USA Banner

Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

National Household Travel Survey Daily Travel Quick Facts

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Daily Travel is a trip from one point to another on a single day.

HOW WE TRAVEL

  • 87 percent of daily trips take place in personal vehicles
  • 91 percent of people commuting to work use personal vehicles

HOW MANY TRIPS WE TAKE EVERY DAY

  • Americans take 1.1 billion trips a day — four for every person in the U.S
  • U.S. daily travel averages 11 billion miles a day — almost 40 miles per person per day

HOW MANY TRIPS WE TAKE IN A YEAR

  • Americans take 411 billion daily trips a year or about 1,500 trips per person
  • U.S. daily travel totals about 4 trillion miles — 14,500 miles per person

WHY WE TRAVEL

  • 45 percent of daily trips are taken for shopping and errands
  • 27 percent of daily trips are social and recreational, such as visiting a friend
  • 15 percent of daily trips are taken for commuting

WHAT WE DRIVE

  • There are 204 million personal vehicles available for regular use
    • 57 percent are cars or station wagons
    • 21 percent are vans or SUVs
    • 19 percent are light trucks

WHEN WE TRAVEL

  • The most daily trips are made on Friday (16 percent)
  • The fewest daily trips are made on Sunday (13 percent)
  • More daily trips are taken between noon and 1 p.m. (7.4 percent) than between 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. (5.5 percent)

THE AVERAGE DRIVER

  • Spends 55 minutes a day behind the wheel
  • Drives 29 miles a day

MEN VS. WOMEN

  • Women drive less (21 to 38 miles per day)
  • Men drive longer (67 to 44 minutes per day)

SOURCE: National Household Travel Survey, 2001-2002.