Who is aging in the wrong place? evidence from older Americans

Abstract

Using data from the U.S. National Household Travel Survey 2017, this study examined who is aging in the wrong place, which I defined as someone who is aged 55 years or older living in a non-urban area without a vehicle. In particular, it explored whether age increases the odds of people living in low-density areas without vehicles, and, if not, what factors do. It also investigated differences of factors related to aging in the wrong place between those aged 75 years and older vis-à-vis those aged 55–64 and 65–74 years. Mixed logit models with random errors of residential location and vehicle ownership levels were applied for those aged 55 years and older and for selected age groups (i.e., 55–64, 65–74, and 75 years and older) to account for unobserved correlations between residential location and vehicle ownership decisions. Results suggested that age did not associate with the odds of aging in the wrong place. Instead, being unemployed (compared to being employed) and women living alone (compared to men living alone) were more likely to age in the wrong place. Additionally, the findings revealed that this phenomenon emerges among those aged 75 and older, but not among younger age groups. Moreover, older (compared with younger) African Americans, Hispanics, and those with low incomes were less likely to own cars and live in non-urban areas. This outcome is consistent across age groups (i.e., 55–64, 65–74, and 75 years and older) for Hispanics and those with low incomes, but not for African Americans aged 65 years and older. Study findings inform transportation service provision for individuals aging in the wrong place, as well as for disadvantaged older people living in urban areas.