Consumer Cost of Transportation
- In the Tampa-St. Petersburg region, the average commuter spends an extra 45 hours per year sitting in traffic – that translates to a cost of over $1 billion annually, approximately $809 per commuter. Texas Transportation Institute, The 2007 Urban Mobility Report, Mobility Data for Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL, September 2007.
- In the West Central Florida area, working families spend an average of $10,600 per year, or 33% of their income on transportation – making it one of the most expensive transportation areas in the nation. Center for Housing Policy, A Heavy Load, October 2006.
- In 2003, the combined share of household expenditures spent on transportation and housing for Tampa was 57.7%, the highest of 28 Metropolitan Statistical Areas.
Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, Driven to Spend, 2005.
- In a breakdown of all household expenditures for the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area, it was shown that more money is spent on transportation than any other category including shelter, food or health care. Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, 2007.
- The average annual operating costs, financing, depreciation, insurance, licensing and registration for vehicle owner driving 15,000 miles per year is $7,834. American Automobile Association, Your Driving Costs 2006.
- Nationally, for every dollar a working family saves on housing, it spends 77 cents more on transportation.
Center for Housing Policy, Something’s Gotta Give, 2005.
- As working families move further from work to afford housing they end up spending as much, or more, on transportation costs than they save on housing. Center for Housing Policy, A Heavy Load, 2006.
