Patterns of transportation usage impact environmental and transportation planning. These patterns may also reflect issues of poverty, location of employment, the availability and quality of public transit, local land use and environmental policies, or lifestyle choices of residents.

In 2017-21, white residents of Norfolk County reported the highest levels of driving alone to work (77%), versus public transportation (12%), carpooling (5%), or using another form of transportation, including motorcycles, bicycles, taxis or walking (6%). In comparison, Asian residents had significantly higher levels of public transportation use at 25%. Asian and Hispanic residents reported the highest levels of carpooling (12% and 10% respectively) and Hispanics reported the highest level of another form of transportation at 10%.

The use of public transportation among Asian and white residents in Norfolk County was higher than the state, while public transportation use among African American and Hispanic residents was similar to the state. Among comparison counties, Norfolk had the highest rates of public transportation use among all race ethnicities and Essex County had the highest rates of people driving alone.

Historic and current policies and systems, from racist housing policies to employment discrimination to education systems that fail to equitably serve all populations, have prevented people of color from fully participating in our economy, locking them out of economic opportunity. This can result in less ability to afford a private vehicle. In addition, people of color tend to live in urbanized areas at higher rates, where public transit systems are more available.

The multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with three asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval). Data for this indicator are expected to be released annually in December.