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Transportation |
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Equitable & High Quality Transportation
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Household income spent on transportation
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Household income spent on transportation
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What does this indicator measure?
This indicator examines average household transportation expenditures in the Dallas–Fort Worth region and compares them with the area’s average household income as well as with the transportation expenditures of other metropolitan areas.
 
Why is this indicator important?
Transportation expenses account for a large percentage of most households’ expenditures and affect those using primarily public transportation as well as those who own vehicles. Costs of gasoline, maintenance, insurance, vehicle purchases, and public transportation, a category which includes buses, airlines, and taxis, constitute total transportation expenses. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003–2004, households spend more on transportation than any other category of expenditures other than housing. Examining transportation costs is important because they can be a determining factor in decisions individuals and families make about where to live and work.
How are we doing?
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Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003–2004 regarding percentages of total household expenditures that are spent on transportation show that out of nine Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) examined, the Dallas–Fort Worth area had the highest percentage of average expenditures spent on transportation, with 19.7% of total expenditures being transportation costs. The area reported the third highest percentage of the average household income spent on transportation, spending 15.3% of the average income on transportation. In other words, the average household spent over $9,500 on transportation costs. In comparison, the average household in Los Angeles spent 18.4% of their total expenditures on transportation, or over $9,100. This is equivalent to 16.3% of the average household income, the highest percentage of the nine MSAs studied.
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In the years between 1997 and 2000, there was a general trend of transportation costs increasing for residents of the Dallas Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area. However, after a peak of $10,516 in average transportation expenditures in 2000–2001, average transportation expenses declined slightly in the following two years.
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Between 1997–1998 and 2002–2003, there was a 9.24% increase in the Dallas–Fort Worth area’s transportation expenses. Other metropolitan areas have experienced greater increases. Chicago has shown a 35.88% increase in such expenditures, San Diego’s expenditures rose 28.88%, and New York City’s transportation costs grew 22.82%. Atlanta households spent 15.78% less on transportation in 2002–2003 than they did in 1997–1998, and Philadelphia households spent 9.07% less.
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