20001209 Transportation 2nd Biggest Family Exp.

Transportation 2^nd Biggest Family Exp.

From: Baltimore Regional Partnership 12/9/2000 Newsletter

TRANSPORTATION SECOND BIGGEST ITEM IN HOUSEHOLD BUDGET

A report released November 30 by the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) finds that households in the Baltimore region spend, on average, 14.7 percent of their budget, or more than $5,000 per year, on day-to-day transportation. That places transportation costs higher than health care, education, food, or any other household expenditure except shelter.

The report, "Driven to Spend," compiled data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and found that the poorest fifth of Americans pays a significantly larger percentage of income -- 36 percent—on transportation.

The report shows that 98 percent of day-to-day transportation costs are associated with owning and operating an automobile and that three quarters of those expenses, such as loan and insurance payments, tend to be unrelated to how often or far the car is driven.

The report points out that the most effective way to reduce household transportation costs is to own fewer cars, but that such a choice requires other transportation options to be available.

The report also cautions families that seek so save money on housing by investing in a cheaper house further out in a metropolitan area, pointing out that such a choice may lead to unavoidably larger transportation costs.

Among the report's recommendations is greater government investment in public transportation, bicycle facilities, and walkable neighborhoods, rather than increased highway capacity in outer suburban areas. T

he report also urges employers to provide free or subsidized transit passes to their employees, taking advantage of federal tax incentives and local measures such as Maryland's new Commuter Choice tax credits.

Full text of report available at http://www.transact.org/. Baltimore and other metro fact sheets available at www.transact.org/Reports/driven/metro.asp.

Baltimore, MD

To read the local press release - Click Here

Summary

Ranking: 26
Portion of Family Budget Devoted to Transportation: 14.7%
Annual Household Spending on Transportation: $5,236
Total Household Expenditures on Transportation in Baltimore: $4.8 billion

Breakdown of Transportation Expenditures

	Annual Household Spending	Percent of Total Transportation Expenditures
Vehicle Purchases	$2,236	42.7%
Other Vehicle Expenses	$1,956	37.4%
Gasoline and Motor Oil	$952	18.2%
Public Transportation	$92	1.8%

Breakdown of All Household Expenditures

Households in Baltimore spend more on transportation than on any other category except shelter

	Annual Household Spending	Percent of Total Household Expenditures
TRANSPORTATION	$5,236	14.7%
Shelter	$7,304	20.5%
Food	$4,793	13.5%
Utilities	$2,361	6.6%
Other Household	$2,285	6.4%
Insurance & Pensions	$4,773	13.4%
Health Care	$1,600	4.5%
Entertainment	$1,830	5.1%
Apparel & Services	$1,650	4.6%
Education	$657	1.8%
Miscellaneous	$2,806	7.9%

Transportation Choice

Baltimore, has 1.10 miles of hourly transit service per mile of roadway.

Transportation Facts for Baltimore

Annual miles traveled by car per household: 20,170 miles
Percentage of trips taken by car: 82.2%
Percentage of trips taken by transit: 2.6%
Percentage of trips taken by foot: 8.1%
Percentage of trips taken by bicycle: 0.2%

Area covered is Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA).
For boundaries, visit http://www.census.gov/geo/www/mapGallery/ma_1999.pdf

To choose another Metro Area Click Here
To go back to the Driven to Spend homepage, Click Here

####