A driving decline is quietly changing how Americans live, even as homebuilders continue to bet on car-dependent development. A new Realtor.com report finds Americans are driving less, but most new housing supply is still rising far from transit hubs, creating a growing mismatch between lifestyle trends and housing construction.
Federal Highway Administration data show vehicle miles traveled per capita have fallen 2.3 percent since 2019. Compared with two decades ago, the average American now drives nearly 5 percent less. Despite that shift, developers continue to pour new supply into suburban and exurban areas that require daily car use, while urban neighborhoods with transit access lag behind in new construction.
The driving decline comes as policymakers and planners promote transit-oriented development—housing built near rail or bus stations to support walkable communities and local businesses. Realtor.com notes research suggesting these projects can strengthen local economies by increasing foot traffic and neighborhood density. Yet results remain limited. Over the past 20 years, nearly nine times as many housing units were built far from transit stations as near them, according to an Urban Institute analysis.
There are signs of gradual change. Neighborhoods near stations opened between 2000 and 2009 saw housing growth by 2019 that ran about eight percentage points higher than comparable areas without transit access. Still, that progress has not kept pace with demand. From 2000 to 2019, urban areas with transit stations added about 2 million housing units, while areas without stations added 17.6 million.
