Census Shows Early Effects of Recession on Driving Habits

Recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau demonstrates the effect of the recession on driving habits. Although this data only covers the early months of the economic downturn, it’s clear which way the trends were headed.

Commuting habits began to shift in 2008 as the number of workers who drove alone to their jobs dropped from 76.1% to 75.5%, while the percentage of carpoolers rose from 10.4% in 2007 to 10.7% in 2008. The small percentage changes reflect millions of workers who abruptly altered their habits, likely due to high fuel prices in summer 2008.

The story is the same with car ownership. The number of households having one or no car at all increased from 41.8% in 2007 to 42.2% in 2008. Out of roughly 129 million households, this represents about 516,000 individuals or families who gave up a car.

Driving Habits Alter During Recession, Census Reports (USA Today)