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• <br /> Commuting patterns in America <br /> The Eno Transportation Foundation recently issued a report, Commuting <br /> in America II, that examines population patterns and trends, and their effects <br /> on commuting. The report analyzes data from the 1990 census and other studies. <br /> Population and labor force growth rates, continued suburbanization, and <br /> increasing levels of immigration were catalysts for changes in commuting patterns. <br /> The 22.2 million increase in the U.S. population took place almost exclusively in <br /> metropolitan areas (21 million), with immigrants comprising 40%of the gain. Of <br /> those settling in metropolitan areas, 75%moved to the suburbs. <br /> Americans increasingly prefer driving to work, rather than using public trans- <br /> portation. The growth rate for the number of vehicles outpaced that for the popu- <br /> lation in the last decade. The population grew by less than 10%, while the number <br /> of vehicles grew by more than 17%. <br /> Other interesting findings: <br /> • Forty-two percent of the nation's jobs are located in the suburbs, up from <br /> 37%in 1980. Reverse commuting (city-to-suburb) rose substantially, while <br /> • traditional commuting (suburb-to-city) decreased. <br /> Deloitte&Touche Review—September 30,1996 <br /> • Single occupant private vehicle users increased by over 22 million, even <br /> though the number of workers increased by only 19 million. Fewer than <br /> 1 in 10 cars have an occupant other than the driver, while public transit <br /> is used by approximately 1 in 20. Seventy percent of Americans have a <br /> commute of less than 30 minutes, and only 6% travel more than an hour. <br /> • Two-worker households are more likely to carpool. Of the 115 million <br /> commuters, only 15.4 million (13.4%) were carpoolers in 1990, a drop <br /> from 19 million in 1980. <br /> The average vehicle costs about half a year's pay for a family earning the <br /> median national income. Operating costs were 39.4 cents per mile in 1994 for <br /> a vehicle driven 15,000 miles. The average vehicle age was 7.7 years in 1990 (up <br /> from 5.6 years in 1969), and those that are 6 years or older account for almost <br /> half of all travel. <br /> • <br />