Summary of Travel Trends: 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey

Hu, Patricia S.; Young, Jennifer · 1992 · ROSA P / United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Highway Information Management

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Summary

This report summarizes findings from the 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS), conducted by the Research Triangle Institute for the U.S. Department of Transportation. The study analyzes trends in personal travel, vehicle ownership, and demographic shifts by comparing 1990 data with previous NPTS surveys from 1969, 1977, and 1983. The research aims to provide essential data for addressing transportation issues such as traffic congestion and air quality, driven by increasing national mobility. The 1990 survey utilized telephone interviews and random digit dialing, differing from the home interview methods used in earlier years, and included a larger sample size of 22,000 households. The analysis reveals significant growth in vehicle availability and usage. Between 1969 and 1990, the number of household vehicles increased by 128%, outpacing the 49% growth in households. Consequently, vehicles per household rose from 1.16 to 1.77, while household size decreased from 3.16 to 2.56 persons. By 1990, 9.2% of households lacked a vehicle, down from 20.6% in 1969, while households with three or more vehicles quadrupled. This increase in vehicle ownership correlated with a decline in average vehicle occupancy, which dropped from 1.9 to 1.6 person-miles per vehicle-mile between 1977 and 1990. Additionally, households retained vehicles longer; the average age of household automobiles increased from 5.1 years in 1969 to 7.7 years in 1990. Travel patterns showed increased mileage and trip lengths. Daily household vehicle miles traveled (VMT) rose 29% from 1983 to 1990, reaching 41.37 miles per day. Annual VMT per household increased by 22% from 1969 to 1990. Average vehicle trip length, which had declined until 1983, rebounded to 8.87 miles in 1990, with the largest increases observed in work-related trips. Commuting patterns shifted toward single-occupancy driving; the share of auto commuters rose to 91.4% in 1990, while public transit use remained low at 5.5%. Although average commute distances increased by 7% from 1983 to 1990, commute times decreased by 3%, likely due to faster speeds on longer suburban routes. Older vehicles were driven more frequently in 1990, with annual miles for vehicles aged 10 or more increasing by 41% since 1969. The findings indicate that American mobility is characterized by higher vehicle ownership, longer trips, and lower occupancy rates, contributing to increased congestion and environmental impacts. The data highlights a structural shift toward individual automobile use over shared or public transportation modes. These trends provide a baseline for policymakers to evaluate the effectiveness of transportation infrastructure and environmental regulations. The report notes that more detailed analyses on specific demographics, such as women and older persons, and urbanized areas, are available in subsequent publications in the NPTS series.

Key finding

Between 1969 and 1990, the number of households, drivers, workers, and vehicles grew at a much faster rate than the population, leading to a 29% increase in daily household vehicle miles of travel from 1983 to 1990 despite a decline in average vehicle occupancy.

Methodology

dataset

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

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• exposure measurement

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence