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Philly's daily commute: How do your habits compare?

Philadelphia is a densely populated city with an extensive transit network, yet about 6 in 10 workers who live in Philadelphia use a car to commute to their jobs. About 18 percent of workers commute by bus, the second-most popular transportation mode. Those patterns differ greatly from workers living in the suburbs, who overwhelmingly drive to work (87 percent), and rarely use a bus (2 percent).

The maps below show the top commuting choices in Philadelphia's census tracts, based on new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Figures are estimates, and are subject to margins of error. Click on the map for more information.

Most popular commuting method

Driving is the top commuting choice for almost all sections of Philadelphia. Walking is the preferred method for most of Center City and University City. Taking a bus is most common in scattered sections of North and West Philadelphia.

Second-most popular commuting method

Commuting by bus ranks second among commuting methods for a large stretch of North Philadelphia and the lower Northeast, and pockets of West and South Philadelphia. Also coming in second is taking the Market-Frankford El in Northern Liberties and Fishtown; using Regional Rail in Mount Airy, East Falls, and the Far Northeast; and riding the Broad Street Subway in South Philadephia. Commuting by bike ranks second in two tracts in South Philadelphia.

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011-15 American Community Survey

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