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A new chart shows looks at just how many potential Metro riders there are and counts how many people live and work near Metro stops.The data comes from Urban One. They came to these numbers by using 2014 Census data to estimate how many people live and how many people work within a half-mile of each station. They then grouped the station by their line.
The Red and Purple Lines have the most residents and employment options nearby. Some of the busiest stations in terms of job options are 7th St. Metro Center, Pershing Square and Civic Center. Pershing and 7th St., right in the heart of the financial district, has over 60,000 estimated jobs, while Civic Center, which is in the hub of local government, has about 55,000. The stations with the most residents are located in the densest neighborhoods of Westlake and Koreatown: Wilshire/Normandie, Westlake/MacArthur Park and Wilshire/Western, with populations between 30,000 and 40,000 people at each stop.
The Gold Line has more employment options than the Blue Line, but these two lines have similar residential populations. Blue Lines stations all have under 20,000 residents, with the exception of Anaheim (which is just over 20,000) and the PCH station, which is about 20,000. Employment-wise, Blue Line stations have typically under 10,000 jobs within a half-mile. On the Gold Line, none of the stations have a population density higher than 20,000 residents (Soto is the highest at just under 20,000). However, Little Tokyo/Arts District and Union Station both have over 20,000 jobs. Memorial Park has just under 20,000.
The lines with the least reach are the Green Line, which goes through the South Bay, and the Orange Line that goes through the Valley. Two of the Green Line stations—Mariposa and El Segundo—have fewer than 100 people who live within a half-mile. Overall, however, the Orange and Green Lines have a similar population density with Orange edging out slightly. No station on either line near 20,000 residents. Employment-wise, Orange has slightly more jobs, particularly at Van Nuys, Warner Center and Canoga stops, though none are of them hit much over 10,000.
Compared to current Metro statistics, these numbers line up when it comes to the Red and Purple lines. These lines have the highest numbers, with Metro citing over 4 million rides last month. The Blue Line, even though its potential ridership looks a lot like the Gold Line's, had nearly double the boardings—2,376,495—as the Gold Line's 1,247,800 last month. (These numbers do not include boardings on the Expo Line.) Surprisingly, the Green Line also had slightly more boardings last month than the Blue Line at 1,129,865 boardings.
View the complete chart here.
[h/t Curbed LA]
