The EPA National Walkability Index provides a consistent way to understand how supportive neighborhoods across the United States are of walking. Developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) using data from its Smart Location Database, the index assigns every Census block group a walkability score from 1 to 20. Higher scores indicate built environments that are more supportive of walking for everyday transportation.
Social Explorer makes the EPA National Walkability Index easier to explore alongside demographic, housing, transportation, and other community data. The collection includes 2021 and 2013 data, giving researchers and planners additional context for examining walkability patterns across places and over time.
How the EPA National Walkability Index Is Calculated
The EPA National Walkability Index focuses on characteristics of the built environment that research has linked to the likelihood of walking. EPA combines four measures representing three major dimensions of neighborhood walkability:
- Street intersection density, which captures how connected the street network is and how easily people can move between destinations.
- Proximity to transit, based on distance to the nearest transit stop.
- Employment mix, which measures the diversity of different types of jobs and destinations within an area.
- Employment and household mix, which captures the extent to which jobs and housing are located together.
EPA ranks Census block groups nationally for each measure and combines those rankings into a composite score ranging from 1 to 20. Intersection density and proximity to transit each account for one-third of the final score, while the two measures of land-use diversity each account for one-sixth.
The result is a straightforward indicator that makes it possible to compare the relative walkability of neighborhoods across the country without reducing the analysis to a single feature such as sidewalks or population density.
Look Beyond the Overall Walkability Score
The composite score is useful for quickly identifying relatively more or less walkable areas, but Social Explorer also provides the underlying measures used to build the index.
That means you can go beyond asking, “How walkable is this neighborhood?” and start asking why.
One area may score highly because it has a dense, connected street network. Another may benefit from nearby transit and a strong mixture of homes and employment. Looking at the individual components helps reveal the neighborhood characteristics behind the overall EPA National Walkability Index score.
The dataset also includes contextual variables such as population, households, housing units, workers, and metropolitan-area classifications. These measures make it easier to connect walkability with the people and communities experiencing those conditions.
Analyze Walkability at the Neighborhood Level
EPA calculates the index at the Census block group level, a geography smaller than a Census tract. That level of detail makes the dataset particularly useful for neighborhood-scale analysis while still supporting comparisons across cities, metropolitan areas, regions, and the nation.
Researchers can use the EPA National Walkability Index to study active transportation and physical activity. Transportation and land-use planners can identify areas that support walking or examine opportunities for transit-oriented development. Public health professionals can investigate relationships between neighborhood design and health outcomes. The data can also support work related to environmental equity, accessibility, sustainability, and community development.
Because the index ranks block groups relative to other block groups nationwide, it is especially useful as a comparative measure. It is not a sidewalk inventory or a direct measure of pedestrian safety, but it provides a consistent national framework for understanding how land-use mix, street connectivity, and transit access contribute to conditions that support walking.
Explore the EPA National Walkability Index with Social Explorer
Ready to see where walkability stands out? Sign up for a free trial of Social Explorer to map and analyze the EPA National Walkability Index, compare neighborhoods, examine the individual factors behind each score, and connect walkability with the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the communities you study.