Skip to main content

Drive Time, Walking, Cycling and Radius Analysis

Updated

Draw rings around any address or point on the map and see who lives inside them. A ring can be a distance (a radius) or a travel time by car, on foot or by bike. You can show up to three rings at once and turn them into a report with one column for each ring.

5, 10 and 15 minute drive time rings around an address in downtown Denver

Step 1: Choose a location

Open a map in Single map view. The analysis is not available in Side by Side or Swipe view.

Choose your location in one of two ways:

  • Search for it. Type an address, a place or a geography in Search address or geography at the top of the map, then select a result.
  • Drop a pin. Click the pin icon next to the search box (Click and add a pin to map), then click the spot on the map. The panel calls it Custom pin.

The pin icon next to the search box, with the tooltip Click and add a pin to map

A panel opens on the left with the name of the location and Create an analysis.

Location panel for 1701 Wynkoop St, Denver, with Save to my places, Add as annotation and the four analysis types

If you search for a geography such as a county or a city, the rings start from its center point. To start from a specific spot, search for an address or drop a pin instead.

Tip: Save to my places keeps the location for later. Open your saved places from the arrow next to the pin icon.

Step 2: Pick the type of analysis

  • Radius: a circle of a set distance, in miles.
  • Drive time: the area you can reach by car in a set number of minutes.
  • Walking: the area you can reach on foot.
  • Cycling: the area you can reach by bike.

Travel times follow the road and path network and use average traffic, so they are estimates. To switch to another type later, use the dropdown at the top of the analysis, for example Drive time.

Step 3: Choose your rings

The analysis starts with one ring. Under Select area (up to 3), click a value to add a ring, and click it again to remove it. Each ring is drawn on the map with its label.

Type Ready-made values Custom values up to
Radius 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 miles 20 miles
Drive time, Walking, Cycling 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45 and 60 minutes 60 minutes

To use a value that is not in the list, click +, enter the value and click Save. You can use one decimal place, for example 2.5 miles. Your custom values stay in the list while you work on the map. Reset removes them.

Add custom value window for Drive time, with a duration of 40 minutes and the hint Please enter value between 0 and 60

Step 4: Create a report

  1. Click Create report at the bottom of the panel.
  2. Optional: under Select corresponding (upward) geographies, pick ZIP Code, CBSA/MSA, County or State. The report adds a column for the area of that type that contains your location, so you can compare the rings with it. Only the levels available for the survey are shown.
  3. Check the Survey. The report uses the survey of the data on your map. To use a different survey, change the map's data first and start the analysis again.
  4. Optional: click Add year for comparison to add up to two more years.
  5. Under Topic, choose a ready-made report or one of your own templates, which are listed under Your Templates.
  6. Click Create report. The report opens in a new tab.

Create report options: three drive time rings, County selected as an upward geography, the ACS 2024 survey, Add year for comparison and the Topic list

What the report shows

Each ring is a column, named after the ring and the location, for example "10 min drive time - 1701 Wynkoop St, Denver, CO 80202". Upward geographies appear as extra columns next to the rings.

Report with columns for the 5, 10 and 15 minute drive time rings and for Denver County, Colorado

From here the report works like any other: change the survey year, add or remove tables, and download it as Excel, CSV or PDF. Click Save as to keep it in My Projects.

You can't change the geographies of a ring report. To use different rings or a different location, go back to the map and create a new report.

How the numbers are calculated

  • Each ring includes the rings inside it. The 15 minute ring counts everyone within 15 minutes, including the 5 and 10 minute areas. It is not a band between 10 and 15 minutes.
  • Rings are built from small census areas. A ring includes each block group, or the smallest geography the survey has, whose center falls inside the ring. The totals are therefore close to the area inside the line, but not an exact cut.
  • Travel times are estimates. They use average traffic, so real travel times vary with the time of day.
  • Very large rings can hit the report limit. A report can include up to 9,100 geographies across all rings and years. If you reach it, use smaller values. Dense areas fill up fast: a 10 mile radius around Manhattan already covers more than 5,000 block groups.

Clear the analysis

To remove the rings from the map, click the X at the top of the panel. If you switch to Side by Side view while an analysis is on the map, the analysis is removed.

Related articles