The CTA calculates ridership by counting the customers who board a transit vehicle (bus or rail).
Cermak station saw the largest increase in ridership with a 38.6% rise.
Rail and bus traffic took a serious hit during the pandemic. The Metra, which provides service to many of Chicago's suburbs, saw a 97% decrease in ridership according to the Active Transportation Alliance. According to the Federal Transit Authority, Chicago's public transportation sector received $1.43 billion in bailout funds from the CARES act to combat the decrease in ridership.
While ridership hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels, CTA's president Dorval R. Cart Jr. said weekday ridership has doubled since the initial shutdown and continues to increase.
Rank | Station | Ridership increase from 2021 to 2022 (%) |
---|---|---|
1 | Cermak | 38.6 |
2 | Morgan | 33.3 |
3 | Quincy/Wells | 27.6 |
4 | LaSalle/Van Buren | 27.4 |
5 | Addison (Red Line - North Side) | 26.5 |
6 | Merchandise Mart | 25.1 |
7 | Washington/Wells | 25 |
7 | Adams/Wabash | 25 |
9 | Kildare | 23.9 |
10 | Montrose (Blue Line - O'Hare) | 23.8 |
11 | Ashland (Green Line - Lake Street) | 23.3 |
12 | Rockwell | 23 |
12 | Clinton (Blue Line - Forest Park) | 23 |
14 | Southport | 22.3 |
15 | Monroe (Blue Line - Dearborn Subway) | 20.1 |
16 | Clinton (Green Line - Lake Street) | 19.7 |
17 | Grand (Blue Line - O'Hare) | 17.8 |
18 | Jackson (Blue Line - Dearborn Subway) | 17.7 |
19 | Chicago (Blue Line - O'Hare) | 17.3 |
20 | Halsted (Orange Line) | 16.9 |
21 | Paulina | 16.8 |
22 | Logan Square | 16.4 |
22 | Chicago (Brown Line) | 16.4 |
24 | State/Lake | 16.2 |
25 | Western (Blue Line - O'Hare) | 16 |
25 | Irving Park (Brown Line) | 16 |
25 | Ridgeland | 16 |
28 | Montrose (Brown Line) | 15.4 |
29 | Cermak-Chinatown | 15.2 |
30 | Belmont (Blue Line - O'Hare) | 14.6 |
31 | Wellington | 14.3 |
32 | Armitage | 13.9 |
33 | Division | 13.8 |
34 | Harold Washington Library | 13.5 |
35 | LaSalle | 13.4 |
36 | 43rd | 13 |
36 | California (Blue Line - O'Hare) | 13 |
36 | Francisco | 13 |
36 | Midway Airport | 13 |
40 | Addison (Brown Line) | 12.2 |
41 | Jarvis | 11.9 |
42 | Sedgwick | 11.7 |
43 | O'Hare Airport | 11.6 |
44 | Pulaski (Pink Line) | 11.1 |
44 | Western (Orange Line) | 11.1 |
44 | Ashland (Orange Line) | 11.1 |
47 | Thorndale | 10.8 |
48 | Argyle | 10.2 |
48 | Jackson (Red Line - State Street Subway) | 10.2 |
48 | Jefferson Park | 10.2 |
51 | Addison (Blue Line - O'Hare) | 9.7 |
51 | 35th/Archer | 9.7 |
53 | Kostner | 9.5 |
53 | Kimball | 9.5 |
53 | Western (Brown Line) | 9.5 |
56 | Harrison | 9.4 |
57 | Damen (Blue Line - O'Hare) | 9.3 |
57 | Kedzie (Orange Line) | 9.3 |
59 | Roosevelt | 8.8 |
59 | Diversey | 8.8 |
59 | Clark/Lake | 8.8 |
62 | Oakton | 8.2 |
62 | Rosemont | 8.2 |
64 | Linden | 8.1 |
65 | North/Clybourn | 7.8 |
65 | California (Green Line - Lake Street) | 7.8 |
67 | Granville | 7.6 |
68 | Damen (Brown Line) | 7.4 |
69 | Wilson | 7.3 |
70 | Cumberland | 7.1 |
70 | Kedzie (Pink Line) | 7.1 |
72 | Howard | 7 |
72 | Monroe (Red Line - State Street Subway) | 7 |
72 | Western (Pink Line) | 7 |
72 | Sheridan | 7 |
72 | Pulaski (Orange Line) | 7 |
72 | Washington | 7 |
72 | Oak Park (Green Line - Lake Street) | 7 |
72 | Fullerton | 7 |
72 | Chicago (Red Line - North Side) | 7 |
72 | Belmont (Red Line - North Side) | 7 |
82 | 18th | 6.1 |
83 | Morse | 6 |
83 | Central (Green Line - Lake Street) | 6 |
83 | 54th/Cermak | 6 |
83 | Racine | 6 |
83 | Kedzie (Brown Line) | 6 |
83 | Lake | 6 |
83 | Laramie | 6 |
83 | Washington/Wabash | 6 |
91 | Austin (Blue Line - Forest Park) | 5.4 |
92 | 47th (Green Line - South Elevated) | 5.3 |
93 | 95/Dan Ryan | 5.1 |
94 | Dempster | 4.9 |
94 | South Boulevard | 4.9 |
96 | Irving Park (Blue Line - O'Hare) | 4.7 |
97 | Grand (Red Line - North Side) | 4.5 |
98 | Kedzie (Green Line - Lake Street) | 4.2 |
99 | Oak Park (Blue Line - Forest Park) | 4.1 |
100 | Cicero (Pink Line) | 4 |
100 | Central (Purple Line - Evanston) | 4 |
100 | Clark/Division | 4 |
103 | Kedzie-Homan | 3.3 |
104 | Harlem (Blue Line - O'Hare) | 3.2 |
105 | Loyola | 2.9 |
105 | UIC-Halsted | 2.9 |
105 | California (Pink Line) | 2.9 |
108 | Austin (Green Line - Lake Street) | 2.4 |
109 | Ashland/63rd | 1.7 |
110 | Bryn Mawr | 1.6 |
111 | Medical Center | 1.3 |
112 | Noyes | 1.1 |