Introduction
Below is an analysis of Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP) 2000 data as it applies to the NJTPA region. This data includes basic journey-to-work information summarized at the county level. More detailed CTPP data releases are scheduled for June 2003 from the Census Bureau.
Main conclusions of this analysis include the following:
- Almost three-quarters of all workers in the NJTPA region continued to drive alone to work between 1990 and 2000, similar to the national trend.
- Carpooling in the region has continued to decrease, similar to the national trend.
- Biking and walking to work has decreased, similar to the national trend.
- Working at home has increased, similar to the national trend.
- Commuting in the region via public transportation has appeared to increase slightly, unlike the national trend, which has seen a decrease in this mode share.
- Vehicle ownership in the region has decreased very slightly, unlike the national trend, which has seen an increase in vehicles available per household.
- Travel times have increased, similar to national trend.
CTPP 2000 Journey-To-Work Data: Analysis of County Profiles for the NJTPA Region
This report presents a summary of the Census Transportation Planning Package 2000 (CTPP 2000) County Profiles for the NJTPA region, released at the end of October 2002. The County Profiles provide basic "journey-to-work" information gathered from the census long form (SF-3), including household size, vehicle availability, means of transportation to work, and travel time to work. According to the Census Bureau, the sample size for this data set was about 1 in 6 households, or about 383,000 households in the NJTPA region.
Journey-to-work trips represent just a portion of the NJTPA region's travel patterns. According to the 1997-98 Regional Travel Household Survey conducted by the NJTPA in partnership with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, trips between home and work account for less than 20 percent of all trips in the region. Other trips include those made during work, trips to and from school, shopping and social/recreational destinations and transporting others. The survey also found that even during peak travel periods, about 70 percent of all trips in the region are made for purposes other than work.
Comparison of Regional and National Trends
An analysis of the CTPP 2000 County Profiles that make up the NJTPA region (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren counties) reveals that much of the trends that were experienced by the nation as a whole from 1990 to 2000 were mirrored to some extent in the region. These travel trends are a continuation of those that were seen from 1980 to 1990, and include:
- An increase in SOV (single occupancy vehicle) trips to work,
- A decrease in carpooling to work, and
- A decrease in biking and walking to work.
Over the last decade, SOV trips have continued to rise as vehicles have become increasingly available to a large segment of the population and gasoline prices remain relatively low. Carpooling and biking or walking to work have decreased due to development patterns that have disbursed both residences and workplace locations into more suburban areas, i.e. "suburban sprawl."
How does the NJTPA region differ from the nation in terms of journey-to-work trends between 1990 and 2000? Specifically, the NJTPA region experienced:
- A slight increase in the percentage of workers who used public transportation to get to work, as opposed to a national decrease, and
- A slight decrease in vehicle ownership, as opposed to a national increase.
More research is needed to determine why the region has experienced these trends, which appear interrelated. Possible reasons include increased public transit investment over the last decade, and transit routes catching up with population shifts (i.e. Montclair connection, ferries). Cross-tabulations of journey-to-work statistics with other factors, in conjunction with more specific travel flow information will be released later in 2003 by the CTTP and may help to explain these trends.
Essex County Loses over 28,000 Workers while Ocean County Gains over 30,000
From 1990 to 2000, the nation experienced an 11.5 percent increase in the number of workers. However, while the NJTPA region experienced an overall population growth of 9.7 percent, the worker population (workers ages 16 years and older) grew by only 1.8 percent, a gain of some 52,485 additional workers.
The distribution of new workers was not even throughout the region, however. The greatest numeric gains were in Ocean (17 percent increase), Monmouth (6.5 percent increase), and Somerset (12.6 percent increase) counties, while the largest numeric losses were in Essex (8.0 percent decrease), Passaic (4.6 percent decrease), and Union (3.5 percent decrease) counties. Bergen County also lost workers (0.4 percent decrease). Table 1 shows the distribution of the worker population aged 16 years and older in the NJTPA region, and changes in the worker population between 1990 and 2000.
Loss of workers in the more urban areas of the region can be understood in part as a result of a continuation of suburban sprawl - the continued out-migration of wealthier residents to more suburban locations in the region. In contrast, pockets of high unemployment and poverty remain in the central cities. According to the New Jersey Department of Labor, continued heavy losses in the manufacturing sector have not yet been offset by growth in other sectors in some areas of the region. There is also the difficulty of getting to suburban job locations without a car, as jobs continue to move out of the cities.
As the greatest population growth in the region appears to be among the youngest and oldest age groups, there is a greater need for adequate public transportation and pedestrian facilities in areas where large numbers of people cannot drive. Further, public transit must continue to be responsive to the movement of both jobs and workers to more suburban locations.
Table 1: Number of Workers 16 and Over, 1990 and 2000.
Note: The term “workers” constitutes those people employed during the previous year.
U.S. |
248,709,873 |
281,421,906 |
115,070,274 |
128,279,230 |
13,208,956 |
11.5% |
New Jersey |
7,730,188 |
8,414,350 |
3,812,684 |
3,876,435 |
63,751 |
1.7% |
NJTPA Region |
5,753,629 |
6,310,989 |
2,857,729 |
2,910,214 |
52,485 |
1.8%
|
Bergen |
825,380 |
884,118 |
429,102 |
427,462 |
-1,640 |
-0.4% |
Essex |
778,206 |
793,633 |
356,562 |
328,214 |
-28,348 |
-8.0% |
Hudson |
553,099 |
608,975 |
262,745 |
264,544 |
1,799 |
0.7% |
Hunterdon |
107,776 |
121,989 |
57,721 |
62,359 |
4,638 |
8.0% |
Middlesex |
671,780 |
750,162 |
353,628 |
363,176 |
9,548 |
2.7% |
Monmouth |
553,124 |
615,301 |
274,238 |
291,938 |
17,700 |
6.5% |
Morris |
421,353 |
470,212 |
231,093 |
239,839 |
8,746 |
3.8% |
Ocean |
433,203 |
510,916 |
178,966 |
209,328 |
30,362 |
17.0% |
Passaic |
453,060 |
489,049 |
220,595 |
210,378 |
-10,217 |
-4.6% |
Somerset |
240,279 |
297,490 |
134,390 |
151,284 |
16,894 |
12.6% |
Sussex |
130,943 |
144,166 |
66,593 |
72,728 |
6,135 |
9.2% |
Union |
493,819 |
522,541 |
247,205 |
238,606 |
-8,599 |
-3.5% |
Warren |
91,607 |
102,437 |
44,891 |
50,358 |
5,467 |
12.2% |
Comparison of National and Regional Journey-to-Work Trends from 1990 to 2000
From 1990 to 2000, workers in the NJTPA region differed from the national average in terms of the modes of travel used to get to work. However, the overall directions of most trends were similar (see Table 2).
Overall, both nationally and regionally:
- Driving alone to work increased. The share of workers in the NJTPA region who drove alone to work increased by 1.4 percent, compared to 2.5 percent nationally. This increase indicates that the lion's share of workers in the NJTPA region continued to drive alone to work, and were joined by more lone drivers. In the NJTPA region, this number increased from 71.6 percent of workers in 1990 to 73 percent of workers in 2000, compared to a national increase of 73.2 percent to 75.7 percent;
- Carpooling declined. The share of workers in the NJTPA region who carpooled to work decreased by 1.6 percent, compared to a 0.8 percent decrease nationally. This mode share declined regionally from 12.2 percent in 1990 to 10.6 percent in 2000. The national carpool rate also continued to experience decline over the last decade from 13.4 percent to 12.2 percent.
- Bicycling or walking to work declined. The share of workers in the NJTPA region who bicycled or walked to work decreased by 0.9 percent, nearly the same as the national decrease of 1.0 percent. Regionally, the share of workers who biked or walked to work decreased from 4.3 percent in 1990 to 3.4 percent in 2000. The national figures are almost identical, decreasing from 4.3 percent to 3.3 percent.
- Working at home increased. The share of workers in the NJTPA region who worked at home increased 0.7 percent, compared to a 0.3 percent increase nationally. Regionally, working at home increased its share from 2.1 percent in 1990 to 2.8 percent in 2000. The national gain increased from 3.0 percent to 3.3 percent. The percentage of workers working at home is still less regionally than it is nationally.
- Motorcycling has remained fairly constant. The share of workers in the NJTPA region who motorcycled to get to work remained constant between 1990 and 2000 at 0.7 percent. Nationally, this mode share decreased 0.1 percent from 0.9 percent to 0.8 percent.
In contrast to national trends:
- Public transportation usage increased in the NJTPA region. The share of workers in the NJTPA region who used public transportation to get to work increased 1.0 percent, from 10.0 percent in 1990 to 11.0 percent in 2000, compared to a national decrease of 0.6 percent, from 5.3 percent to 4.7 percent. Public transportation mode shares increased to varying degrees in every county except Ocean. Hudson and Union counties experienced the most marked increase in transit mode shares, going up 4.3 percent and 2.2 percent respectively. In Hudson County, a full one-third of all workers used public transportation to get to work in 2000. Improved ferry, rail, and bus service may have all contributed to this jump in use.
- Driving alone to work declined in Hudson, Middlesex, and Morris counties. These three counties all showed a slight decrease in the percentage of workers who drove alone to work, countering both the regional and the national trend.
- Carpooling is up in Middlesex County. This county showed a slight increase in carpooling despite an overall decrease in the region and nation.
- Motorcycling is up in Morris, Somerset, and Union counties. These counties showed a slight increase in the use of motorcycles to get to work (the regional and national averages stayed the same).
Regional Decrease in Number of Vehicles per Household
In the NJTPA region, the average number of vehicles per household decreased slightly from 1.62 cars per household in 1990 to 1.59 cars per household in 2000. This decrease is a small departure from national trends, where the average number of vehicles per household increased slightly from 1.68 to 1.69. All counties in the NJTPA region except Ocean and Warren experienced a decrease in the average number of vehicles available per household (see Table 3).
The overall regional decrease in average number of vehicles per household may be attributable to a number of factors, such as a decrease in the average household size, an increase in public transit usage, or economic issues. The average number of vehicles per person has remained fairly constant.
Table 3: Vehicle Availability per Household, 1990 and 2000
U.S. |
1.68 |
1.69 |
2.63 |
2.59 |
0.64 |
0.65 |
New Jersey |
1.63 |
1.60 |
2.71 |
2.68 |
0.60 |
0.60 |
NJTPA Region |
1.62 |
1.59 |
2.70 |
2.69 |
0.60 |
0.59 |
Bergen |
1.73 |
1.68 |
2.64 |
2.64 |
0.66 |
0.64 |
Essex |
1.29 |
1.26 |
2.74 |
2.72 |
0.47 |
0.46 |
Hudson |
0.96 |
0.94 |
2.62 |
2.60 |
0.37 |
0.36 |
Hunterdon |
2.08 |
2.06 |
2.74 |
2.69 |
0.76 |
0.77 |
Middlesex |
1.77 |
1.71 |
2.71 |
2.74 |
0.65 |
0.62 |
Monmouth |
1.78 |
1.77 |
2.75 |
2.70 |
0.65 |
0.66 |
Morris |
2.01 |
1.92 |
2.78 |
2.72 |
0.72 |
0.71 |
Ocean |
1.60 |
1.65 |
2.54 |
2.51 |
0.63 |
0.66 |
Passaic |
1.58 |
1.54 |
2.85 |
2.92 |
0.55 |
0.53 |
Somerset |
1.96 |
1.86 |
2.65 |
2.69 |
0.74 |
0.69 |
Sussex |
2.02 |
1.99 |
2.90 |
2.81 |
0.70 |
0.71 |
Union |
1.64 |
1.60 |
2.71 |
2.77 |
0.61 |
0.58 |
Warren |
1.78 |
1.80 |
2.67 |
2.61 |
0.67 |
0.69 |
Travel Times Higher in the Region
Across the nation, journey-to-work travel times increased 3.1 minutes, from 22.4 minutes in 1990 to 25.5 minutes in 2000. Regional mean travel times increased 4.9 minutes overall, from 26.2 minutes in 1990 to 31.1 minutes in 2000 (see Table 4). This increase may be attributable to several factors - e.g. dispersed destinations, increased traffic congestion, trip chaining (making intermediate stops on the way to or from work), and requires further study. It is probably also (at least partly) an artifact of a difference between 2000 and 1990 Census data coding.
Average travel times to work were highest in Sussex County at 38.3 minutes, and lowest in Passaic County at 26.4 minutes. Monmouth County experienced the greatest increase in average travel time to work (7.5 minutes), while Passaic County experienced the least increase (3.6 minutes).
According to the RT-HIS results from 1997, journey-to-work trips are generally longer in distance and duration than other types of trips taken in the region.
Table 4: Average Travel Times to Work, 1990 and 2000
U.S. |
22.4 |
25.5 |
New Jersey |
25.3 |
30.0 |
NJTPA Region |
26.2 |
31.1 |
Bergen |
25.7 |
29.7 |
Essex |
26.4 |
31.2 |
Hudson |
27.4 |
32.6 |
Hunterdon |
28.5 |
33.5 |
Middlesex |
26.3 |
31.5 |
Monmouth |
27.3 |
34.8 |
Morris |
25.7 |
29.4 |
Ocean |
26.9 |
32.4 |
Passaic |
22.8 |
26.4 |
Somerset |
25.5 |
30.1 |
Sussex |
33.3 |
38.3 |
Union |
24.3 |
28.7 |
Warren |
28.4 |
33.3 |
Conclusions
Although most journey-to-work trends in the NJTPA region appear in line with national trends, the regional use of public transportation to commute to work has increased while vehicle ownership has decreased. Although the two trends appear related, it is difficult to determine which economic, social, and other factors have played the greatest role. As more journey-to-work data is released during 2003, the NJTPA will perform additional analyses to better answer these and other questions.