In most remote or mid-sized cities, public transportation plays a secondary role to personal vehicles. Nationwide, just 3.5% of U.S. workers commute using public transit, the bulk of whom are in major urban areas like New York and Chicago. Yet in a handful of remote places far from major cities, robust bus or rail systems provide a level of mobility more commonly associated with dense urban centers.
In Elko, Nevada, for example — a small city of just 20,000 residents more than 200 miles from any major city — 12.0% of workers commute on public transit, a share comparable to many of the suburbs of the Washington, D.C. area. Many of the remote cities with high transit usage have legacy rail systems, large student populations, or tourism-centered economies that drive demand for alternate transportation. In some cases, strong transit adoption reflects a deliberate long-term investment in connectivity, despite geographic isolation. A closer look at the data reveals the remote cities with the best public transit.
To determine the remote U.S. cities with the best public transit, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed five-year data from the the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey. Cities whose boundaries lie outside of any metropolitan area were ranked based on the percentage of workers 16 years and over who commute using public transportation. Only cities with at least 10,000 residents were considered. Supplemental data on median household income and commuting patterns are also from the U.S. Census Bureau.
25. Los Alamos, NM
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.0%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 76.2%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 16.2%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 49.7%
- Median household income: $136,502
- Total population: 13,471
24. Oxford, MS
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.0%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 87.8%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 5.8%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 36.3%
- Median household income: $59,901
- Total population: 26,086
23. Frankfort, KY
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.0%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 85.2%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 9.2%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 37.7%
- Median household income: $54,438
- Total population: 28,452
22. Fergus Falls, MN
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.2%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 80.1%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 10.2%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 21.2%
- Median household income: $50,865
- Total population: 14,138
21. Aberdeen, WA
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.2%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 85.8%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 6.5%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 53.2%
- Median household income: $52,181
- Total population: 17,040
20. Palestine, TX
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.2%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 89.6%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 5.4%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 36.8%
- Median household income: $46,228
- Total population: 18,888
19. Laramie, WY
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.2%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 74.4%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 8.9%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 11.7%
- Median household income: $52,414
- Total population: 31,848
18. Glenwood Springs, CO
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.2%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 80.3%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 7.8%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 48.1%
- Median household income: $87,000
- Total population: 10,171
17. Lebanon, NH
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.3%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 73.3%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 20.8%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 29.0%
- Median household income: $92,288
- Total population: 14,759
16. Juneau, AK
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.4%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 76.9%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 12.4%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 1.1%
- Median household income: $100,513
- Total population: 31,969
15. Blackfoot, ID
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.4%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 90.8%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 3.6%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 52.7%
- Median household income: $69,091
- Total population: 12,628
14. Gallup, NM
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.4%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 89.2%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 6.5%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 18.5%
- Median household income: $57,466
- Total population: 21,333
13. Port Angeles, WA
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.5%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 82.9%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 8.6%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 36.4%
- Median household income: $61,640
- Total population: 20,087
12. Boone, NC
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.6%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 75.3%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 10.4%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 31.2%
- Median household income: $28,633
- Total population: 19,534
11. Carbondale, IL
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.6%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 74.1%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 9.9%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 30.0%
- Median household income: $29,670
- Total population: 21,813
10. Clearlake, CA
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 2.6%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 80.8%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 10.3%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 53.6%
- Median household income: $41,580
- Total population: 16,604
9. Sterling, CO
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 3.4%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 84.5%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 7.6%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 21.0%
- Median household income: $44,242
- Total population: 13,273
8. Golden Glades, FL
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 3.6%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 82.9%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 8.0%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 90.5%
- Median household income: $49,932
- Total population: 35,042
7. Grand Rapids, MN
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 3.8%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 80.3%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 7.7%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 27.3%
- Median household income: $56,542
- Total population: 11,186
6. Jackson, WY
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 4.0%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 70.5%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 10.0%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 18.0%
- Median household income: $112,609
- Total population: 10,746
5. Pullman, WA
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 4.8%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 67.5%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 9.8%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 18.3%
- Median household income: $45,097
- Total population: 31,939
4. Green River, WY
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 4.9%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 90.2%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 3.4%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 59.3%
- Median household income: $85,399
- Total population: 11,679
3. Watertown Town, MA
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 8.2%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 56.1%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 26.6%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 61.7%
- Median household income: $123,422
- Total population: 35,270
2. Elko, NV
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 12.0%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 80.0%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 2.6%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 29.1%
- Median household income: $75,630
- Total population: 20,624
1. Spring Creek, NV
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via public transit: 16.7%
- Workers 16 years and over commuting via car: 71.0%
- Workers 16 years and over working remotely: 10.3%
- Workers commuting outside city of residence: 78.0%
- Median household income: $104,381
- Total population: 14,967
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