How Many Americans Know How to Ride a Bike?

A Five Thirty Eight article reveals the data on the ubiquity, and relative lack thereof in certain populations, of the ability to ride a bike.

1 minute read

April 21, 2015, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


According to post by Mona Cahlibi, and based on the responses of 1,196 U.S. adults for a YouGov survey, "6 percent of Americans don’t know how to ride a bike."

The results of the survey (broken down in an Excel spreadsheet available for download) are also broken down regionally. So, in the Northeast, 12 percent of Americans don't know how to ride a bike, 3 percent in the Midwest, 5 percent in the South, and 6 percent in the West.

The survey results are also broken down by demographics:

"White Americans are the most likely to know how to ride a bike. Only 4 percent said they don’t know how, compared to 7 percent of Hispanic Americans and 10 percent of black Americans. Married Americans were half as likely as single Americans to not know how to ride a bike (4 percent compared to 8 percent)…"

The post also notes surprises in the amount of young Americans who know how to ride a bike, which reveals a cognitive bias that makes bike riders think that everyone knows how to ride a bike.

Thursday, April 16, 2015 in Five Thirty Eight

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 4, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Metrorail train pulling into newly opened subterranean station in Washington, D.C. with crowd on platform taking photos.

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”

The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

June 2, 2025 - The Hill

White and yellow DART light rail train in Dallas, Texas with brick building in background.

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process

The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

May 28, 2025 - Mass Transit

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8 - Fast Company

Aerial view of Rancho Cucamonga, California with suburban commercial center and large palm trees at sunset with mountains in background.

Car-Centric LA Suburb Looks to a Train-Oriented Future

City leaders in Rancho Cucamonga, the future western terminus of the Brightline West rail line to Las Vegas, want to reimagine the city as a transit-oriented, pedestrian-friendly community.

June 8 - Bloomberg CityLab

Ground level view of Alaska Pipeline oil pipeline near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska with bare mountains in background.

New Alaska Bitcoin Mine Would Burn as Much Energy as the State’s Largest Coal Plant

Fueled by “stranded” natural gas, the startup hopes to become the largest in the US, and to make Alaska an industry center.

June 8 - Alaska Beacon

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.