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Public Transit in the United States

Ridership, service and costs for 2,241 transit agencies in the 2025 National Transit Database (FTA)

Passenger trips (2025)
7.82 billion
Vehicle revenue miles
4.61 billion
Fare revenue
$11.9 billion
17.0% of operating costs
Trips in Aug 2026
663 million
+1.4% vs. a year earlier

Monthly ridership

Passenger trips at agencies that report every month to the NTD, in millions

Show as a table
PeriodPassenger trips
Aug 2026662.9 million
Dec 2025636.0 million
Dec 2024612.1 million
Dec 2023573.2 million
Dec 2022517.0 million
Dec 2021442.5 million
Dec 2020295.7 million
Dec 2019774.8 million
Dec 2018746.7 million
Dec 2017756.3 million
Dec 2016789.8 million

Monthly figures include FTA adjustments and estimates for missing months. They cover larger agencies only, so they are lower than the yearly total.

Transit trips per resident

2025 passenger trips divided by state population. Select a state for its agencies.

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Busiest transit agencies

By passenger trips in 2025

By metro area

Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.

AgencyTripsRevenue milesFare per trip
MTA New York City TransitBrooklyn, NY · Heavy Rail (Subway), Bus, Commuter Bus2.98 billion478 million$1.22
Chicago Transit AuthorityChicago, IL · Bus, Heavy Rail (Subway)338 million136 million$1.07
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation AuthorityLos Angeles, CA · Bus, Light Rail, Heavy Rail (Subway)315 million117 million$0.45
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit AuthorityWashington, DC · Heavy Rail (Subway), Bus, Demand Response305 million151 million$1.52
Massachusetts Bay Transportation AuthorityBoston, MA · Heavy Rail (Subway), Bus, Light Rail269 million88.3 million$1.64
New Jersey Transit CorporationNewark, NJ · Bus, Commuter Rail, Light Rail226 million161 million$3.92
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation AuthorityPhiladelphia, PA · Bus, Heavy Rail (Subway), Commuter Rail223 million81 million$1.25
City and County of San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA · Bus, Trolleybus, Light Rail168 million25.4 million$0.66
MTA Bus CompanyNew York, NY · Bus134 million27.5 million$1.37
MTA Long Island Rail RoadNew York, NY · Commuter Rail102 million79.7 million$6.81
King CountySeattle, WA · Bus, Trolleybus, Streetcar94.4 million54.1 million$0.98
San Diego Metropolitan Transit SystemSan Diego, CA · Light Rail, Bus, Demand Response81.2 million36.5 million$0.96
County of Miami-DadeMiami, FL · Bus, Heavy Rail (Subway), Monorail and Automated Guideway79.2 million51.2 million$0.99
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, TexasHouston, TX · Bus, Light Rail, Commuter Bus78.7 million70.5 million$0.52
Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company, dba: MTA Metro-North RailroadNew York, NY · Commuter Rail, Bus, Ferryboat78.5 million65.4 million$8.47
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit AuthorityAtlanta, GA · Bus, Heavy Rail (Subway), Demand Response66.2 million53.1 million$1.12
Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of OregonPortland, OR · Bus, Light Rail, Demand Response65.8 million35.9 million$0.97
Port Authority Trans-Hudson CorporationNew York, NY · Heavy Rail (Subway)64.3 million12.9 million$2.78
Denver Regional Transportation DistrictDenver, CO · Bus, Light Rail, Commuter Rail63.9 million47.5 million$0.96
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit DistrictOakland, CA · Heavy Rail (Subway), Hybrid Rail, Monorail and Automated Guideway58.4 million69.1 million$4.17
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern NevadaLas Vegas, NV · Bus, Demand Response57.3 million30.4 million$1.10
Dallas Area Rapid TransitDallas, TX · Bus, Light Rail, Demand Response54.3 million52.6 million$0.83
Metro TransitMinneapolis, MN · Bus, Light Rail, Bus Rapid Transit51 million24 million$0.77
Central Puget Sound Regional Transit AuthoritySeattle, WA · Light Rail, Commuter Bus, Commuter Rail50.9 million24.4 million$1.46
City and County of HonoluluHonolulu, HI · Bus, Demand Response, Heavy Rail (Subway)43.3 million28.2 million$1.07

Transit by state

2025 National Transit Database

Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.

StateAgenciesTripsPer residentFare recovery
Alabama385.54 million1.14.6%
Alaska275.86 million8.032.9%
American Samoa240,700Not reported3.6%
Arizona4572.3 million9.86.4%
Arkansas155.43 million1.837.1%
California211977 million24.910.2%
Colorado4992.7 million15.85.8%
Connecticut2031.6 million8.77.8%
Delaware28.31 million8.19.7%
District of Columbia3305 million447.415.1%
Florida71189 million8.49.3%
Georgia8182 million7.59.5%
Guam199,326Not reported3.5%
Hawaii446.5 million32.110.2%
Idaho173.2 million1.76.2%
Illinois98427 million33.615.0%
Indiana6721.6 million3.210.3%
Iowa3920.1 million6.317.6%
Kansas866.74 million2.36.5%
Kentucky3315.6 million3.410.2%
Louisiana5023.3 million5.16.8%
Maine216.67 million4.832.8%
Maryland2449.8 million8.05.1%
Massachusetts23299 million42.517.7%
Michigan8765.3 million6.59.0%
Minnesota4668.4 million11.96.7%
Mississippi253.71 million1.38.0%
Missouri3428.4 million4.65.1%
Montana453.74 million3.33.2%
Nebraska594.52 million2.311.7%
Nevada2164.9 million20.416.6%
New Hampshire103.06 million2.251.8%
New Jersey27247 million26.431.1%
New Mexico2611.2 million5.32.7%
New York753.46 billion174.430.3%
North Carolina10356.4 million5.36.5%
North Dakota282.46 million3.17.6%
Northern Mariana Islands193,946Not reported3.9%
Ohio6676.2 million6.58.1%
Oklahoma368.38 million2.14.7%
Oregon4185.8 million20.28.7%
Pennsylvania50255 million19.618.5%
Puerto Rico4710.5 million3.23.1%
Rhode Island212.9 million11.711.9%
South Carolina268.62 million1.614.2%
South Dakota212.29 million2.510.0%
Tennessee2619.3 million2.77.3%
Texas73237 million7.95.8%
U.S. Virgin Islands1147,853Not reported5.1%
Utah945.6 million13.47.6%
Vermont94.91 million7.622.3%
Virginia4055.9 million6.49.8%
Washington56223 million28.69.2%
West Virginia195.91 million3.38.0%
Wisconsin7848.5 million8.214.0%
Wyoming271.92 million3.34.9%

Agencies are counted in the state of their headquarters. Fare recovery is fare revenue as a share of operating expenses.

Frequently asked questions

How many people ride public transit in the U.S.?
U.S. transit agencies reported 7.82 billion unlinked passenger trips in 2025. An unlinked trip is one boarding, so a ride with one transfer counts as two trips.
What is the busiest transit agency in the U.S.?
MTA New York City Transit is the busiest, with 2.98 billion passenger trips in 2025, followed by Chicago Transit Authority (338 million).
Is transit ridership going up?
At agencies that report monthly, ridership in August 2026 was 663 million trips, up 1.4% from August 2025.
What is the National Transit Database?
The NTD is the Federal Transit Administration's official record of transit service in the U.S. Agencies that receive federal transit funding report their ridership, service, finances and assets every year, and larger agencies also report ridership every month.

Source: Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database · 2025 annual data, monthly data through August 2026