NYC Subway Ridership

Updated daily from MTA open data · See the source code on GitHub →

3.6Mriders a day
Times Sqbusiest station
5 PMbusiest hour

Busiest stations

Latest data from MTA: Oct 14, 2026 (4,679,559 subway riders that day). MTA publishes ridership about 1–2 weeks after the fact; this page refreshes daily.

Top 5 on Oct 14, 2026

  1. Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal 1,2,3,7,A,C,E,N,Q,R,W,S167,654
    Manhattan
  2. Grand Central-42 St 4,5,6,7,S141,616
    Manhattan
  3. 34 St-Herald Sq B,D,F,M,N,Q,R,W93,896
    Manhattan
  4. 14 St-Union Sq 4,5,6,L,N,Q,R,W90,320
    Manhattan
  5. Fulton St 2,3,4,5,A,C,J,Z78,204
    Manhattan

Top 5, Oct 8, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026

  1. Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal 1,2,3,7,A,C,E,N,Q,R,W,S986,780
    Manhattan
  2. Grand Central-42 St 4,5,6,7,S767,540
    Manhattan
  3. 34 St-Herald Sq B,D,F,M,N,Q,R,W557,674
    Manhattan
  4. 14 St-Union Sq 4,5,6,L,N,Q,R,W521,689
    Manhattan
  5. 34 St-Penn Station A,C,E440,767
    Manhattan

NYC subway ridership: key numbers

  • About 3.6 million subway rides a day on average. On Oct 14, 2026, the latest day of MTA data, there were 4,679,559 rides. Counts are entries through the turnstiles and OMNY readers.
  • The busiest subway station in NYC is Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal (Manhattan), with about 134,187 riders a day (Oct 15, 2025 – Oct 14, 2026). Next are Grand Central-42 St (Manhattan) at 103,121 and 34 St-Herald Sq (Manhattan) at 74,192 riders a day.
  • The evening rush is the busiest: 5 PM has the most riders on an average day, with about 345,204 entries. The morning peak is 8 AM (293,445).
  • Ridership in 2026 is up 2.9% on the same days of 2025 (Jan 1 – Oct 14).
  • The MetroCard was used for 0.4% of entries in September 2026 (about 15,607 swipes a day), down from 33% in January 2025. Almost everyone now taps with OMNY.

The end of the MetroCard: OMNY took over

  • In January 2025, 33% of subway entries were paid with a MetroCard, about 1,075,295 swipes a day. By September 2026 it was 0.4%, about 15,607 a day: 99% fewer.
  • OMNY passed 90% of entries in November 2025 and 99% in May 2026.
  • MetroCard sales and refills ended on December 31, 2025, but existing cards kept working; the MTA hasn't announced a final day as of this writing (mta.info has the latest).

The chart below shows the MetroCard's share month by month.

Questions about NYC subway ridership

What is the busiest subway station in NYC?

The busiest subway station in NYC is Times Sq-42 St/Port Authority Bus Terminal (Manhattan), with about 134,187 riders a day (Oct 15, 2025 – Oct 14, 2026). Next are Grand Central-42 St (Manhattan) at 103,121 and 34 St-Herald Sq (Manhattan) at 74,192 riders a day.

How many people ride the NYC subway each day?

About 3.6 million subway rides a day on average. On Oct 14, 2026, the latest day of MTA data, there were 4,679,559 rides. Counts are entries through the turnstiles and OMNY readers.

What time is the NYC subway busiest?

The evening rush is the busiest: 5 PM has the most riders on an average day, with about 345,204 entries. The morning peak is 8 AM (293,445).

What is the least used subway station in NYC?

The least used station is Broad Channel (Queens), with about 181 riders a day over the same period.

Is NYC subway ridership going up?

Ridership in 2026 is up 2.9% on the same days of 2025 (Jan 1 – Oct 14).

How many people still use a MetroCard?

Very few: the MetroCard was used for 0.4% of entries in September 2026 (about 15,607 swipes a day), down from 33% in January 2025. Almost everyone now taps with OMNY.

Can I still use a MetroCard on the NYC subway?

MetroCard sales and refills ended on December 31, 2025. Existing cards kept working after that, and about 15,607 entries a day were still paid by MetroCard in September 2026. The MTA hasn't set a final day as of this writing, so check mta.info for the latest.

Where does this data come from?

From the MTA's "Subway Hourly Ridership" open dataset on data.ny.gov. This page refreshes daily; the MTA publishes ridership about 1–2 weeks after the fact.

More NYC transit data

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Data: MTA Subway Hourly Ridership (data.ny.gov), Jan 1, 2025 – Oct 14, 2026. Updated Oct 27, 2026.
Source code and method: github.com/MantieReid/mta-data-analysis · Analysis by Mantie Reid II, free to reuse with credit (CC BY 4.0).