Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on CoPilot.
A year and a half into the pandemic, COVID-19 is still having profound effects on the global economy.
The abrupt shutdown of many aspects of daily life from last spring has diminished, but the economic recovery has been inconsistent, affecting supply and demand differently across sectors. This unsteady path to economic recovery has stoked fears of inflation, as prices in many sectors are showing dramatic fluctuations and challenging household spending.
And one area where these economic effects are clearly evident is in consumer spending on transportation.
Data from the Consumer Price Index, a common measure of inflation, reveals the extent of the pandemic’s effects on household transportation spending. Gasoline prices collapsed last spring in the wake of COVID-19 shutdowns but began to recover as motorists returned to the roads later in the summer of 2020. Meanwhile, the market for new and used cars has been one of the most notable economic stories coming out of the pandemic.
With global supply chain breakdowns dating back to early 2020, many car manufacturers have been unable to obtain the parts needed to produce typical numbers of new vehicles. With a shortage of new cars, used vehicles have seen dramatic increases in value, with a 45% increase in prices from June 2020 to June 2021.
These rising costs are likely to put additional strains on Americans’ household spending.
To identify the metropolitan areas where folks spend the most on transportation, researchers at CoPilot analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on the nation’s largest metros.
Here is how the nation’s largest metros stack up on transportation spending.
22. New York, NY
Transportation spending share of total: 12.5%
Total transportation spending: $9,255
Vehicle purchases: $2,219
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $1,521
Public and other transportation: $1,874
Other vehicle expenses: $3,641
Average annual expenditures: $73,806
21. San Francisco, CA
Transportation spending share of total: 12.7%
Total transportation spending: $11,103
Vehicle purchases: $3,796
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,123
Public and other transportation: $1,736
Other vehicle expenses: $3,448
Average annual expenditures: $87,287
20. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Transportation spending share of total: 13.2%
Total transportation spending: $11,049
Vehicle purchases: $3,705
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,216
Public and other transportation: $1,465
Other vehicle expenses: $3,664
Average annual expenditures: $84,006
19. Honolulu, HI
Transportation spending share of total: 13.2%
Total transportation spending: $8,403
Vehicle purchases: $2,865
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $1,851
Public and other transportation: $1,143
Other vehicle expenses: $2,543
Average annual expenditures: $63,481
18. Chicago, IL
Transportation spending share of total: 14.0%
Total transportation spending: $9,084
Vehicle purchases: $3,188
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $1,882
Public and other transportation: $1,059
Other vehicle expenses: $2,955
Average annual expenditures: $64,804
17. Boston, MA
Transportation spending share of total: 14.1%
Total transportation spending: $11,779
Vehicle purchases: $4,941
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $1,857
Public and other transportation: $1,398
Other vehicle expenses: $3,584
Average annual expenditures: $83,297
16. Seattle, WA
Transportation spending share of total: 14.2%
Total transportation spending: $11,506
Vehicle purchases: $3,902
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,290
Public and other transportation: $1,625
Other vehicle expenses: $3,689
Average annual expenditures: $81,266
15. Washington, D.C.
Transportation spending share of total: 14.3%
Total transportation spending: $13,646
Vehicle purchases: $5,712
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,107
Public and other transportation: $1,990
Other vehicle expenses: $3,837
Average annual expenditures: $95,441
14. San Diego, CA
Transportation spending share of total: 15.1%
Total transportation spending: $11,704
Vehicle purchases: $3,334
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,576
Public and other transportation: $1,504
Other vehicle expenses: $4,291
Average annual expenditures: $77,451
13. Philadelphia, PA
Transportation spending share of total: 15.4%
Total transportation spending: $11,136
Vehicle purchases: $4,037
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $1,908
Public and other transportation: $1,280
Other vehicle expenses: $3,911
Average annual expenditures: $72,460
12. Atlanta, GA
Transportation spending share of total: 15.4%
Total transportation spending: $9,862
Vehicle purchases: $3,071
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,338
Public and other transportation: $1,083
Other vehicle expenses: $3,370
Average annual expenditures: $64,103
11. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Transportation spending share of total: 15.6%
Total transportation spending: $10,472
Vehicle purchases: $3,601
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,277
Public and other transportation: $846
Other vehicle expenses: $3,748
Average annual expenditures: $66,966
10. Los Angeles, CA
Transportation spending share of total: 15.7%
Total transportation spending: $10,959
Vehicle purchases: $3,435
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,890
Public and other transportation: $910
Other vehicle expenses: $3,723
Average annual expenditures: $69,824
9. Denver, CO
Transportation spending share of total: 16.2%
Total transportation spending: $12,331
Vehicle purchases: $4,641
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $1,943
Public and other transportation: $1,121
Other vehicle expenses: $4,626
Average annual expenditures: $76,274
8. Houston, TX
Transportation spending share of total: 16.4%
Total transportation spending: $12,352
Vehicle purchases: $4,413
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,390
Public and other transportation: $1,320
Other vehicle expenses: $4,228
Average annual expenditures: $75,288
7. Baltimore, MD
Transportation spending share of total: 17.1%
Total transportation spending: $13,255
Vehicle purchases: $6,482
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,100
Public and other transportation: $1,146
Other vehicle expenses: $3,527
Average annual expenditures: $77,598
6. St. Louis, MO
Transportation spending share of total: 17.2%
Total transportation spending: $11,123
Vehicle purchases: $5,070
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,097
Public and other transportation: $695
Other vehicle expenses: $3,262
Average annual expenditures: $64,777
5. Detroit, MI
Transportation spending share of total: 17.3%
Total transportation spending: $11,260
Vehicle purchases: $3,507
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,111
Public and other transportation: $703
Other vehicle expenses: $4,939
Average annual expenditures: $65,163
4. Anchorage, AK
Transportation spending share of total: 17.3%
Total transportation spending: $13,313
Vehicle purchases: $5,539
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,363
Public and other transportation: $1,594
Other vehicle expenses: $3,816
Average annual expenditures: $76,784
3. Tampa, FL
Transportation spending share of total: 18.1%
Total transportation spending: $10,692
Vehicle purchases: $4,903
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $1,814
Public and other transportation: $743
Other vehicle expenses: $3,232
Average annual expenditures: $59,193
2. Phoenix, AZ
Transportation spending share of total: 18.8%
Total transportation spending: $12,525
Vehicle purchases: $5,890
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,151
Public and other transportation: $734
Other vehicle expenses: $3,750
Average annual expenditures: $66,489
1. Miami, FL
Transportation spending share of total: 19.0%
Total transportation spending: $10,915
Vehicle purchases: $3,108
Gas, other fuels, and motor oil: $2,421
Public and other transportation: $759
Other vehicle expenses: $4,626
Average annual expenditures: $57,472
Methodology
The data used in this analysis is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Expenditure Survey. To determine the cities where residents spend the most on transportation, researchers calculated total transportation spending as a share of total spending in each metropolitan area.
In the event of a tie, the metro with the higher total consumer transportation spending was ranked higher. Only the 22 metropolitan areas with data available from the BLS were included.
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