Facts & Figures

How many bicycles are sold each year? Why do people ride? What are the numbers on bicycling crashes? Find answers to these and other questions by clicking on the links below.

1. Who is riding and where?
2. Bike to Work Week 2008 City Stats
3. Other national transportation-related surveys that include bicycling
4. Why do people ride?
5. How many bicycles are sold each year?
6. How many Americans buy bikes?
7. How many cyclists are killed and injured each year?
8. Who is involved in bicycle crashes?
9. What is the economic cost of crashes involving bicyclists?
10. How many bicycles are stolen each year?
11. How safe do people feel bicycling?
12. How much has been spent by the Federal Government on improving conditions for bicycling?

Resource Documents

Bicycling in America 2002 - 2003 (PDF)
Report published by America Bikes

Bicycle Helmet Use Laws 2004 (PDF)
Published by NHTSA

1.who is riding and where?

City by city data on bicycle commuters and miles of bike lanes and paths, from the 2009 American Community survey. Find your city and see how it ranks among 244 of the country's largest cities and communities.

For older information also see the 2008 American Community Survey - Bicycle Commuting Trends, 2000 to 2008

The 2002 National Survey of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Attitudes and Behaviors was sponsored by the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Bureau of Transportation Statistics in order to gauge pedestrian and bicyclists trips, behaviors, and attitudes.

According to the survey, approximately 57 million people, 27.3% of the population age 16 or older, rode a bicycle at least once during the summer of 2002. The survey breaks this down by gender, age, and race/ethnicity.

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2. Bike to Work Week 2008 City stats

New York City
According to the screen-line results, bicycling in NYC has increased substantially since 1985. Between 1985 and 2005, the number of bicyclists counted in the annual 50th Street screen-line count increased by 168 percent. The increase in bicyclists is larger than the increase in the general population of the city during the same time, which grew approximately 15 percent, from 7.2 million in 1985 to 8.2 million in 2005. These figures suggest that more New Yorkers are bicycling. The trend has continued in recent years. The latest count in 2006 of over 22,000 cyclists was 75 percent higher than the 2000 screen-line count (BFC application, August 2007)

According the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2000, 0.47 percent (15,024 of 3,192,070) of all workers over 16 years used a bicycle as a means of transportation to work in New York City, up from 0.41 percent in 1990 (9,643 of 3,183,088) (U.S. Census Bureau, 1990, 2000). In 2005, the percentage of workers bicycling to work increased to 0.50 percent (17,146 of 3,429,194) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 reflecting a nearly 78 percent increase in the number of people who commute to work by bicycle in the past 15 years.

Portland
According to the 2006 ACS, 4.4 percent of commute trips (representing over 14,000 residents) are made on bicycle in Portland, up from 3.7 percent in 2005 and up over 144 percent since the 2000 Census. The SEA survey shows a strikingly similar trend over that same period and reports that in 2007 6 percent of Portland residents city-wide identified the bicycle as their primary commute vehicle. This is double the reported number from 2000.

The most long-standing gauge for measuring bicycle use in Portland is the number of bicycle trips across the four bicycle-friendly bridges (soon to be 5 bicycle-friendly bridges) over the Willamette River (Hawthorne, Burnside, Steel, and Broadway bridges). The number of cyclists crossing these four bridges has soared, displaying a one-year increase of 21 percent since 2006 and more than 115 percent since 2001. Today, cyclists account for more than 16,700 daily trips across the Willamette River to travel between Portland’s east and west sides. Bicycles represent 20 percent of all vehicles on the Hawthorne Bridge and 13 percent of vehicles on all four bridges.

San Francisco
San Francisco has seen an increase in bicycle trips to work from 1.0 percent in 1990 to 2.1 percent in 2000, an increase of 110 percent (Census). There has been a 15 percent increase in cyclists between 2006 and 2007 according to citywide bicycle counts. View the Citywide Bicycle Count report (draft BFC renewal application, March 2008).

Cambridge, Mass. has had a 70 percent increase in five years. Click here to view graph of Cambridge bicycle counts.

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3. Other national transportation-related surveys that include bicycling

United States Census, 1990 & 2000
Percentage of journeys to work by bicycle in 1990: 0.41% (466,856 people)

United States Census Fact Finder
Percentage of journeys to work by bicycle in 2000: 0.38% (488,497 people)*

* Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability.

Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, 1995 (PDF)
Percentage of trips: 0.7% (approximately 3 billion miles, and 9 million daily bicycle trips)

Note: Data for the 2001 National Household Survey is available at http://www.bts.gov/nhts/index.html

National Sporting Goods Association, 2002
Number of people aged seven and older who participated more than once: 41.1 million.

National Sporting Goods Association, 2007
The U.S. bicycle industry sold $6.1 billion sold in bicycle and equipment.

American Community Survey, 2007 (1-year and 3-year estimates)
Percentage of trips made to work by bicycle: 0.5 percent

National Household Travel Survey 2001: According to the 2001 survey, 40 percent of all trips made are 2 miles or less.  Furthermore, of those trips that were between 1.1 and 2.0 miles in length, 89.4 percent were made by car.

Percent of Trips Made by Length (in miles) & Mode:

Mode	trip: .0 - 1.0 mi.	trip: 1.1 - 2.0	trip: 4.1 - 5.0
Auto	65.7%	89.4%	94.4%
Bicycle	2.1%	9%	4%

Percent of all Trips Made by distance (in miles):

	trip: .0 - 1.0 mi.	trip: 1.1 - 2.0	trip: 4.1 - 5.0
Total Trips Made (All Modes)	27.80%	40.6%	50.2%

 

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4. Why do people ride?

The BTS survey found that in February 2003, of the 20.9 million people riding bicycles the majority reported doing so for exercise/health (41 percent) and recreation (37 percent). Only 5 percent reported commuting to work by bicycle as the primary use of the bicycle during the previous 30 days.

The 2002 National Survey of Pedestrian and Bicyclist Attitudes and Behaviors also reported on the purpose of respondent’s bicycle trips. The survey found that exercise and health for recreation followed the largest percentage of trips.

2002 Purpose of Bicycle Trips:
Recreation	26.0%
Exerciseor health reasons	23.6%
To go home	14.2%
Personal errands	13.9%
To visit a friend or relative	10.1%
Commuting to school/work	5.0%
Bicycle ride	2.3%
Other	4.9%

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5. How many bicycles are sold each year?

According to the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, the total US Bicycle Market rose from 15.2 million on 1997 to 16.6 million in 2001. The worsening economy hit the bike market hard in 2001, decreasing from its height in the last five years of 20.6 million in 2000 to 16.6 million in 2001.

Estimated US Bicycle Market (In Millions)
Category	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Kids Sub-20" Imports	3.5	4.4	5.9	6.9	5.5
20" Imports	2.8	4.5	3.8	5.0	4.3
24" Imports	0.8	1.2	1.7	1.8	1.4
26" Imports	2.6	3.5	4.6	6.2	4.7
700c Imports	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2
Total Imports	9.8	13.8	16.2	20.2	16.1
Domestic Production*	6.0	2.5	1.7	0.9	0.9
Minus US Exports	(0.6)	(0.5)	(0.5)	(0.6)	(0.4)
Total US Bicycles	15.2	15.8	17.4	20.6	16.6

Estimated US Bicycle Market (In Millions)
Category	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Kids Sub-20" Imports	5.3	4.6	6.0	5.5	5.4
20" Imports	5.5	5.2	5.6	4.9	5.4
24" Imports	1.9	1.8	1.8	1.7	1.3
26" Imports	5.0	5.1	5.1	5.1	4.9
700c Imports	0.5	1.6	1.0	0.9	1.1
Total Imports	18.2	18.3	19.6	18.1	18.1
Total US Bicycles	18.5	18.3	19.8	18.2	18.5

Source: Bicycle Retailer and Industry News
*Bicycle Retatailer and Industry News Estimate

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6. How many Americans buy bikes?

More than 20 million new bikes were sold in 2000, a record high. Throughout the 1990s, sales averaged more than 16 million bikes per year, including more than 11 million “adult” bicycles. The bicycle industry generated sales totaling $5.89 billion in 2000. More than 5,400 specialty bicycle dealers and 1,000 companies are involved in the manufacture, distribution, and sales of bicycles in the United States.

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7. How many cyclists are killed and injured each year?

In 2001, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 728 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles and 45,000 were injured. These numbers represent 2 percent of the total number of people killed and injured in traffic crashes. In 2000, the number of fatalities dipped below the 700 mark for the first time in the past decade. Recent data also shows that there has been a 14% reduction in fatalities among cyclists between 1997 and 2007.: Source : National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (PDF)

Year	Fatalities	Injuries
2007	698	43,000
2006	772	44,000
2005	786	45,000
2004	727	41,000
2003	629	46,000
2002	665	48,000
2001	728	45,000
2000	690	51,000
1999	750	51,000
1998	760	53,000
1997	814	58,000
1996	765	59,000
1995	833	61,000
1994	802
1993	816
1992	723
1991	843
1990	859

However, a significant number of bicycle crashes requiring emergency room treatment are not included in these reported fatalities and injuries. Studies indicate that as few as ten percent of injury crashes are reported to the police as they do not involve a motor vehicle, and/or do not happen on the roadway. Indeed, a recent Federal Highway Administration study found that 70 percent of bicycle injury events in emergency rooms did not involve a motor vehicle and 31 percent of bicyclists were injured in non-roadway locations. The number of bicyclists visiting hospital emergency rooms is estimated to be in excess of 500,000 per year.

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8. Who is involved in bicycle crashes?

In 2001, the average age of cyclists killed in crashes with motor vehicles was 36.0 years, up from 28.1 years in 1990. Most of those killed in 2001 were male (91 percent) and between the ages of 5 and 44 (65 percent).
Source (PDF)

9. What is the economic cost of crashes involving bicyclists?

The Federal Highway Administration estimates that the comprehensive cost of each person killed in a traffic crash to be $2,900,000 (2000 dollars). Multiplying this number by the 728 bicyclists killed in 2000 totals $2.1 billion.

A 1991 study, The Costs of Highway Crashes by the Urban Institute and Federal Highway Administration, calculated the average nonfatal injury cost per person involved in a motor vehicle crash. In 2000 dollars, the average nonfatal injury cost per person involved in a motor vehicle crash is $61,375. Multiplying this number by the 51,000 reported injury crashes in 2000 totals $3.1 billion.

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10. How many bicycles are stolen each year?

In 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported an estimated 7,076,000 "larceny/thefts" of which 4.1 percent, or approximately 290,000, accounted for bicycle thefts. The average value of a stolen bicycle was estimated at $318, giving a total estimated loss due to bicycle thefts of approximately $92.3 million. The National Bike Registry estimates that the FBI only hears about one-third of the bicycles stolen each year.

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11. How safe do people feel bicycling?

The Omnibus Survey completed for the Bureau of Transportation Statistics in February 2003 asked all respondents how safe they felt using different modes of transport. When asked:

How satisfied are you with how your local community is designed for making bike riding safe?
22.57 % were Very Satisfied
31.32 % were Somewhat Satisfied
17.55 % were Neither Satisfied, nor Dissatisfied
16.84 % were Somewhat Dissatisfied
11.73 % were Very Dissatisfied

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12. How much has been spent by the Federal Government on improving conditions for bicycling?

In the years before passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), Federal spending on bicycling and walking facilities was approximately $4-6 million per annum. ISTEA was reauthorized when the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) was enacted on June 9, 1998, which authorized Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety, and transit for the 6-year period from 1998-2003. By FY 2002 spending of Federal funds by States has grown to more $416 million.
Source

Year Obligation (in millions) 2008 $541 2007 $564 2006 $395 2005 $400 2004 $427 2003 $423 2002 $416 2001 $339 2000 $296 1999 $204 1998 $217 1997 $238.7 1996 $197.2 1995 $178.6 1994 $112.6 1993 $33.6 1992 $22.9 1991 $17.9 1990 $6.6 1989 $5.4 1988 $4.9

 

In September 2003 The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003 (SAFETEA) will go into effect. SAFETEA’s goal is to make “substantial improvements in the safety of the Nation's surface transportation” by more than doubling “funding for highway safety improvements over TEA-21 levels through a new core highway safety infrastructure program in lieu of the existing Surface Transportation Program safety set-aside.”

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