Moving Forward

The Community Planning Division recently completed a report about commuting trends in the City of Cambridge. The report Moving Forward: Journey to Work Trends in the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, analyses American Community Survey data on commuting, which has been collected in the Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP). 

• Read the Report

The report summarizes the commuting patterns among three groups of workers:

• The Workforce, all those who work in Cambridge regardless of place of residence;
• The Labor Force, all those Cambridge residents who work regardless of place of work; and
• The Resident Labor Force, those who both reside in and work in Cambridge.

The report is based on data collected into the 2006 – 2010 CTPP data set, the most recent complete analysis of the national transportation data collected by the U. S. Census Bureau. Comparative information is also provided from the 1990 and 2000 Journey to Work data sets.

The main takeaway from the report is twofold.

• A declining proportion of each of the three groups is choosing to drive to work alone, mirrored by increasing reliance on a mix of more sustainable modes of transportation.
• The reduced reliance on single occupancy vehicle use extends to many demographic subgroups in all three segments of workers.

These three groups differ in size, demography, and mode usage, yet their commuting experience reflects a common theme: over time a decreasing proportion of workers who drive alone to work and an increase in those traveling by a sustainable mode of transportation. By weaving together and comparing Journey to Work data from across two decades, this report sheds further light on the changing landscape of commuting trends in Cambridge.

Read the Report

Download and read a copy of Moving Forward!

Download the Data

Much of the data analyzed in the report will soon be s available through the City of Cambridge Open Data Portal. Check beck here to find links directly to the tables.

For More Information

For more information about the report and the data behind the analysis contact Cliff Cook, Planning Information Manager, at 617/349-46565 or ccook@cambridgema.gov.