Mobility and Accessibility of Hispanics in Small Towns and Rural Areas

External link: http://matc.unl.edu/research/research_projects.php?researchID=423

Publication date: April 1, 2014

Capsule summary: This study compares the mobility of Hispanic people in the United States to those of other racial and ethnic groups, and examines the mobility issues of recent Hispanic immigrants.

Author(s): Matsuo, Miwa DDes

Publisher(s): U.S. Department of Tranportation-Research, Innovation and Technology Innovation Administration

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Description: Since the start of the 21st century, the Hispanic population in the United States has increased 43 percent, and many of areas that have experienced the greatest increase in Hispanic residents are small towns or rural areas. As such, these residents may have mobility needs that are distinct from those affecting different demographic groups in urban and rural areas. This study seeks to compare the mobility issues affecting Hispanic Americans, particularly recent immigrants and women, to those of other racial and ethnic groups, and to understand the particular accessibility needs of recent Hispanic immigrants.

Objectives: The main goal of this paper is to determine the extent of the particular issues that disproportionately affect the study populations. The authors use data from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) to examine three key aspects of mobility for the study population: vehicle availability, driving mileage, and native/immigrant and gender disparity in mobility, in order to highlight the extent of the mobility limitations that primarily affect Hispanic immigrants in rural areas and Hispanic women.

Findings: The study found that Hispanic immigrants face different mobility challenges from the general population, even when controlling for socioeconomic status. While Hispanic households drive as much as non-Hispanic/non-Black households and they tend to rely on private vehicles for most of their trips, they do not own many vehicles, and must share rides. Within Hispanic immigrant populations, recent immigrants and women faced the greatest difficulties in mobility access, whether in rural or urban areas. Hispanic women were also much less to be drivers than Hispanic men. However, even in rural areas, the study found that public transit ridership amongst Hispanics was lower than that of non-Hispanic minorities. This is likely due in part to the language barrier faced by many recent immigrants, which may prevent them from using public transit.

Recommendations: The findings of this study suggest that Hispanic people in rural areas, particularly immigrants, have particular mobility needs that are distinct from those faced by the general population. Additionally, they suggest that the transportation systems presently in place are inadequate to meet the unique needs of these populations, and that they need additional support in order to meet their accessibility needs.

Research Theme: Planning for Pedestrians, Bikes, and Transit

Community Type: City, Rural, Suburb

Transportation Mode: Automobile, Personal, Transit

Planning Scope:

Organization Type:

Planning Subject: Evaluation and Assessment

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