Working families pay more for transportation than they

Working families pay more for transportation than they save on affordable housing, according to Center for Housing Policy in Washington, DC. The research centered on low-to-moderate income families — with incomes between $20,000 and $50,000 — who are moving farther from work to find less expensive housing. In 17 of 28 metropolitan areas studied, transportation costs exceeded housing costs for this demographic — $10,400/year compared to $9,700/year. The combined costs for transportation and housing are remarkably consistent in all metro areas, the study found. An average of 57 percent of working-class incomes is spent on these two categories, and 25 of 28 metro areas were within three percentage points of that figure. Eighty five percent of low-to-moderate-income families commute by automobile. Commuting by transit is highest in New York City (31 percent), followed by Chicago (14 percent), DC (13 percent), and Boston, Philadelphia, and Honolulu at 12 percent. Numerous recommendations emerged as a result of the findings. Regions must coordinate their housing and transportation policies to ensure they fully reflect the needs of working families — one example includes building more affordable housing near existing and planned transit hubs. Additional recommendations include redevelopment of inner city and older suburban neighborhoods near job centers, targeting job development in low-to-moderate-income neighborhoods, and encouraging car-sharing and other policies that reduce the cost of automobile use.