HEALTHY COMMUNITIES DATA AND INDICATORS PROJECT
Short Title: Mode of transport to work
Full Title: Percent of residents aged 16 years and older mode of transportation to work
1. Healthy Community Framework: Meets basic needs of all
2. What is our aspirational goal: Safe, sustainable, accessible and affordable transportation
options
3. Why is this important to health?
Description of significance and health connection
Commute trips to work represent 19% of travel miles in the United States. The predominant
mode – the automobile - offers extraordinary personal mobility and independence, but it is also
associated with health hazards, such as air pollution, motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian injuries
and fatalities, and sedentary lifestyles. Automobile commuting has been linked to stress-related
health problems. Active modes of transport – bicycling and walking alone and in combination
with public transit – offer opportunities for physical activity, which is associated with lowering
rates of heart disease and stroke, diabetes, colon and breast cancer, dementia and depression.
Risks of injury in traffic collisions are greatest for motorcyclists, pedestrians, and bicyclists and
lowest for bus and rail passengers. Minority communities bear a disproportionate share of
pedestrian-car fatalities; Native American male pedestrians experience 4 times the death rate
Whites or Asian pedestrians, and African-Americans and Latinos experience twice the rate as
Whites or Asians.
Summary of evidence
Emissions from motor vehicles account for approximately 1/3 of California's annual emissions of
air pollutants. Among them, fine particulates and precursors of ozone have established links to
increased mortality, hospital emissions, and other adverse health effects in numerous
epidemiologic studies. The risk of road traffic injuries is strongly related with the mode of
transportation: motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists experience 2-20 times the fatal injury
rate as car occupants. Numerous epidemiological studies have documented that physical
activity decreases risks of cardiovascular disease and stroke, colon and breast cancer, and
dementia and depression. Active transport increases opportunities for physical activity. Several
recent studies found that individuals with long commutes in automobiles (60 minutes or more)
reported reduced time for sleep, physical activity, food preparation, and other health related
activities.
Key References
• California Air Resources Board. Estimated Annual Average Emissions. Sacramento, CA: California Air
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Resources Board; 2008. Accessed July 19 , 2013.
• Tran HT, Alvarado A, Garcia C, Motallebi N, Miyasato L, Vance W. Methodology for Estimating Premature
Deaths Associated with Long-term Exposures to Fine Airborne Particulate Matter in California (Draft: Staff
th
Report). Sacramento, CA: California Air Resources Board; 2009. Accessed August 16 , 2012.
• Drechsler D, Garcia C, Tran H, Mehadi A, Nystrom M, Propper R, et al. Review of the California Ambient Air
Quality Standard For Ozone. Vol 4. Sacramento, CA: California Environmental Protection Agency, Air Resources
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Board; 2005. Accessed January 4 , 2013.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Recommendations for Improving Health through
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Transportation Policy. National Center for Environmental Health; 2008. Accessed November 2 , 2013.
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• Beck LF, Dellinger AM, O'Neil ME. Motor vehicle crash injury rates by mode of travel, United States: using
exposure-based methods to quantify differences. Am J Epidemiol, 2007; 166(2): 212-218.
• Santos A, McGuckin N, Nakamoto HY, Gray D, Liss S. Summary of Travel Trends: 2009 National Household
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Travel Survey. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration; 2011. Accessed November 2 , 2013.
4. What is the indicator?
Detailed Definition: Percent of residents mode of transportation to work
• Stratification: Race/Ethnicity (8 Census groups) and mode of transportation (5 groups)
Data Description
• Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 , 2005-2007 American Community Survey,
2008-2010 American Community Survey (ACS), 2006-2010 American Community Survey
(http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml, accessed 7/2013)
• Years available: 2000, 2005-2007, 2008-2010, 2006-2010.
• Updated: 1, 3, and 5 year intervals
• Geographies available: census tracts, cities/towns, counties, regions (derived), and state
Data from the Census 2000 (table PCT055) and the ACS (tables DP03 and B08301) were
downloaded from http://factfinder2.census.gov. The modes of transportation included: 1)
bicycle, 2) car-truck-van, 3) public transportation, 4) walked, and 5) worked at home. Car-truck-
van was subdivided into carpooled or drove alone. The denominator was the total population
aged 16 years and older that had a paid job in the week previous to the survey, and the
numerator was the number of people within that population using each mode. For 2005-2007,
2008-2010, and 2006-2010, Table B08301 was used for the car-truck-van and bicycle modes,
and Table DP03 was used for other modes. The percent of residents mode of transportation
and its standard error was calculated from population counts of the numerator and denominator
(× 100) using binomial approximation or abstracted directly from Table DP03. Relative standard
errors, 95% confidence intervals, and decile ranking of places were also calculated. Regions
were based on counties of metropolitan transportation organizations (MPO) as reported in the
2010 California Regional Progress Report.
5. Limitations
The denominator of the indicator is limited to individuals with paid work. Commute trips to
school were not included. Only the principal mode based on daily frequency or longest distance
was used in the case of multi-modal trips on the same day or during the sample week.
Commute trips to work tend to be longer distance and more likely to be made by automotive
means, thus this indicator might depict a higher automotive mode share than if other type of
trips were included. Race/ ethnicity data was not available for census tracts. Margin of error
was not available for the year 2000. Taxicab was included in public transportation in 2000, but
not for other years.
6. Projects using this indicator
Public Health-Seattle & King County Assessment Policy Development & Evaluation Unit. Communities Count, 2008 -
A Report on the Strength of King County's Communities. Seattle, WA: Seattle & King County Assessment Policy
Development & Evaluation Unit; 2008. http://communitiescount.org/
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7. Examples of Maps, Figures, and Tables
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Percent of Residents Mode of Transportation to Work
Population Aged 16 Years and Older
Counties in Southern California, 2006-2010
Car, Truck, or Van Public Transportation Worked at home
Walked to work Bicycle
100%
Percent of residents
90%
80%
70%
Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2010 American Community Survey. All
data are stable.
Percent of Residents Mode of Transportation to Work
Population Aged 16 Years and Older
Los Angeles County, 2000, 2005-2007, 2008-2010
Car, Truck, or Van Public transportation Worked at home
Walked Bicycle
100%
95%
Percent of residents
90%
85%
80%
75%
2000 2005-2007 2008-2010
Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, 2005-2007 American Community
Survey, 2008-2010 American Community Survey.
5
Percent of Residents Mode of Transportation to Work
Population Aged 16 Years and Older by Race/ethnicity
San Diego (city), 2006-2010
Car, Truck, or Van Public transportation Worked at home
Walked to work Bicycle
100%
Percent of residents
90%
80%
70%
Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2010 American Community Survey. All data stable
except bicycle percentage for African Americans.
Percent of Residents Who Biked to Work
Population Aged 16 Years and Older
2000, 2005-2007, 2008-2010
Santa Barbara (city) Anaheim California
6%
Percent of residents
4%
2%
0%
2000 2005-2007 2008-2010
Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, 2005-2007 American Community Survey,
2008-2010 American Community Survey. All data are stable, except for year 2000 for which
stability is unknown.
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Table 1. Percent of Residents WhoDrove Alone to Work, Population Aged 16 Years and
Older, by City/town, Imperial County, California.
2000 2006-2010
People that People that
Total Drove Total Drove
City/Town Population Alone Percent Population Alone Percent
Bombay Beach 83 45 54.2
Brawley 7,163 5,179 72.3 8,543 6,557 76.8
Calexico 8,220 5,482 66.7 12,070 9,244 76.6
a
Calipatria 964 707 73.3 2,148 1,707 79.5
Desert Shores 256 100 39.1
El Centro 12,741 9,347 73.4 15,432 12,203 79.1
Heber 795 588 74.0 1,580 1,346 85.2
Holtville 1,903 1,401 73.6 2,233 1,919 85.9
Imperial 2,989 2,374 79.4 5,226 4,231 81
Niland 302 247 81.8 227 136 59.9
Ocotillo 122 79 64.8
Palo Verde 66 48 72.7
a
Salton City 172 127 73.8 449 258 57.5
Salton Sea Beach 87 41 47.1
a
Seeley 471 366 77.7 671 618 92.1
Westmorland 662 490 74.0 531 406 76.5
Winterhaven 105 44 41.9
Imperial County 43,204 31,406 72.7 55,565 43,903 79.0
Southern California 6,810,823 4,932,607 72.4 7,895,440 5,859,718 74.2
Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, 2006-2010 American Community Survey. No error
a
data available for year 2000. Not statistically reliable (Relative Standard Error > 30%).
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