* Cities with transit agencies assigned by urbanized areas or urban places of less than 50,000 population outside urbanized areas based on 2000 U.S. Census Population.
** Ridership figure includes data from MTA New York City Transit and MTA Staten Island Railway.
Values have been rounded.
Data may differ from that included in Federal Transit Administration reports due to differences in data calculation procedures and in periods of time covered.
Citation formats
U.S. heavy rail network - leading cities by ridership 2023
In 2023, New York had the busiest heavy rail transit system in the United States at an annual ridership of over * passenger trips. Washington, D.C.'s heavy rail network was the second-busiest system in the United States, with over *** million passenger trips reported in that year.
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APTA. (March 4, 2024). U.S. cities with the busiest heavy rail systems in 2023, by ridership (in million unlinked transit passenger trips)* [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from /statistics/628669/us-metro-transit-ridership-by-city/
APTA. "U.S. cities with the busiest heavy rail systems in 2023, by ridership (in million unlinked transit passenger trips)*." Chart. March 4, 2024. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 24, 2026. /statistics/628669/us-metro-transit-ridership-by-city/
APTA. (2024). U.S. cities with the busiest heavy rail systems in 2023, by ridership (in million unlinked transit passenger trips)*. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 24, 2026. /statistics/628669/us-metro-transit-ridership-by-city/
APTA. "U.S. Cities with The Busiest Heavy Rail Systems in 2023, by Ridership (in Million Unlinked Transit Passenger Trips)*." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 4 Mar 2024, /statistics/628669/us-metro-transit-ridership-by-city/
APTA, U.S. cities with the busiest heavy rail systems in 2023, by ridership (in million unlinked transit passenger trips)* ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/628669/us-metro-transit-ridership-by-city/ (last visited July 24, 2026)
U.S. cities with the busiest heavy rail systems in 2023, by ridership (in million unlinked transit passenger trips)* [Graph], APTA, March 4, 2024. [Online]. Available: /statistics/628669/us-metro-transit-ridership-by-city/
