Research source(s) for housing costs and transportation costs as possible indicators to use as in input to the score

[BethMattern]

We need to find a source at the census block level for housing cost burden and transportation costs as possible indicators to use as an input into the score.

Results of research by Beth: The Housing and Transportation (H+T®) Affordability Index provides a comprehensive view of affordability that includes both the cost of housing and the cost of transportation at the neighborhood level. https://htaindex.cnt.org

This data set is represented in row 92 of the Justice 40 Data Set Submissions worksheet.

This data is at the census block group level and must be downloaded by state - so there would be 50 .csv files. There is no data available for Puerto Rico or territories.

The data includes the following metrics that would be good candidates for representing affordable housing and affordable transit availability in the impact score:

Housing Costs % Income for the National Typical Household (h_nmi) Transportation Costs % Income for the National Typical Household (t_nmi) Housing + Transportation Costs % Income for the National Typical Household (ht_nmi)

Data dictionary

Information about this data: The Index shows that transportation costs vary between and within regions depending on neighborhood characteristics:

People who live in location-efficient neighborhoods—compact, mixed-use, and with convenient access to jobs, services, transit and amenities—tend to have lower transportation costs. People who live in location-inefficient places—less dense areas that require automobiles for most trips—are more likely to have higher transportation costs. The traditional measure of affordability recommends that housing cost no more than 30% of household income. Under this view, a little over half (55%) of US neighborhoods are considered “affordable” for the typical household. However, that benchmark fails to take into account transportation costs, which are typically a household’s second-largest expenditure. The H+T Index offers an expanded view of affordability, one that combines housing and transportation costs and sets the benchmark at no more than 45% of household income.

When transportation costs are factored into the equation, the number of affordable neighborhoods drops to 26%, resulting in a net loss of 59,768 neighborhoods that Americans can truly afford. The key finding from the H+T Index is that household transportation costs are highly correlated with urban environment characteristics, when controlling for household characteristics.

Last Updated 2017 Update: H+T Index Release Notes

Uses 2015 American Community Survey (ACS) data as input Uses 2014 Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics data Updated AllTransitTM data Expand geographic coverage to metropolitan, micropolitan regions and rural counties Enhanced transportation model including interaction variables

[BethMattern]

Here's the .csv for New Mexico htaindex_data_blkgrps_35.csv