Patterns of transportation usage impact environmental and transportation planning. These patterns may also reflect issues of poverty, location of employment, the availability and quality of public transit, local land use and environmental policies, or lifestyle choices of residents.

In 2020-24, the majority of people across all races and ethnicities in Westchester County drove alone to work. White residents report the highest levels of driving alone (68%), compared to Asians (61%), and African Americans and Hispanics, each at 56%. In comparison, African Americans (26%) and Hispanics and Asians (both 22%) had higher levels of public transportation use than White residents (19%).

Since 2010-14, the shares of Asians and Hispanics that drove alone increased 5 and 7 percentage points respectively, while rates among Whites and African Americans have held fairly steady shifting one percentage point.

The use of public transportation among all groups was higher in Westchester compared to the nation, but lower for all groups, except Whites, compared to the state. Compared to Westchester, driving alone to work was more common among all races and ethnicities in Nassau, Putnam and Rockland counties except for Asians in Putnam County.

Historic and current policies and systems, from racist housing policies to employment discrimination to education systems that fail to equitably serve all populations, have prevented people of color from fully participating in our economy, locking them out of economic opportunity. This can result in less ability to afford a private vehicle. In addition, people of color tend to live in urbanized areas at higher rates, where public transit systems are more available.

The multiyear figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. However, because the information came from a survey, the samples responding to the survey were not always large enough to produce reliable results, especially in small geographic areas. CGR has noted on data tables the estimates with relatively large margins of error. Estimates with three asterisks have the largest margins, plus or minus 50% or more of the estimate. Two asterisks mean plus or minus 35%-50%, and one asterisk means plus or minus 20%-35%. For all estimates, the confidence level is 90%, meaning there is 90% probability the true value (if the whole population were surveyed) would be within the margin of error (or confidence interval).