Transportation Cost Burden

Household Characteristics and Income Sources

Households earn and spend different amounts due in part to differences in composition. Understanding the types of households in each income quintile and their income sources helps identify their transportation needs.
2022 Year-in-Review
  • Households in the lowest income quintile had, on average, fewer persons and earners but more persons 65 and over per household than other income quintiles. The number of members and earners increases as income grows while the number of persons 65 and over falls.
  • Households with no earners and headed by a person who has retired from the workforce, someone going to school and not working, or not working due to a disability were more prevalent in the lowest income quintile. 
  • Social security and private/government retirement income accounted for half of the lowest income quintile's before-tax income. This follows from the  large number of households with no earners and headed by a person retired from the workforce in the lowest income quintile.
  • The lowest income quintile spent fewer dollars on transportation than all other income groups, but as a percent of before-tax income, they spent more on transportation.
Transportation Spending and Before-tax Income by Income Quintile | Household Composition | Distribution of Household Types | Before-tax Income Sources by Income Quintile 

Transportation Spending and Before-tax Income by Income Quintile

The following shows transportation spending, before-tax income, and the percent of before-tax income spent on transportation. Choose a year, income quintile, and household characteristic.
Transportation Spending and Before-tax Income by Income Quintile | Household Composition | Distribution of Household Types | Before-tax Income Sources by Income Quintile

Household Composition

The top chart shows the average number of persons, earners, children under 18,  and persons 65 and over by income quintile. The lowest income quintile has the fewest household members and earners but more persons 65 and over per household than higher income quintiles. The number of household members and earners increases as income grows while the number of persons 65 and over falls.
Transportation Spending and Before-tax Income by Income Quintile | Household Composition | Distribution of Household Types | Before-tax Income Sources by Income Quintile

Distribution of Household Types

The chart shows the distribution of different household types. Some households, such as households headed by a person retired from the workforce or a person going to school and not working, are more prevalent in the lowest income quintile than other income quintiles. Use the drop down to change the household type. 
Transportation Spending and Before-tax Income by Income Quintile | Household Composition | Distribution of Household Types | Before-tax Income Sources by Income Quintile

Before-tax Income Sources by Income Quintile

The following shows before-tax income sources. Choose to view by income quintile or by a household characteristics.
U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Transportation Economic Trends, available at www.bts.gov/product/transportation-economic-trends.
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Bureau of Transportation Statistics
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, is the preeminent source of statistics on commercial aviation, multimodal freight activity, and transportation economics, and provides context to decision makers and the public for understanding statistics on transportation.
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