Drive Alone to Work in Washington
Washington
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Washington Value:
62.9%
Percentage of workers age 16 and older who drive alone to work
Washington Rank:
4
Drive Alone to Work in depth:
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Drive Alone to Work by State
Percentage of workers age 16 and older who drive alone to work
Drive Alone to Work in
Data from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2022
<= 65.5%
65.6% - 69.8%
69.9% - 73.3%
73.4% - 76.2%
>= 76.3%
Drive Alone to Work
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2022
About Drive Alone to Work
US Value: 68.7%
Top State(s): New York: 49.0%
Bottom State(s): Mississippi: 81.9%
Definition: Percentage of workers age 16 and older who drive alone to work
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2022
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
Commuting is a daily necessity for many people and driving alone is by far the most common mode of transportation to work. There are environmental and individual health concerns associated with driving: driving alone to work involves extended periods of social isolation and physical inactivity, and more motor vehicles on the road means more air pollution, noise pollution and transportation congestion. Congestion, a common occurrence in large cities, creates concentrated areas of air and noise pollution, which disproportionately affect those with lower socioeconomic status. Commutes greater than 15 miles can also increase the risk of high blood pressure, obesity and physical inactivity.
After housing expenses, vehicle maintenance (including purchasing, upkeep, and operation) represents the second-largest expenditure for households. By utilizing public transportation and reducing the number of owned vehicles by one, a household can save $13,000. Additionally, switching from driving alone to public transportation can reduce an individual's CO2 emissions by 20 pounds per day, more than 48,000 pounds per year.
According to America’s Health Rankings data, the prevalence of driving alone to work is higher among males compared with females. Other populations that spend more time driving alone to work include:
- White workers compared with Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian workers.
- Workers ages 25 to 44.
- Workers born in the U.S. compared with those who are foreign-born.
- Workers with an income at or above 150% of the poverty level compared with workers with lower incomes.
Strategies to promote modes of transportation other than driving, particularly driving alone, include:
- Increasing flexibility to work from home.
- City planning to balance out the geographic distribution of places of employment.
- Building pedestrian- and cycling-friendly infrastructure.
- Increasing access and reducing the distance to public transportation.
Healthy People 2030 has multiple objectives related to transportation, including:
- Increasing the trips to work made by mass transit.
- Increasing the proportion of adults who walk or bike to get places.
Abrams, Zara. “The Future of Remote Work.” Monitor on Psychology 50, no. 9 (October 1, 2019). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/10/cover-remote-work.
Giles-Corti, Billie, Anne Vernez-Moudon, Rodrigo Reis, Gavin Turrell, Andrew L. Dannenberg, Hannah Badland, Sarah Foster, et al. “City Planning and Population Health: A Global Challenge.” The Lancet 388, no. 10062 (December 2016): 2912–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)30066-6.
Hoehner, Christine M., Carolyn E. Barlow, Peg Allen, and Mario Schootman. “Commuting Distance, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Metabolic Risk.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 42, no. 6 (June 2012): 571–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2012.02.020.
Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J. “Urban and Transport Planning, Environmental Exposures and Health-New Concepts, Methods and Tools to Improve Health in Cities.” Environmental Health 15 (December 2016): S38. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-016-0108-1.
van Schalkwyk, M. C. I., and J. S. Mindell. “Current Issues in the Impacts of Transport on Health.” British Medical Bulletin 125, no. 1 (March 1, 2018): 67–77. https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldx048.
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