The typical bicyclist in Arlington is a wealthy Caucasian male who uses his bike for exercise, recreation and commuting, according to the findings of a recently-released survey.
The survey — conducted by a Richmond-based research firm under contract from Arlington County Commuter Services — probed the demographics, motivations and habits of local bicyclists using a combination of online surveys and in-person surveys conducted on Arlington bike trails.
Among the study’s findings:
- Mean age of respondents is 43
- Median income is $108,000
- 80% are Caucasian
- 64% are male
- 88% are employed full-time
- 35% work in Arlington
- 50% live seven or more miles from work
- 83% bike to work at least a couple of times per week
- 63% commute to work exclusively via bicycle
- 74% have employers that offer assistance, information or facilities that encourage biking to work
- 45% use a bike as their primary mode of transportation
- 89% say exercise and recreation is among the reasons why they choose to bike
- 81% are “satisfied” with local multi-use trails
- 47% of those who started using the county’s BikeArlington services now bicycle more frequently
For more information, see a summary of the findings or a complete presentation of survey results.
Disclosure: Arlington County Commuter Services placed ads for the online survey on ARLnow.com over the summer.
