Travel Times, Incomes, Housing Costs All Rise in Region

Data from the 2000 Census released today confirm what most commuters were already sure of; it's taking longer to get to work in northeastern Illinois.  Average travel-to-work times increased in all parts of the region during the 1990's.  During the same period, household incomes, home values, and rents also rose, as did the number of people living at or below the poverty level. 

The data were released by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.  They are based on responses to the long form version of the census questionnaire.  The data are reported for counties, municipalities, townships, and certain unincorporated places in Illinois. 

Residents of Chicago had the longest trips to work in 2000, averaging just over 35 minutes.  Residents of suburban Cook, Lake, McHenry and Will counties spent, on average, more than a half-hour getting to work.  In DuPage and Kane counties, the average commute exceeded 25 minutes.  The most substantial increases from 1990 were recorded in southern Cook, northern Lake, and western Will counties.

"The Census results reinforce our belief that transportation and land use must be considered together," said Ron Thomas, Executive Director of the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC).  "The lowest commute times tend to be around O'Hare Airport and in the middle ring of west, northwest, and north suburbs where job growth near established residential communities has been strong.  Initiatives like downtown redevelopment and transit-oriented development can help bring homes and jobs closer together and make alternatives to the single-occupant automobile more attractive."  Thomas added that land use actions must be taken together with steps to maintain and enhance the region's transportation system.  "The importance of sustainable development practices and transportation improvements working together is emerging clearly through our Common Ground planning process," he said. 

The Census identifies some of the factors contributing to the longer trip to work.  The percentage of commuters who drove alone increased from 66 to 69 percent during the decade, while the percentage who carpooled declined from 12 to 11 percent.  At the same time, the percentage of work trips made on public transit declined from 15 to 13 percent.  The percentage of households in the region with two or more cars increased from 47 to 49 percent.  Taken together, these changes add up to more vehicles on the roads and fewer transit trips.  While the number of people working at home nearly doubled, they still represent only 3 percent of the region's workers.

In addition to travel-related items, the new Census information covers topics ranging from educational attainment to ancestry, employment status to income and poverty, and from the number of rooms in homes and apartments to the monthly costs of housing.

Median household incomes generally increased across the entire region during the 1990's.  After correction for inflation, the increases ranged from 3 percent in DuPage County to 12 percent in Will County.  Household income in Chicago increased by 9 percent, in contrast to a 1 percent decline in the prior decade. 

While incomes were increasing, the number of people living in poverty also increased.  More striking was the geographic distribution of that increase.  The poverty population of Chicago declined by over 35,000, while suburban Cook County gained an equal amount.  The five other suburban counties together gained 33,000 residents living at or below the poverty level.  The poverty rate in the six-county area as a whole fell slightly, from 11.3 to 10.6 percent.

Another important finding concerned relative changes in housing costs.  During the 1980's, real gross rents (after inflation correction) had increased by nearly 21% for the region.  This far outran the increases in real household income (1%) and home values (5%).  During the 1990's the situation was reversed, with increases in home values exceeding income and rent.  The  contrasts in the costs of rental housing are notable.  For example, in the 1980s rent increased by 21 percent in Cook and DuPage counties.  The comparable real increases for the 1990s were 1 percent in Cook and 10 percent in DuPage.

During the decade the percentage of households spending 35 percent or more of their income for housing increased from 21  to 22 percent.  A  higher proportion of renters than of owners felt this burden on their income.  However,  the share of renters spending 35 percent or more of income fell from 31 percent in 1990 to 29 percent in 2000.  Among homeowners,  the comparable figures were 13 percent in 1990 and 18 percent in 2000.

NIPC is a Coordinating Member of the Illinois State Data Center.  In this role, the Commission works with the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs of the State of Illinois, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Illinois State University and Northern Illinois University in providing census data to residents, public officials, businesses, not-for-profit organizations and institutions in Illinois.   For more information about the Census, contact Max Dieber, NIPC's Research Director, at 312-454-0400, ext 601 or visit the Commission's website at www.nipc.org. 

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