Jobs-Housing Balance in California Cities

Abstract

In many U.S. metropolitan areas, housing costs have skyrocketed in recent years relative to average incomes. A worsening shortage of affordable housing may push households away from job-rich cities and expensive neighborhoods into outlying areas, where housing is cheaper but jobs are more distant. Jobs-housing balance — measured as the number of jobs relative to the number of workers in an area — may influence residential location. Therefore, improvements in the proximity of workers to jobs can contribute to shorter commutes, less vehicle travel and, potentially, greater use of modes other than driving. We used data from the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Origin-Destination Employment Statistics to examine whether California cities have become more or less “self-contained” over time with respect to the location of employed residents relative to their jobs. The data shows that lower-wage workers are more self-contained than higher-wage workers. However, overall, California workers are becoming less likely to both live and work in the same city.

About the Project

From 2014 to 2018, California lost more than 165 million annual boardings, a drop of over 11%. This project examines public transit in California in the 2010s and the factors […]