Whether it be for fun, health, or simply as a means of travel, cycling is on the up. In fact, the number of Americans riding last year totaled over 54.7 million according to data, which is a 3 million - or 6.4% - increase on the year prior.
Many attribute this rise, but it appears that those who took up cycling during the pandemic aren’t slowing down.
Strava’s most recent ‘Year In Sport Trend Report’ confirmed that the boom is still rolling in the US: the number of cyclists on the platform recording an impressive metric century (62 miles) ride rose by 5% and the number of people recording an e-bike ride increased by as much as 23%.
That’s why team buycycle decided to get its wheels in motion and find out which states are showing the most interest in cycling. Using Google search volume, we looked at a range of factors including different types of bikes, cycling safety, and actually learning to ride a bicycle in the first place.
Uptake in cycling
Key findings
- Washington ranked in first place as the city showing the biggest uptake in cycling overall, followed by Rhode Island and Vermont.
- 60% of the top ten are located in the Western United States, which indicates a strong uptake in cycling interest there.
- The South and the West generally have higher search volumes.
- States with higher populations, such as California, Texas, and Florida, generally show significant interest in bike-related terms, likely due to their larger populations and diverse urban areas.
- States with lower populations, such as Vermont, Alaska, and Wyoming, are also showing higher search volumes relative to their population, which indicates a potentially higher interest in biking activities.
- Interestingly, Kansas was the state showing the least interest in commuter bikes in the study, but the state with the most interest in mountain biking.
And breaking this down by specifics…
1. Learning To Ride A Bike.
Almost 6% of Americans do not know how to ride a bike, a study has revealed. Although it was commissioned over 10 years ago, the figures are likely relatively similar today with lifestyle, attitudes, and cultural factors not having altered much in the last decade.
It’s an impressively small number though, as more recent data highlights that this figure increases to as much as 37% of adults not knowing how worldwide.
So, to understand which states are showing the most interest in learning, we analyzed search volume data for phrases relating to how to ride two wheels.
Key findings.
- Alaska took the top spot when it came to learning to ride a bike as its seemingly low average monthly search volume was considered in relation to it being one of the US’ least populated states.
- The state with the biggest year-on-year search increase is New York with its monthly figure of 300 being a 52.6% increase on that of last year.
- Georgia ranked in last position, seeing only 90 monthly searches across its 16+ million population and a 25% decrease on last year.
- Wyoming took last place for the biggest decrease in people searching about learning to ride a bike, with the beginning of 2024 showing 66% fewer searches than the previous year.
2. Cycling Safety Concerns.
Cycling safety has always been a concern but states around America have been working towards making their streets safer for those on two wheels.
In 2001, for example, Washington had only 3 miles of bicycle lanes, but the network topped 100 miles by 2019 and the city built a further 20 miles of protected lanes in the two following years.
Despite these efforts, people are still nervous about cycling though.
As many as 70% of those surveyed in America’s 50 biggest metro regions stated that they were interested in biking, but half of them said they were too afraid to bike on the street.
So, where in the US are people the most concerned about this? We analyzed search volume data relating to dash cams and bicycle helmets to find out.
Key findings.
- When it comes to cycling safety overall, Oregon showed the biggest interest in this, followed by Montana and then Florida.
- For dashcams specifically, Florida came out in first place with 220 searches per month for the recording devices, which is a 125% increase from last year. This is perhaps unsurprising considering a recent study revealed that The Sunshine State has the highest bicycle fatalities per capita.
- Of some of the biggest year-on-year increases, Oregon saw a 166.5% growth in search volume relating to bicycle helmets, which could be a result of some high-profile cycling accidents in the state during the last year.
- Kansas, New Jersey, and Nevada are the states showing the least interest in cycling safety at the start of this year - so either it’s not a concern or they’ve already invested in their safety equipment!
3. The E-Bike Boom.
Americans are clearly charged up for e-bikes. Sales for electric bicycles in the United States increased by 269% between 2019 and 2022 data reveals, and the market size is expected to have grown further during the last year.
Once thought of as something for the older generation, even young people are now getting on the e-bike hype. Electric bikes make cycling easier in more ways than one - less physical exertion and good for most terrains.
Strava’s 2023 report showed that the share of people who recorded an e-bike ride rose by as much as 23%, which is impressive.
We’ve worked out which US states are showing the most interest in buying an electric bike.
Key findings.
- Texas ranked in first place as the state showing the biggest interest in purchasing e-bikes overall, which could be a result of Austinites being able to get up to a $600 rebate on e-bike purchases as part of the city’s E-BIKE (Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment) Act.
- Rhode Island is one of the US states that has a statewide e-bike initiative, so this could be the reason that there was a 127% increase in searches relating to purchasing one last year.
- The state with the highest number of searches relating to buying an e-bike, regardless of population, is California, which sees an average monthly volume of 18,000.
- North Dakota is showing the biggest increase in interest though, with e-bike searches in the state surging by 260% in the last year alone.
4. The Great Commute.
An article in the Washington Post at the end of last year reported that cycling to work is not gaining any ground despite governments investing in biking infrastructure.
But is this really the case?
Other figures show that the number of annual average daily bicycle trips in the United States increased by nearly 40% between 2020 and 2023, and the latest American Community Survey also revealed some towns in Florida and California have a bicycle commuter share as high as 15% of the population.
So, to find out which states are more interested in commuting overall, we analysed each for the following phrases (and applicable variation): ‘best commuter bike’, ‘urban bikes’, ‘commuter bike’, ‘folding bike’, ‘folding electric bike’ and ‘bike lane’.
Key findings.
- Overall, Oregon took the top spot for the state with the highest search volumes relating to commuting to work via bike (in comparison to their population).
- The state that is showing the least interest in cycling commuting is Arkansas, whose Y-O-Y data points have either been in decline or had no change at all bar one: folding electric bike.
- The only data point not relating to bicycles themselves is ‘bike lanes’ and the states showing the most interest in specific cycling paths are New Mexico, Alabama and South Carolina.
- Looking at some of the biggest increases in Y-O-Y volumes, South Carolina saw a 400% surge in ‘urban bike’ searches, and Maine and Montana both experienced a 200% increase in searches relating to ‘commuter bicycles’.
- When it comes to the biggest search volumes (regardless of population), New York sees 5310 searches per month relating to the best commuter bikes and ‘folding bike’ is searched around 2400 times in California.
We also thought it would be interesting to see which states are sticking to their guns when it comes to specific vehicles for commuting, and which are still seeing a bigger search volume for ‘commuter car’ than ‘commuter bike’.
5. Gearing Up For Mountain Bikes.
Following on the theme of different types of bikes, what about those that are better for off-roading?
According to data from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, nearly 9 million Americans in the United States rode a bicycle off-road at least once in 2022 - a figure that is well above the 6.9 million who reported doing so in 2007.
So it’s clear that mountain biking is on a somewhat upward trend.
But when it comes to buying a bike to traverse uneven terrain, which states are looking to be the most geared up?
Key findings.
- Kansas took the top spot for the state that is showing the most interest in buying a new mountain bike, followed by Montana and Nebraska respectively, with all states offering plenty of off-road trails.
- Ohio showed a 300% increase in searches for mountain bikes, which could be a result of the world's biggest indoor bike park opening in the state last year.
- Despite 300 average monthly searches, Hawaii showed the least interest in mountain biking with searches for this being down 27.6% on last year.
Methodology
To find out which states were showing the greatest interest in cycling, we used Google Keyword data across a range of different search terms.
Data was correct as of January 2024.
A full dataset is available upon request.