Study Area: The Washington, DC Region
This study focuses on commutes in the urban core and inner suburbs of the Washington, DC region. The urban core of the Washington, DC metropolitan area comprises Washington, DC, along with Arlington County and the city of Alexandria in Virginia. In addition, Fairfax County in Virginia and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland are lower-density, inner-suburban juris- dictions bordering the urban core of the region. Together, these five jurisdictions have a population of approximately 3.8 million inhabitants (USCB 2010). Median household income is higher in the region than the national average, and except for Arlington County, area jurisdictions have higher shares of nonwhite populations than the national average. The share of households who do not own a vehicle var- ies significantly between the urban core and inner suburbs. For example, about 35 percent of households in Washington, DC do not own an automobile compared to only about 4 percent of households in Fairfax County (USCB 2010).