The Equity and Policy Implications of Long-Distance Commuting in the Greater Los Angeles Region

Abstract

The phenomenon of very long commutes, or “super-commutes,” has long interested the public, planners, elected officials, and researchers. U.S. researchers define super-commuting as one-way commutes over 50 miles or 90 minutes. We draw on multiple data sources to examine the prevalence, characteristics, and location of super-commuters in the greater Los Angeles region. We then use individual and household data to examine super-commuting and housing and transportation (H+T) expenditure burdens in California. We find that super-commuters are a relatively small, albeit growing, share of workers in the greater Los Angeles region who are more likely to be higher-income than other workers. Low-income super-commuters are about six times as likely as higher income super-commuters to travel by bus. Across all income groups, super-commuter households have slightly higher H+T burdens than non-super-commuter households. However, the contribution of super-commuting to the H+T expenditure burden is modest compared to other factors. Public policy efforts to reduce commute times would almost certainly lower the number of super-commuters. So too would interventions to increase incomes or reduce housing and/or transportation expenditures. Possible policy interventions include: low-income auto access and ownership subsidies, programs to assist modest-income, first-time home buyers, zoning for and entitling additional housing, and improved transit service in transit-friendly neighborhoods.

About the Project

This study examined the equity implications of supercommuting in California, with a focus on the Los Angeles region (comprised of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties). […]