An analysis of the commuting and housing expenses of the working
poor finds that compared with other workers: - The working poor
spend a much higher portion of their income on commuting. The
cost burden of commuting for the working poor is 6.1 percent
compared with 3.8 percent for other workers. The working poor
who drive to work spend the most: 8.4 percent. - The combined
costs of commuting and housing make up a larger portion of the
household budgets of the working poor than other households. For
working-poor homeowners, nearly 25 percent of their household
income is consumed by housing and commuting expenses compared
with just 15.3 percent for other households. For those who rent,
the disparities between the working poor (32.4 percent) and
other households (19.7 percent) are even greater. - The cost
burden of commuting for the working poor is greater than the
national median in eight of the 12 largest metropolitan areas.
Six of these—Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia,
and Washington, D.C.—