What does this distance to airline service ranking show?

It orders states by Miles to nearest airport with airline service. It is a comparison of this one published measure, not an overall ranking of where to live.

Where do these figures come from?

FAA Air Carrier Activity (ACAIS) enplanements; BTS NTAD Aviation Facilities supplies this measure. States without a comparable published value are shown as not ranked rather than estimated.

How should I use this ranking?

Use it to narrow a search, then open a state or county profile for the underlying figures, source dates and caveats. A statewide number may not describe every neighbourhood.

Rankings · Transportation

Lowest distance to airline service by state

Miles to nearest airport with airline service.

Straight-line miles from the county's population-weighted centre to the nearest airport the FAA classifies as commercial service, meaning it boards at least 2,500 passengers a year on scheduled flights. Driving distance is longer, and considerably longer where mountains or water intervene. The label names the FAA hub size, so a large hub and a single Essential Air Service route are not presented as the same thing. Airports without scheduled service are measured separately.

How to read this ranking

District of Columbia has the lowest published distance to airline service in this comparison, at 4.3 mi. The next states shown are Hawaii (7.0 mi) and Nevada (8.1 mi).

The table orders 51 states by miles to nearest airport with airline service. It describes one published measure, not an overall judgment about where to live.

Use the result as a starting point, then compare the underlying source, dates, and local county figures before making a decision. Straight-line miles from the county's population-weighted centre to the nearest airport the FAA classifies as commercial service, meaning it boards at least 2,500 passengers a year on scheduled flights. Driving distance is longer, and considerably longer where mountains or water intervene. The label names the FAA hub size, so a large hub and a single Essential Air Service route are not presented as the same thing. Airports without scheduled service are measured separately.

1District of Columbia4.3 mi
2Hawaii7.0 mi
3Nevada8.1 mi
4Rhode Island9.4 mi
5New York9.7 mi
6Arizona11 mi
7Florida12 mi
8Utah13 mi
9California14 mi
10Washington14 mi
11Alaska14 mi
12Massachusetts14 mi
13Delaware14 mi
14Connecticut15 mi
15Illinois15 mi
16North Dakota16 mi
17Maryland16 mi
18New Jersey16 mi
19Pennsylvania16 mi
20Maine17 mi
21Oregon17 mi
22South Carolina17 mi
23Texas17 mi
24Virginia18 mi
25Louisiana18 mi
26Montana19 mi
27Wyoming19 mi
28New Hampshire19 mi
29North Carolina20 mi
30Nebraska20 mi
31Michigan20 mi
32Ohio20 mi
33Wisconsin20 mi
34Idaho20 mi
35West Virginia20 mi
36New Mexico21 mi
37Iowa21 mi
38Vermont21 mi
39Minnesota22 mi
40Tennessee22 mi
41Colorado23 mi
42Mississippi23 mi
43Alabama23 mi
44Missouri23 mi
45Indiana24 mi
46Oklahoma25 mi
47South Dakota26 mi
48Kansas27 mi
49Arkansas27 mi
50Georgia27 mi
51Kentucky28 mi

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Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Miles to nearest airport with airline service. It is one measure, not an overall verdict on where to live.
Where do the figures come from?: FAA Air Carrier Activity (ACAIS) enplanements; BTS NTAD Aviation Facilities. States without a comparable published figure are listed as not ranked rather than estimated.
How should I use it?: Use it to narrow your search, then open a state or county profile for the source date, caveats and local context.

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Source: FAA Air Carrier Activity (ACAIS) enplanements; BTS NTAD Aviation Facilities. · How this is built

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