The LA Subway Blog

I've been using some Census and Local Employment Dynamics statistics to do some analysis of transit station areas in Los Angeles.  My research center at UCLA is working on an expanded project to look at changes in transit station areas over time.  In my preliminary work, I've found some interesting bits of information for areas within 1/2 a mile of a Metrorail or Orange Line station:

• 21% of Los Angeles County jobs which pay over $3333/month are in these areas (for 2008)
• In 2000, 23% of those living within 1/2 mile of a transit station took transit to work. An additional 5% walked. 
• In 2000, 70% of Los Angeles County residents drove alone to work.  In the areas near transit stations, 51% drove alone to work.
• Under 5% of the county's population lived within 1/2 of a mile of a transit station in 2000.  Now, it's well over 8% (new figures will be out in December).
• Those living within 1/2 mile of a transit station in 2000 were 380% more likely to take transit to work than those not living near stations..
• Those living within 1/2 mile of a transit station in 2000 were 193% more likely to walk to work than those not living near stations.
• 17% of Los Angeles County Jobs (in 2008) were within 1/2 mile of a transit station.

• There are 52,000 jobs within 1/2 mile of the proposed Westwood Stop.  
• There are 10,000 more jobs within 1/2 mile the Constellation/Avenue of the Stars stop than the Santa Monica/Avenue of the Stars stop
• If only the Century City and Westwood stations were open today, about 19% of all jobs in the county and 25% of jobs which pay $3333/month or more would be within 1/2 of a mile of a transit station.  (This analysis does not include the other purple line stops at the VA, Rodeo, La Cienega, Fairfax, or LaBrea)

The point I've seen so far is that the larger the transit network becomes, the more valuable access to that network is.  In 1990, before the Blue line opened, there were 0 jobs within 1/2 a mile of Metrorail.  In 2010, about 17% of jobs are now within 1/2 mile of Metrorail.  With the projects in Metro's Long Range Transportation Plan this figure will continue to grow.

Los Angeles County Jobs Heatmap (Data exported from US Census Bureau's LED on the Map)