Accessibility is the ease of reaching valued destinations. It can be measured for various transportation modes, to different types of destinations, and at different times of day. There are a variety of ways to define accessibility, but the number of destinations reachable within a given travel time is the most comprehensible and transparent, as well as the most directly comparable across cities. The Access Across America series measures accessibility to jobs via various modes of transportation in major metropolitan areas across the United States.
Since 2015, the Access Across America series of reports have been produced as part of the National Access Evaluation pooled-fund study.
Access Across America Summary Articles
- Ten years of measurement reveals evolution of destination access across America (January 13, 2026; 2024 data year)
- For drivers and transit users, access to jobs in nearly all major US cities is on the decline (September 23, 2025; 2023 data year)
- Return of congestion and reduced transit service lead to lower job access nationwide (October 16, 2024; 2022 data year)
- COVID-19 pandemic substantially changed commuting patterns, job access (October 9, 2023; 2021 data year)