Walk Score Calculator

The distance-decay model gives full points to any amenity within a quarter mile, so once a grocery store is that close or closer, moving it even nearer adds nothing further to the score -- the category is already maxed out. Beyond a quarter mile, the score for that category declines smoothly until it hits zero at a mile and a half, which is where any additional distance also stops mattering.

These labels and their score ranges -- Walker's Paradise (90-100), Very Walkable (70-89), Somewhat Walkable (50-69), and Car-Dependent (below 50) -- come directly from the published Walk Score methodology, the same 0-100 scoring system and classification tiers used by commercial walkability tools. This calculator implements a simplified version of that same distance-decay approach: full points within a quarter mile of an amenity, a decay function for anything farther, and zero points past a 30-minute walk.

It's a broad, commonly cited approximation from walkability research suggesting that homes in more walkable areas tend to sell for a premium roughly proportional to their walkability score, not a precise appraisal figure for any specific property. Actual premiums vary enormously by metro area, housing type, and local market conditions, so use it as a directional signal of walkability's economic value, not a dollar prediction.

Every distance input in this model floors out at a mile and a half -- beyond that point, an amenity is considered effectively inaccessible on foot regardless of exactly how far it actually is, so the category's contribution to Walk Score stays at zero rather than continuing to fall. A grocery store three miles away scores the same as one thirty miles away in this model.

Not necessarily -- the score only measures walking distance to amenities, not sidewalk condition, street-crossing safety, traffic speeds, lighting, or terrain. A neighborhood can score well on proximity alone while still being genuinely unpleasant or unsafe to walk in, so treat a high score as one input into a walkability assessment, not a complete picture.