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Commuting to Work

Nearly 9 out of 10 workers in 2003 traveled to work by car, truck, or van; and most of those who drove to work did so alone (figure 4-9). Between 1993 and 2003, the share of workers driving to work alone rose from 77 to 79 percent, while carpooling declined from 11 to 9 percent. Over this same period, transit's share of commuters hovered around 4 to 5 percent, and those working at home remained at about 3 percent. [1]

Poor workers are less likely to drive alone than workers as a whole. Their propensity to drive alone to work was the same in 2003 as it was in 1993, 64 percent (figure 4-10). Black workers, Hispanic workers, and workers over 65 are less likely than the average of all workers to drive alone to work, but the percentages for all three categories rose between 1993 and 2003.

In 2003, the median travel time from home to work was 21 minutes and the median distance was 11 miles. Overall, both median time and median distance are about the same as they were in 1993 [1]. More than a quarter of workers leave for work between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., with nearly 20 percent leaving between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., and another 20 percent leaving between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. (figure 4-11).

Source

1. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey for the United States, H150 (Washington, DC: Biennial issues).