Transportation Expense

This data is included as part of the Environmental Health Disparities Version 3.0 map. To see this map, visit our webpage. For more technical information on this map and the model used, visit our Environmental Health Disparities Map Report Version 3.0. Background Transportation expenses are a key social determinant of health. For many, transportation takes up a large part of their budget. This can make it harder for people to afford other important things, like housing, food, or services such as healthcare. People in rural areas often face bigger challenges with transportation costs. These areas have longer distances and fewer public transportation options, so people rely more on private vehicles. Owning a car is more expensive than using public transportation and creates more pollution. Driving longer distances also costs more and produces more emissions. Rural areas may already have pollution from nearby highways and agricultural operations. Emissions from long drives add to this concern. Limited transportation options in rural areas also impacts safety. Transportation infrastructure gaps can make it harder to evacuate in emergencies like wildfires or floods. This puts people in rural areas at greater risk from environmental threats. Less financially supported households may live farther away from cities because that's where they can find cheaper housing. But living farther away means they also spend more on transportation, even though they are less likely to have the means to afford it. Transportation costs also affect health directly. When people can’t afford transportation, they may not get the medical care they need or may delay it. This can lead to long-term health problems, like chronic conditions, stress, and depression. Evidence In the U.S., transportation is the second-largest household expense. People in rural areas spend more on transportation than those in cities [1]. Less financially supported households in rural areas tend to be located closer to highways, exposing residents to more air pollution [2]. High transportation costs can cause delays in medical care and worsen health problems [3, 4]. In rural areas, people may face more risk from things like wildfires, which can lead to respiratory problems and even death [5]. Data source This measure utilizes the transportation expense component, variable “T_80ami”, of the Housing and Transportation Index from the 2019 data release from the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT). Methods The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) asks detailed questions on social and economic topics. This measure shows transportation costs as a percentage of income for a region’s average household. It incorporates data on auto ownership, auto use, and transit use from the 2019 ACS. ACS data is collected and processed, refer to ACS General Data Users Handbooks. For more information, refer to CNT Methodology documentation. Caveats The index is intended for use by researchers, developers, planners, and policymakers to enhance their understanding of the cost burden of transportation. Factors such as car ownership can change quickly, so this measure be less accurate than measures that change more slowly. Additionally, this measure relies on the median household income for the entire census tract, which makes it less likely to identify tracts with significant income disparities. This measure uses data from the ACS. The ACS is known to undercount some populations, especially people who do not have stable housing. This measure is aggregated across the census tract and does not represent each individual community within the tract. These data should always be supplemented with local data and equitable engagement for more accurate insights. Sources Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (2023). Transportation Economic Trends: Transportation expenditures by household income and geography. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved from https://data.bts.gov/stories/s/ida7-k95k American Lung Association. (2024). Who is at risk from air pollution? Retrieved from https://www.lung.org/clean-air/outdoors/who-is-at-risk World Health Organization (WHO). (2012). Health and environmental impacts of transportation. WHO Regional Office for Europe. Cristancho, S., Peters, R., & Manderson, L. (2008). Transportation barriers to health care in rural areas: A case study. Journal of Rural Health, 24(4), 387-394. Giving Compass. (2024). The physical and mental toll of wildfire smoke on rural communities. Giving Compass. https://givingcompass.org/article/the-physical-and-mental-toll-of-wildfire-smoke-on-rural-communities Citation Washington Tracking Network, Washington State Department of Health. Web. "Transportation Expense". Data obtained from the Center for Neighborhood Technology, 2022. Published September 2025.本数据集作为**环境健康差异（Environmental Health Disparities）3.0版地图**的组成部分收录。如需查看该地图，请访问我们的官方网页。如需了解该地图及所用模型的更多技术细节，请参阅《环境健康差异地图报告3.0版》。 背景 交通支出是关键的健康社会决定因素。对众多人群而言，交通开支占据了其预算的较大比例，这使得人们更难以负担住房、食品或医疗保健等其他重要支出。农村地区人群往往面临更严峻的交通成本挑战：这类区域通勤距离更长、公共交通选择更少，因此民众更依赖私家车。购车成本高于公共交通，且会产生更多污染；长途驾驶同样会推高成本并加剧排放。农村地区本就可能受到周边高速公路与农业活动带来的污染，长途驾驶产生的排放进一步加重了这一环境隐患。农村地区有限的交通选择还会影响出行安全：交通基础设施的缺口会使得在野火、洪水等紧急情况下的疏散难度加大，让农村地区人群面临更高的环境威胁风险。经济拮据的家庭往往会选择距离城市更远的区域居住，因为那里的住房价格更低廉，但通勤距离增加意味着他们需要在交通上投入更多资金，而这类家庭往往更无力承担额外的交通开支。交通成本还会直接影响健康：当人们无力承担交通费用时，可能无法获取所需的医疗服务，或延迟就医，这可能引发慢性疾病、焦虑与抑郁等长期健康问题。 证据 在美国，交通支出是仅次于住房的第二大家庭开支项目。农村地区人群的交通支出高于城市地区人群[1]。农村地区的经济拮据家庭往往聚居在高速公路附近，使得居民暴露于更高浓度的空气污染中[2]。高额交通成本可能导致医疗服务延迟，并加重健康问题[3, 4]。在农村地区，野火等灾害可能带来更高风险，进而引发呼吸系统疾病甚至死亡[5]。 数据来源 本指标采用了邻里技术中心（Center for Neighborhood Technology, CNT）2019年发布的《住房与交通指数》中“T_80ami”这一交通支出变量。 研究方法 美国人口普查局的**美国社区调查（American Community Survey, ACS）**包含社会与经济主题的详细问卷。本指标以区域平均家庭的交通支出占收入的百分比形式呈现，整合了2019年ACS中关于私家车保有量、私家车使用情况与公共交通使用情况的数据。ACS数据的采集与处理流程可参考《ACS通用数据用户手册》。如需更多信息，请参阅CNT方法学文档。 局限性 本指数仅供研究人员、开发者、规划者与政策制定者使用，以加深其对交通成本负担的理解。私家车保有量等因素变化较快，因此本指标的准确性低于变化更缓慢的衡量指标。此外，本指标基于整个普查区的家庭收入中位数计算，因此难以识别存在显著收入差异的普查区域。本指标采用了ACS数据，而ACS存在部分群体被漏统的情况，尤其是无稳定住房的人群。本指标以普查区为单位进行聚合，无法代表普查区内的每个具体社区。因此，使用本数据时应始终辅以本地数据与公平性参与调研，以获得更精准的洞察。 参考文献 1. 美国运输统计局. (2023). 运输经济趋势：按家庭收入与地域划分的交通支出. 美国交通部. 检索自 https://data.bts.gov/stories/s/ida7-k95k 2. 美国肺脏协会. (2024). 哪些人群面临空气污染风险？检索自 https://www.lung.org/clean-air/outdoors/who-is-at-risk 3. 世界卫生组织（World Health Organization, WHO）. (2012). 交通对健康与环境的影响. 欧洲区域办事处. 4. Cristancho, S., Peters, R., & Manderson, L. (2008). 农村地区医疗保健的交通障碍：案例研究. 《乡村健康杂志》, 24(4), 387-394. 5. Giving Compass. (2024). 野火烟雾对农村社区的身心伤害. Giving Compass. 检索自 https://givingcompass.org/article/the-physical-and-mental-toll-of-wildfire-smoke-on-rural-communities 引用说明 华盛顿追踪网络，华盛顿州卫生部. 网络. “交通支出”. 数据来源于邻里技术中心，2022. 2025年9月发布.