Density, weather, and access to public transportation systems play a key role in how many miles are driven in the country’s 50 largest metro areas.

A recent analysis from Replica looked at 2023 data from the 50 largest metro areas in the United States and ranked them by 3 key metrics, including vehicle miles traveled per capita, walking mode share, and daily travel minutes for capita.
The highest levels of daily driving — which also correspond with some of the lowest numbers of trips taken via walking, according to the same analysis — occurred in Southern cities with lower density that lack robust public transportation systems and where summer weather is often too hot and humid for comfortable outdoor travel. The study also found that metro areas with greater population density largely had lower daily travel times compared to lower-density metro areas.
10 Metro Areas with Highest VMT Per Capita
- Raleigh, NC: 38.1 miles per weekday
- Birmingham-Hoover, AL: 36.1 miles per weekday
- Jacksonville, FL: 36 miles per weekday
- Nashville, TN: 35.5 miles per weekday
- Charlotte, NC: 35.5 miles per weekday
- Richmond, VA: 35.5 miles per weekday
- Memphis, TN: 35.2 miles per weekday
- Atlanta, GA: 33.6 miles per weekday
- St. Louis, MO: 32.7 miles per weekday
- Oklahoma City, OK: 32.5 miles per weekday
10 Metro Areas with Lowest VMT Per Capita
- New York City, NY-NJ-PA: 14.4 miles per weekday
- Philadelphia, PA: 21.1 miles per weekday
- San Francisco-Oakland, CA: 21.7 miles per weekday
- Chicago, IL: 21.8 miles per weekday
- Boston, MA: 22.8 miles per weekday
- Seattle, WA: 22.9 miles per weekday
- Portland, OR: 23.3 miles per weekday
- Las Vegas, NV: 23.6 miles per weekday
- Miami, FL: 23.7 miles per weekday
- Los Angeles, CA: 24.2 miles per weekday
FULL STORY: 2023 MSA Rankings

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Research Shows More Roads = More Driving
A national study shows, once again, that increasing road supply induces additional vehicle travel, particularly over the long run.

EV Chargers Now Outnumber Gas Pumps by Nearly 50% in California
Fast chargers still lag behind amidst rapid growth.

Affordable Housing Renovations Halt Mid-Air Amidst DOGE Clawbacks
HUD may rescind over a billion dollars earmarked for green building upgrades.

Has Anyone at USDOT Read Donald Shoup?
USDOT employees, who are required to go back to the office, will receive free parking at the agency’s D.C. offices — flying in the face of a growing research body that calls for pricing parking at its real value.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland
Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport