The Housing + Transportation Affordability Index is an innovative tool that measures the true affordability of housing based on its location.

Americans traditionally consider housing affordable if it costs 30 percent or less of their income. The Housing + Transportation Affordability Index, in contrast, offers the true cost of housing based on its location by measuring the transportation costs associated with place.

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Traditional View
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New View (H+T)

Housing and Transportation Affordability

Compare the traditional view of affordability with the new view including transportation costs. In all the cities, many distant suburbs are less affordable than they appear.

Enter a Metropolitan Region:


What is Location Efficiency?

While the concept of energy efficiency is a familiar term, locations can be efficient too. Compact neighborhoods with walkable streets, access to transit, and a wide variety of stores and services have high location efficiency. They require less time, money, and greenhouse gas emissions for residents to meet their everyday travel requirements.

The savings add up for households and communities. Transportation costs can range from 15% of household income in location efficient neighborhoods to over 28% in inefficient locations. Greenhouse gas emissions fluctuate too, depending on household reliance on costly, carbon-intensive automobile travel.

More on location efficiency and the H+T Index...

New Website Features
  • Now covers 337 metro regions
  • Block Groups identified
  • Block Group regional benchmark
  • Find low and high values
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Advanced Statistics

Provides options for calculating number and percentage of people and communities for H+T variables. HUD applicants can calculate specific NOFA requirements. Click here for directions.
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Household Auto Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Compare denser neighborhoods with more dispersed communities. Due to location efficiency, compact neighborhoods produce less CO2 per household related to driving.
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Impact of Gas Prices

Compare the impact of 2000 and 2008 gas prices to see that location inefficient neighborhoods are more vulnerable to fluctuating gas prices.

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Custom Comparison

Compare the impact of various pairs of characteristics, to understand what drives the affordability of a neighborhood. Choose your own comparison with "Custom Comparison."