalks and the abundance of shopping and entertainment options (40 cultural spaces and nearly four stores per square mile) earn the city the seventh-best walk score.
Consequently, more people in Providence would rather walk than take public transportation (7.3% compared to 4.1%, respectively). Other preferred methods of getting around are ride-hailing services and motorcycles, which are traveling options that nearly 3% of the population chooses.
19. Hartford, CT
The people in Hartford still like the convenience of personal cars, but found reliable substitutes for them. One of these alternatives is taxis, ride-hailing services and motorcycles, which are used by more than 3% of residents.
Additionally, Hartford has a reliable bus system within the city, as well as a railway network that connects it to New Haven with 17 trains a day. Add the affordability of one-trip fares (priced a little more than $1), and we can suddenly understand why more than 13% of the population commutes using the public transit network.
20. Buffalo, NY
Rounding out our list is Buffalo, which is striving to create a walker-friendly environment through good pedestrian infrastructure and amenity-dense streets. As such, residents in Buffalo have access to the fifth-highest density of retail stores (nearly six per square mile), as well as 36 cultural spaces per square mile (10th-highest density for this metric).
With that, nearly 5% of residents commute on foot. And, when people don’t feel like walking, taxis and motorcycles seem to be a preferred way of getting around with more than 2% of people using ride-hailing services.
Expert insights
Are there city-level changes that could be implemented to make other modes of transportation more desirable?
People will choose the means of transport that makes the most sense for their trip. Thus, cities should make walking, cycling and public transport more attractive. For bicycling, this mainly includes networks of bikeways that separate cyclists from motorized travel — mainly along roadways with higher speeds or more cars. This will improve safety and accessibility by bicycle.
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For walking, cities should provide safe and secure walkways (sidewalks, crosswalks, etc.) and pedestrian-only areas, where pedestrians are not endangered by automobiles. For public transport, this means frequent and reliable service that is affordable. For all of these, the walking, bicycling, and public transport networks have to connect places of daily activity, like homes, workplaces, shops, restaurants [and] doctor’s offices. That way, walking, cycling, and public transport can become viable and attractive choices. Once the choices are in place, driving can be made less attractive with less and more expensive car parking, less roadway supply, etc. The attractive alternatives will accommodate former drivers and will make restrictions for driving more acceptable.
What are some cost-effective ways to diversify transportation throughout the U.S.?
Bicycling is a very cost-effective way to get around for individuals and for governments. Bikeways require less government expenditures compared to roadways or public transport services. For individuals, cycling is less expensive than driving. Cycling is also faster than walking and allows cyclists to cover larger distances than on foot.
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In addition, cycling allows more flexible timetables and route choices than public transport. Thus, building networks of separated bikeway infrastructure is a very good investment. More locally, improved pedestrian access to shops, jobs [and] doctor’s offices can be a very cost-effective way to move many people — including the public health benefits from the physical activity of walking.
What’s one zoning or street-design choice that makes a city navigable without a car, that residents might not notice?
Allowing mixed-land uses is crucial to keep distances short enough and put shops, jobs, restaurants, [and] doctor’s offices within bikeable and walkable distances. In addition, communities should stop requiring minimum parking for new developments. Maximum parking allowances would facilitate more walkable communities.
Suburbanites generally depend on cars the most, but are there any urban residents that are more inconvenienced without a car than others?
There is a huge equity component here. If you cannot afford a car or cannot drive in the suburbs, you are stuck. This includes many children and teenagers, the elderly, people with disabilities, or low-income individuals. Urban areas typically provide more options for all groups. You can drive, but you can also walk, bike, scoot or roll to destinations.
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Children have much greater individual mobility in cities (without getting rides). Electric wheelchairs can use bike lanes and walkways to get around. Because you have more balance in cities, those who have to drive can drive for their trips. If everyone would have to drive in cities, the transport system would collapse, but walking, cycling and public transport provide viable alternatives.
Are there city-level changes that could be implemented to make other modes of transportation more desirable?
Some changes worth considering are taxing gas at $2 per gallon and diesel at $3 per gallon (given the toxicity of diesel exhaust). I highly recommend giving people new or used bikes with repair options and $0.50 of subsidy per mile toward shared/pooled rides in efficient (e.g., at least 40 miles per gallon) ride-hailing vehicles (across fleets that compete, rather than assigning the payment to a single provider). Since the 1% sales tax most cities collect for transit would be exhausted as demand for such responsive ‘transit’ rides jump, the credits would be no more than $20 per rider per week (for the majority of system users). This will be a better alternative than running largely empty buses and trains, which cost $3 per passenger-mile here in the U.S. (and $1.50 per passenger per mile in Europe, I imagine).
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Another way to make shared and sustainable transportation solutions more desirable is by collecting tolls at key traffic bottlenecks (like bridge crossings connecting important destinations) and implementing driving-distance taxes of about five cents per mile, versus the current gas tax of roughly two cents per mile (depending on the vehicle’s fuel economy), which hasn’t risen in 33 years here in Texas and in many other states or at the federal level.
For safety purposes, we should have required speed limiters (‘governors’) on all vehicles a century ago (with a top speed of 80 miles per hour on public roadways, for example) and now shift to Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) technology so that warnings relate to the speed limit of the roadway one is traveling. Car owners should be made aware of all the speeding or harsh cornering and braking (which correlate highly with reckless driving) their vehicles are doing. Vehicle manufacturers know how we are driving our cars (for the past 10 years or so) and where they are. Finally, curbside/on-street parking can be turned into parklets, bike lanes, bike parking and so on to shift the focus away from driving. Having parking options off the street should also help with a shift to demand-responsive, shared/pooled rides in all-electric robotaxis.
Methodology
We selected 13 metrics that potentially determine the best cities to live in without a personal car. We then assigned weights to the metrics based on their importance in determining the overall accessibility of a car-free lifestyle.
Only cities with full data sets were taken into consideration.
- Share of the adult population that commutes to work via public transportation (directly proportional) – 15% of the total index
Source: Census 2024 - Share of the adult population that commutes to work on foot (directly proportional) – 10% of the total index
Source: Census 2024 - Share of the adult population that commutes to work by bike (directly proportional) – 10% of the total index
Source: Census 2024 - Share of the adult population that commutes by taxis, motorcycles or other types of similar vehicles (directly proportional) – 10% of the total index
Source: Census 2024 - Public transit station density per square mile (directly proportional) – 10% of the total index.
Source: Federal Transit Administration, 2024 - Average price of adult fares per trip (indirectly proportional) – 10% of the total index
Source: Federal Transit Administration - Walk Score (directly proportional) – 5% of the total index
Rating of 0 to 100, ranking cities as car-dependent, somewhat walkable, very walkable, or ”walker’s paradise.”
Source: Walkscore 2024 - Bike Score (directly proportional) – 5% of the total index
Rating of 0 to 100, ranking cities as car-dependent, somewhat bikeable, very bikeable, or ”biker’s paradise.”
Source: Walkscore 2024 - Percentage of breakdowns and mechanical failures of public transportation vehicles (indirectly proportional) – 5% of the total index
Number of mechanical failures divided by the total number of public transportation vehicles.
Source: Federal Transit Administration - Coworking space density (directly proportional) – 5% of the total index
Number of coworking spaces per 100,000 residents.
Source: CoworkingCafe, 2026 - Fuel cost (directly proportional) – 5% of the total index
Average price of gas on May 21st, 2026.
Source: AAA, 2026 - Density of cultural spaces per sq. mile (directly proportional) – 5% of the total index
We looked at the number of establishments for: performing arts, spectator sports, museum and historical sites, amusement parks and arcades, pubs and bars, restaurants, other amusement and recreational activities.
Source: Census, 2023 - Density of retail spaces per sq. mile (directly proportional) – 5% of the total index
Source: Census, 2023
