Average American Could Save $1644 Per Year by Walking vs. Driving

Cringing at the gas station lately? Perhaps you let out an audible gasp at the grand total after your latest fuel up. We’re right there with you.

As gas prices soar to record-breaking highs across the nation, Americans have begun to see the toll on their bank accounts. In fact, we found that the majority of Americans (66%) say they don’t think the cost of gas is affordable.

So just how much money could the average American save by swapping their vehicle for walking, biking, or public transit? The team at KURU Footwear wanted to find out.

Whether your car is a daily staple or you could swap your vehicle for a bicycle in a heartbeat, we take a look at how much each state could save by cutting spending at the pump.

How Much Gas Money Could Every State Save by Walking?

With gas prices rising, we found that more than half of Americans (53%) say that fuel cost has made them consider walking to destinations such as work, convenience stores, and the gym.

And it appears they’re smart to do so. We found the average American could save $137 per month by walking and using public transportation, based on the average number of miles traveled per driver, fuel economy of vehicles, and cost of gas. That’s $1,644 per year!

That means when considering how to save money on gas, even swapping a few commutes per week for a walk, bike ride, or bus ride can add up to meaningful fuel savings over time.

How Much Gas Money Could Every State Save by Walking?

Top-10 States That Could Save The Most Money by Walking

It’s clear our cars can guzzle cash as fast as they guzzle gas. Cutting fuel adds up to some pretty big gas savings, especially in our top-10 states.

Trading vehicle use for walking, biking, or public transportation saved our top-10 list more than $170 per month—with several in the $200+ range.

The state with the highest savings? Wyoming came in on top with a whopping $263.18 per month. Even in Georgia, the #10 state for savings, residents could save as much as $5.75 per day by cutting their gas expenses and opting to walk or use public transportation.

Top-10 States With The Most Affordable Public Transportation

No two states are alike—including the affordability of their public transportation systems.

Despite 1 in 3 Americans reporting that they’ve never used public transportation before, 36% of Americans say that the cost of gas has caused them to consider making the switch.

In the top-5 most affordable states for public transportation (Vermont, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico and Arkansas) residents can hitch a ride for less than $1 per day.

Here’s our list of the nation’s 10 most affordable public transit systems.

Gas Savings and Public Transit Data by State

A Flourish data visualization

Final Thoughts

It’s no secret that our bank accounts have taken a hit in part due to high prices at the pump. In fact, rising fuel costs have forced 56% of Americans to cut down their spending in other areas and 42% to cancel planned commutes, vacations, or road trips.

If you’re trading in your car keys for a pair of walking shoes to save money, make sure you’ve got a comfortable pair to get you from point A to point B.

KURU Footwear offers some of the most comfortable, ergonomic footwear on the planet. Each pair of our stylish shoes (yes, even our flip-flops!) are built with patented heel-hugging technology that dynamically flexes with each step, contoured arch support, and shock-absorbing cushion for Pain Relief Beyond Belief.

Methodology and Sources

Methodology

KURU Footwear surveyed 1,000 Americans 18 years and older with a margin of error of +/- 4% and a confidence level of 95%. The survey results were weighted to reflect characteristics of the United States population using available data from the US census.

We asked drivers how often they drive, walk, and use public transportation as well as the impact gas prices have had on their lifestyles.

To determine how much money people in each state could save in gas expenses per month, we sourced public transportation costs for 30-day passes in 206 cities and counties nationwide.

We used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation – Federal Highway Administration, and Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy to determine how many miles licensed drivers in each state drive per month, and their car’s fuel economy.

This data was compared against the 30-day average cost of gas in every state according to AAA’s gas prices report. We determined potential savings by deducting public transportation costs from the average monthly cost of fuel in every state.

Sources

1. KURU Footwear proprietary survey of 1,000 respondents

2. U.S. National Average Price of Gasoline Hits New All-Time Record High, Gas Buddy

3. AAA State Gas Price Averages

4. Consumer Expenditures for the US, regions, and selected metropolitan areas, Bureau of Labor Statistics

5. American Time Use Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics

6. Changes on All Estimated Roads by Region and State – January 2022 – Policy | Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation – Federal Highway Administration

7. FOTW #1138, June 15, 2020: New Light-Duty Vehicle Fuel Economy in the United States Has Nearly Doubled Since 1975 | Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

8. Table DL-22 – Highway Statistics 2019 – Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation – Federal Highway Administration

SOURCE

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of Citizens Journal