American commuters lose billions of dollars a year because of sprawl – and no metro area is more harmful on commuter bank accounts than Atlanta.
That was the finding of a new analysis from City Observatory, which calculated the travel expenses local residents incurred because of the sprawl in their area. By City Observatory’s measurements, Metro Atlanta residents pay an annual “sprawl tax” of $3,291, which is the highest in the nation; the total sprawl tax on all Atlanta residents comes out to $8.57 billion.
For the nation’s 50 largest areas, the sprawl tax comes out to $107 billion, or $1,400 for the average commuter. Because of sprawl, American workers spend an extra 3.9 billion additional hours commuting, which comes out to 50 hours per worker.
Here is how Atlanta’s sprawl tax compares with other metro areas:
| Metro Area | Annual Sprawl Tax Per Worker | Total Metro Area Sprawl Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | $3,291 | $8.57 billion |
| Houston | $2,878 | $8.80 billion |
| Dallas | $2,783 | $9.34 billion |
| Birmingham | $2,611 | $1.31 billion |
| Charlotte | $2,401 | $2.69 billion |
| Phoenix | $2,317 | $4.57 billion |
| Orlando | $2,159 | $2.31 billion |
| Indianapolis | $2,099 | $1.97 billion |