Effective and efficient public transportation is an essential tool for a city to expand economic opportunities for its residents and businesses.
Nationally, investment in public transportation generates and supports jobs, raises home values, and increases business sales. Conversely, lack of public transit can exacerbate inequity and prevent residents from easily accessing jobs, health care, and other services. In a 2020 study, 39% of surveyed low-income Philadelphia residents named transportation as the biggest obstacle to finding and sustaining employment.
In the current issue of Leading Indicators, a publication of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, the group looks at how Philadelphians get to work. The most recently available data, the American Community Survey’s 2022 1-year estimates, illustrate significant differences in Philadelphians’ reliance on public transit across racial and ethnic groups and across geographies.
