Greater Baltimore ranks l9th nationally and 9th among the 20 benchmarks in a transportation ranking from Places Rated Almanac. Denver, Atlanta, St. Louis and Minneapolis rank among the top 10 nationally, while Richmond, Austin and Greenville finish below 70th nationally.

Greater Baltimore moved from 12th in 1996 to 11th in 1999 for total air passengers. Total passengers at BWI grew by more than 4 million, from 13.4 million to over 17.4 million in just 3 years.

Greater Baltimore ranked 2nd among the 20 metros for average air fares, with an average fare of just $139. Only Tampa had a lower fare, while hubs in Charlotte and Philadelphia kept their average fares at over $200.

Categories that have not been updated since the 1998 report are education attainment, public transportation usage and travel time to work.

TRANSPORTATION CHARTS

• Transportation Ranking, 1999
• Total Air Passengers, 1996 and 1999
• Average Air Fares, 1999 and 1997
• Workers 16 Years and Over Using Public Transportation, 1990
• Average Travel Time to Work, 1990