What’s the Walkability Score of Your Address?
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Richard Haddad Managing EditorClose
Richard Haddad Managing EditorRichard Haddad is the managing editor of HomeLight.com. He works with an experienced content team that oversees the company’s blog featuring in-depth articles about the home buying and selling process, homeownership news, home care and design tips, and related real estate trends. Previously, he served as an editor and content producer for World Company, Gannett, and Western News & Info, where he also served as news director and director of internet operations.
At HomeLight, our vision is a world where every real estate transaction is simple, certain, and satisfying. Therefore, we promote strict editorial integrity in each of our posts.
Have you considered your neighborhood’s walkability score? Such a rating is not just about sidewalks, paths, or streetlights. Walkability scores by address provide a glimpse into daily life in a neighborhood, highlighting how easily you can accomplish errands on foot, the proximity to public transportation, and the overall convenience of the area.
For home sellers, a high walkability score can give you a competitive marketing edge. For homebuyers, these scores offer valuable insights into the livability pros and cons of different communities.
In this post, we’ll guide you through everything you need to know about walkability scores — how they work, where to find them, and how they can influence your home-buying decision.
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What is a walkability score by address?
A walkability score is a numerical value ranging from 0 to 100 that indicates how easily you can carry out daily errands on foot from any given address. It’s a quick way to gauge whether a neighborhood suits a pedestrian-friendly lifestyle, providing an insight into the convenience of living in that area without relying heavily on a car.
This score is especially valuable for homebuyers aiming to find a neighborhood that aligns with their lifestyle preferences, where amenities like shops, parks, and schools are just a short walk away.
How do walk scores work?
The concept of a walk score is ingeniously simple yet deeply informative. The scoring uses data to assign a number between 0 and 100 to any address, reflecting its walkability. For example, one of the most popular walkability score providers in the U.S. is walkscore.com. Its scores are calculated using a patented system that evaluates hundreds of walking routes to nearby amenities.
The closer the amenities, the higher the score, with a focus on the distance to necessities in categories the following categories:
- Dining & Drinking
- Groceries
- Shopping
- Errands
- Parks
- Schools
- Culture & Entertainment
Amenities within a five-minute walk receive maximum points, while a decay function reduces points for more distant amenities, phasing out any benefit after a 30-minute walk. The score also considers pedestrian friendliness factors, including population density and road metrics like block length and intersection density.
To gather this data, walkscore.com relies on resources like Google, Factual, Great Schools, Open Street Map, the U.S. Census, Localeze, and user contributions, ensuring a broad and accurate representation of an area’s walkability.
Walk Score points system
- 90–100 Walker’s Paradise: Daily errands do not require a car
- 70–89 Very Walkable: Most errands can be accomplished on foot
- 50–69 Somewhat Walkable: Some errands can be accomplished on foot
- 25–49 Car-Dependent: Most errands require a car
- 0–24: Car-Dependent: Almost all errands require a car
Source: walkscore.com
Walk Score examples
To put these scores into perspective, consider the following two contrasting examples from walkscore.com.
- Sunland Village in Mesa, Arizona, is deemed “Car-Dependent” with a low walkability score of 23, indicating that almost all errands require a car. This southeastern suburb of Phoenix also scores low for transit and bike use.
- Civic Center in New York, on the other hand, is a “Walker’s Paradise” with a score of 100, where daily errands do not necessitate a vehicle. Transit and bike scores are also rated high.
These examples highlight the stark differences in walkability and, consequently, the lifestyle one might expect in these locations.
The walkscore.com assessment extends beyond walking, with Transit Scores measuring access to public transit and Bike Scores evaluating cycling convenience.
By examining these scores, alongside detailed breakouts of nearby amenities and their categories, home shoppers gain a comprehensive view of the livability of potential homes. Such insights offer a different perspective on places to buy and live, bridging the gap between mere property values and the quality of daily life.
Other resources for walkability scores by address
While walkscore.com offers a comprehensive look at walkability, several other tools provide valuable insights into an area’s walkability and accessibility. These resources, developed by organizations like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), offer interactive maps and datasets to help users explore different facets of neighborhood walkability and transit access.
National Walkability Index
The National Walkability Index offers a detailed geographic data resource that evaluates the walkability of block groups across the U.S. By ranking these groups based on walkability scores, the tool provides insights into the density, diversity of land uses, and proximity to transit of each area.
Access to Jobs and Workers Via Transit Tool
Focusing on the accessibility of neighborhoods via public transit, this tool measures how easily residents can reach jobs and how accessible neighborhoods are to workers using public transportation. Covering metropolitan regions with data from transit agencies, this interactive map provides a unique perspective on the intersection between transit access and employment needs.
Smart Location Calculator
For those interested in how a workplace location impacts commute travel, the Smart Location Calculator is a helpful resource. It scores addresses based on location efficiency and summarizes data at the block group level. This tool goes beyond walkability to include factors like greenhouse gas emissions from commutes, mode share of transportation, vehicle miles traveled and accessibility to workplaces via transit.
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How are walkability scores by address used?
By providing a clear, quantifiable measure of an area’s pedestrian friendliness, walk scores influence decisions across the spectrum of housing, development, and urban planning. Some uses include:
- Homebuyers and renters use walkability scores to find neighborhoods that match their lifestyle preferences, prioritizing areas where daily necessities are easily accessible on foot.
- Urban planners and developers reference walk scores to design and develop spaces that encourage walking, reduce car dependency, and enhance overall community livability.
- Real estate professionals use these scores to market properties, highlighting walkability as a key feature of listed homes.
More helpful tools when moving to a new community
Below is a collection of handy online tools you can use to help you research expense and livability factors in other cities and states where you might potentially want to live.
Cost of living indexes
- C2ER cost of living index
- Statista Cost of Living Index by State
- World Population Review Cost of Living Index
- Numbeo crowd-sourced cost of living data
Cost of living calculators
Livability indexes and calculators
Crime maps
Migration maps (where people are moving)
Move cost estimators
- Move.com Moving Cost Calculator
- Consumer Affairs ‘Find a Mover’ tool
- U-HAUL ‘Moving Help Cost’ resource page
Living wage and budget calculators
- Living Wage Calculator (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
- Family Budget Calculator: (Economic Policy Institute)
Homebuyer calculators
Home seller calculators
A top agent can offer expert walkability insights
Choosing the right home is about more than just the number of bedrooms or square footage — it’s about finding a community that matches your lifestyle. Walkability scores and the tools we’ve provided can play a helpful role in your planning process, offering a glimpse into the daily life, cost, and convenience of different neighborhoods.
An experienced local real estate agent can provide you with first-hand insights into the walkability and overall livability of neighborhoods, going beyond the numbers to share personal experiences and feedback from residents. They understand the nuances that make an area truly desirable.
Whether you’re buying, selling, or both, HomeLight can connect you with the highest-rated agents in your selected market to ensure you have an advocate on your side to help you make informed decisions about walkability and much more.
Header Image Source: (Tom Rumble/Unsplash)
