"With governments at all levels considering deep budget cuts, it is increasingly important to understand not just the location and frequency of transit service, but ultimately how well transit aligns with where people work and live," according to the report. "This kind of information would ensure that limited funds are targeted in smart and effective ways to improve and maintain transit options for metropolitan residents, particularly those who depend most on public transportation."

As the report highlights, those metropolitan areas with the best overall access to transit and employment are Honolulu; San Jose, California; Salt Lake City; Tucson, Arizona; Fresno, California; Denver; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Las Vegas; Provo, Utah; and Modesto, California. The West fared better than average when it came to the report's rankings, with 15 of the 20 top metropolitan areas located in that part of the nation.

Brookings also found that workers in low-income communities have greater access to mass transit than those residing elsewhere. A large amount of the report's other conclusions likewise focus on that linkage between employment and public transportation.

"Getting commuters to jobs is only one of the functions of a transit system, but it is arguably its most important," according to the report.

Honolulu has the largest share of jobs that employees could reach within a 90-minute trip via transit, the report notes. Salt Lake City and San Jose are runners-up in that category. New York City tops the list in terms of metro areas with the highest total number of jobs that somebody can reach within a 90-minute transit ride. Those cities ranking next in that category are Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington.

The report also examined waiting times for commuters to catch public transit. In most areas, the average time for that during morning rush-hour is 10.1 minutes. In New York City, however, commuters usually need to wait only 4.5 minutes.

Brookings emphasized the ongoing need to make job access an important part of transportation decision-making in metropolitan areas. The report also underscores the need to factor in transit when it comes to long-range comprehensive planning. Another important aspect to keep in mind, according to the report, involves using data and advanced technologies to make decisions about public-transportation improvements.

The 64-page report, "Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America," is available at bit.ly/Brookings051211.