Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bicycling

Walk Score Ranks the Bikeability of Every Address in 36 Cities

Walk Score came out with its bikeability rankings in the spring, but they were only at the citywide level. If you wanted to plug in your address and come up with a custom rating for your own address, like you can with Walk Score, the system wasn't quite ready. That all changes today. Using an algorithm that takes into account factors including bike infrastructure, topography, and the number of cyclists on the streets, Walk Score has released "Bike Scores" for addresses in 25 American cities and 11 Canadian cities.

This bike corral is a symbol of Cincinnati's efforts to boost bike culture in the city, but its Bike Score of 37 proves they're no bicycling mecca just yet. Photo: ##http://old.urbancincy.com/2010/05/cincinnati-aims-to-double-number-of.html##Urban Cincy##

To select which cities would get address-specific Bike Score capability first, Walk Score asked people to vote, and the cities where people were clamoring for information turn out not to be the top cycling cities in the country. Cincinnati topped the voting and its citywide Bike Score is a relatively meager 37. A lot of the top vote-getting cities are places with low overall Bike Scores -- maybe this data release will help advocates there press for better bike infrastructure.

Walk Score's first 25 bike-scored U.S. cities include the top 10 vote-getters, the top 10 most bikeable cities they had scored this spring, and five others selected for mysterious reasons.

The full list is:

    • Cincinnati = Bike Score 37
    • Austin = Bike Score 45
    • Pittsburgh = Bike Score 39
    • Philadelphia = Bike Score 68
    • Miami = Bike Score 57
    • Oakland = Bike Score 57
    • Houston = Bike Score 49
    • Los Angeles = Bike Score 54
    • Eugene = Bike Score 75
    • San Diego = Bike Score 48
    • Ann Arbor =Bike Score 76
    • Boulder = Bike Score 86
    • Fort Collins = Bike Score 78
    • Tempe = Bike Score 75
    • Tyler = Bike Score 38
    • Minneapolis = Bike Score 79
    • Portland = Bike Score 70
    • San Francisco = Bike Score 70
    • Boston = Bike Score 68
    • Madison = Bike Score 67
    • Washington, DC = Bike Score 65
    • Seattle = Bike Score 64
    • Tucson = Bike Score 64
    • New York = Bike Score 62
    • Chicago = Bike Score 62

Walk Score also scored some major landmarks "for fun," giving the US Capitol a Bike Score of 89, Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell a Bike Score of 96, and UCLA a Bike Score of 55.

They also mapped bike-share locations in every city that has a system, whether or not it's one of the 25 fully scored cities.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: Are We All Living in a ‘Carspiracy’?

How does "car-brain" shape the way we think about the world — even in relatively bike-friendly countries like the U.K.?

July 26, 2024

Friday’s Headlines Share and Share Alike

Bikeshares, and e-bikes and scooters generally, are becoming more popular. That's led to more injuries, highlighting the need for better infrastructure.

July 26, 2024

What the Heck is Going on With the California E-Bike Incentive Program?

The program's launch has been delayed for two years, and currently "there is no specific timeline" for it. Plus the administrator, Pedal Ahead, is getting dragged, but details are vague.

July 26, 2024

Talking Headways Podcast: Have Cities Run Out of Land?

Chris Redfearn of USC and Anthony Orlando of Cal Poly Pomona on why "pro-business" Texas housing markets are catching up to "pro-regulation" California and what it might mean for future city growth.

July 25, 2024

The Paris Plan for Olympic Traffic? Build More Bike Lanes

A push to make Paris fully bikable for the Olympics is already paying dividends long before the opening ceremonies.

July 25, 2024
See all posts