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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Mystery fence blocks ... what? ... Man arrested on drug, weapons charges during sweep ... Counties asked to send fewer inmates to state prisons ... Mystery fence blocks ... what? ... Man arrested on drug, weapons charges during sweep ... Counties asked to send fewer inmates to state prisons ... How car reliance is squeezing the middle class What's putting the pinch on middle-income family budgets? New research points to the family car. Comment By Lane Anderson, Deseret News MailTribune.com By Lane Anderson, Deseret News Posted Apr. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Apr 21, 2015 at 12:39 AM By Lane Anderson, Deseret News Posted Apr. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Apr 21, 2015 at 12:39 AM » Social News Where your money goes — whether it's on housing or food — depends a lot on if you're rich or poor. But odds are, if you're middle class, a disproportionate amount of your income is getting sucked up by your car. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released new data last week showing how different income brackets spend their money, and not surprisingly, middle-class and lower-middle-class households spend a higher percentage of their income on necessities like housing and food compared to their richer counterparts. But the biggest outlier for these families was the cost of getting around. The middle class pays an oversized share on car payments, gas and other vehicle-related expenses — up to 19 percent of annual income — compared with about 15 percent in the highest groups and around 14 percent for the lowest income bracket, according to the study. The data set doesn't explain why transportation is taking a bigger toll on middle-class budgets, but sprawl, city housing affordability, poor public transit options and car-reliance are likely the main culprits, according to CityLab. "Wealthy households own cars, of course, but they can also afford to live closer to work, or in city centers with better transit options — whether that's the subway in New York or the Google bus in San Francisco," wrote Eric Jaffe in a CityLab report. "Low-income city households also tend to rely on buses and trains, and while in their case that might make a commute much longer (and in some cases limit job access), it does keep transportation costs down." Meanwhile, a middle-class family in the suburbs is likely to live farther away from work and shopping, but aren't likely to have access to good public transportation. Gas, in particular, guzzles up middle-class family budgets: gas made up almost 6 percent of the annual share of total transportation spending for those in the middle, almost twice as much as those in the highest bracket, who clocked in at about 3.5 percent for gas. When transportation costs were combined with housing costs, the data revealed that middle-class families spend a lot of their money on these two necessities at 55 of annual expenditures, or over half of their yearly income. This was close to what the lowest groups spend — about 57 percent, while the highest-income groups spend less than 47 percent. By Lane Anderson, Deseret News MailTribune.com By Lane Anderson, Deseret News Posted Apr. 21, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Apr 21, 2015 at 12:39 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501