Reports · Mayoral Action Plan · Annual check

Richmond Within Reach

Mayor Danny Avula's Mayoral Action Plan promises to raise the number of jobs Richmonders can reach by public transit. This report measures that number for 2026, and will again each year.

Last updated November 11, 2026

Independent work by Ford Prior. This is not a City of Richmond publication, and the City has not reviewed it.

Key takeaways

The median city resident can reach 11,890 jobs by transit in 30 minutes. That is 2.2% of the region's 550,711 jobs.
By car the same resident reaches 506,509 jobs, about 43 times as many. Driving times here ignore congestion, so the real gap is smaller.
Transit reach is uneven. 47% of city residents reach fewer than 10,000 jobs; 31% reach 50,000 or more.
Transit adds 4,829 jobs over walking for the median resident (11,890 against 7,061). Biking reaches 88,331.
Outside the city the median is 983 jobs by transit. The best-served hexagon in the region reaches 100,488.
The City has not published its own figure yet. The Mayor's newsletter said baseline data would come with the one-year release in fall 2026; the City's plan page had no data when I checked on November 11, 2026. Sources: Hey, Richmond newsletter; rva.gov plan page

Explore

The plan: 7 pillars, 36 goals, one of them measured here

The Mayoral Action Plan sorts City Hall's work into 7 pillars and 36 lettered goals, each with metrics. The plan commits to an annual update. The highlighted line is the metric this report measures.

1A Thriving City Hall that gets things done pp. 6–7
1. ADo the basics better: Improve core operations of City government.
2. BLead well: Practice accountability and implement meaningful performance review.
3. CKeep standards high: Promote continuous improvement and professional development.
4. DBuild pride: Champion a strong shared vision and mission.
5. EProvide white glove service for all constituents.
6. FImprove resident satisfaction and trust in City government.
7. GSteward public resources through strong financial management.
2Thriving Neighborhoods that meet our housing needs pp. 9–10
1. ABuild more homes for more people.
2. BDevelop a new model of affordable housing and strengthen housing stability.
3. CConnect neighborhoods across the city to high-quality amenities like parks, public pools, and libraries.
4. DKeep our neighborhoods safe and prepared.
3Thriving Families where every child succeeds pp. 12–13
1. ASupport the academic success of Richmond Public Schools.
2. BPartner with Richmond Public Schools to build a strong future for every child.
3. CSend our children off to kindergarten ready to succeed.
4. DConnect school-age kids to high-quality activities beyond the classroom.
5. EGive every student an opportunity to thrive after their K-12 education.
6. FRespond to the needs of children and families in crisis.
4A Thriving Economy that leaves no one behind pp. 15–17
1. AGrow Richmond’s economy.
2. BConnect people to jobs.
3. CReduce poverty and build wealth.
4. DSupport Small, Minority-Owned, Women-Owned, and Social Enterprise businesses.
5. EBuild a vibrant downtown where people love to live, work, and play.
6. FInvest in the Southside.
5Thriving and Inclusive Communities where everyone’s rights are protected pp. 19
1. ASupport Richmond’s immigrant communities.
2. BSupport Richmond’s LGBTQ+ communities.
3. CSupport reproductive freedom and maternal health.
4. DAddress racial inequities in health, wealth, and well-being.
6A Thriving and Sustainable Built Environment planned for future generations pp. 21–22
1. AReduce carbon emissions, and work towards net zero emissions.
2. BAdvance the goals of RVAgreen 2050.
3. CPartner with residents in our environmental justice work.
4. DBuild, maintain, and repair City infrastructure that will serve residents for generations to come.
5. EMake it easier for residents to get around by walking, rolling, riding, or taking the bus.
7A City That Tells its Stories and tells the truth about its past pp. 24
1. AShare Shockoe with the world as a place for reckoning and repair.
2. BChampion our arts and culture communities in their efforts to tell Richmond’s stories.
3. CShare and document Richmond’s rich cultural history.
4. DHelp residents know how (and why) Richmond City government works for them.

Pillar 4Goal B: Connect people to jobsMetric: “Jobs in our area residents can reach by public transit.”Measured below

Pillar and goal wording is the plan's own. Source: Mayoral Action Plan, p. 16

Jobs within 30 minutes of the median city resident

Half of Richmond's residents can reach more jobs than this, and half fewer. Shares are of the region's 550,711 jobs.

Jobs reachable within 30 minutes from the median City of Richmond resident's home, by mode
Mode	Jobs (median)	Share of region	Middle half of residents
Transit bus and walking	11,890	2.2%	3,452 to 57,552
Walking 4.8 km/h	7,061	1.3%	2,713 to 28,278
Biking 15 km/h, low-stress streets	88,331	16%	20,888 to 113,947
Driving no congestion modelled	506,509	92%	489,667 to 518,233

My calculation from Richmond Within Reach. Weekday departures from 6:30 to 8:30 AM; job counts are PlanRVA's 2017 base year. See Methodology.

Where transit reaches the most jobs

Each hexagon is about 0.74 km². Its color is the number of jobs a person starting there can reach in 30 minutes. The scale is the same for every mode, so switching modes shows the gap.

The map loads when you scroll here. It needs JavaScript; the tables above and below carry the same findings.

0 to 999
1,000 to 4,999
5,000 to 9,999
10,000 to 24,999
25,000 to 49,999
50,000 to 99,999
100,000 to 249,999
250,000 or more

Select a hexagon to see its numbers.

The dark outline is the City of Richmond. Hexagons with no residents and no transit reach are left out.

City residents by how many jobs transit reaches

City of Richmond residents grouped by the number of jobs reachable within 30 minutes by transit
Jobs within 30 minutes by transit	Residents	Share
0 to 9,999	106,247	47%
10,000 to 24,999	27,880	12%
25,000 to 49,999	21,655	10%
50,000 to 99,999	65,061	29%
100,000 or more	3,825	2%

Residents are PlanRVA's 2017 population (224,669 in the city), spread across 233 hexagons.

Year over year

This is the first run, so it sets the baseline. The same pipeline runs again each fall on GRTC's new schedule, and the change goes in this table.

Annual results
Run	GRTC schedule	Median jobs by transit	Residents under 10,000 jobs	Change
2026 (baseline)	Oct 18, 2026 to Jan 23, 2027	11,890	47%	n/a
2027	Not yet run. Due after GRTC's fall 2027 schedule.

Methodology

What is measured. For each of 8,177 hexagons in the Richmond region, the number of jobs reachable within 30 minutes, door to door. City figures weight each hexagon by its residents, so "the median resident" is a person, not a place.

Travel times. Computed with the open-source r5py router on OpenStreetMap streets and GRTC's published schedule (valid 2026-10-18 to 2027-01-23). Each figure is the median trip across departures from 6:30 to 8:30 AM on Tuesday, November 17, 2026. Transit trips include walking to the stop and waiting.

Jobs and residents. PlanRVA's socioeconomic data, 2017 base year, the same inputs as the region's Transportation 2050 plan. Job counts are nine years old; newer employment data would change the totals.

Checks. The router's Pulse trip from Willow Lawn to Main Street Station takes 36 minutes; GRTC's schedule implies about 34. Transit to the airport is undercounted, because the street data blocks the walk from the bus stop to the terminal.

Limits. Hexagons are about 0.74 km², so a figure describes a neighborhood, not an address. Driving times have no congestion. This measures reach, not whether a job fits the person. It is my reading of the plan's metric; the City may define it differently.

The full tool. Richmond Within Reach also redraws the map in minutes instead of miles, from any address. It is not online yet.