Nationally, Native American households experience the highest burdens at 10.9%, followed closely by Hispanic and Black households at 9.2% and 9.1%, respectively. A deeper dive into how gasoline costs vary by income shows that this burden is even higher, 18.3%, for the very lowest-income groups, i.e., those that earn less than $20,800 annually, indicating a need for policy interventions that focus on this population.ДЄCEEEвЂ™s analysis also confirms that Black, Hispanic, and Native American communities bear greater gasoline burdens than their white counterparts. In the national sample, low-income households had an average burden of 13.8%, compared to just 4.1% for higher-income households. The metropolitan sample contains data on 24 metropolitan statistical areas and represents approximately 28% of the total U.S.

We analyzed data from both the national and metropolitan samples from AHS. While this information is somewhat dated and doesnвЂ™t reflect the recent emergence of technology-enabled mobility options or the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, these data let us estimate real-world burdens without relying on modeled monthly gasoline expenditures. We used 2013 self-report data from the American Housing Survey (AHS) to estimate transportation energy burdens. In many cases, this creates higher transportation burdens (defined as the portion of annual income spent on transportation costs).ДЄCEEEвЂ™s latest analysis focuses on the energy-use component of transportation burdens, specifically gasoline costs. The result is that too many Americans have high expenses for vehicles, fuel, insurance, and maintenance. Land-use policies that favor personal vehicles and encourage sprawl have left these communities with inconsistent access to efficient, low-carbon forms of transportation, often forcing them to use inefficient personal vehicles to get to work and essential services. Investments in transportation infrastructure have historically displaced low-income communities and communities of color, pushing them farther and farther away from employment centers. household, according to an analysis released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. households spend nearly one-fifth of their income on gasoline-three times more than the average U.S.

Household budget percentage