Transportation and Commuting Patterns: A View from the Fifth District

The transportation system is a key component of the economic performance of regions. An important role of the urban transportation system is to facilitate commuting between homes and jobs. At the national level, in 2017 commutes represented on average about a quarter of all annual vehicle trips per household. (The shares of trips that were shopping trips, recreational and social trips, and other trips for personal and family reasons were all about the same.) Economists have more data on commuters and their commutes than is commonly realized — and it's relevant to many economic questions.