Transit Investment and Income Inequality in U.S. Metropolitan Areas

Abstract

The impact of transit investment on the access to economic opportunities and income inequality is an important question for researchers, transportation planners, and policymakers. This research conducts a comprehensive panel data analysis on the association between different types of transit investment (rail and non-rail) and various measures of income inequality for all U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) from 2011 to 2017. We find a significant effect of transit investment on reducing Gini coefficient and poverty rate in large MSAs with over a million population. The impacts seem to be driven mainly by adding new rail systems to traditional non-rail systems.