The race travel penalty for food shopping in metropolitan areas of the United States

Abstract

A tenet of transportation planning is that most consumers choose the closest destination when they can. However, when it comes to food shopping, the choice of store is determined by a broad set of characteristics and most shoppers are willing to make long trips to stores beyond their local neighborhoods, making travel an especially important determinant in accessing healthy and affordable food. Since residences and store locations are patterned by race in the United States, this study asks whether racial minorities must endure longer travel for food shopping compared to White travelers. Using a nationally representative data set from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) and multiple regression, the analysis finds that Black, Asian, and Hispanic shoppers must spend substantially longer travel time when driving to a food store compared to White shoppers. Effective policy interventions require placing attention on supporting travel for disadvantaged residents so they can reach a varied set of food stores with nutritious offerings at competitive prices beyond the local neighborhood.