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For today’s post I wanted to look into how my spending on gas as a percentage of my income has changed over the years. The period of time that this study covers is 2003 through present day. My initial guess would be that the percentage of my income that went to gas would be increasing over time since gas has continued to rise throughout this time period.

The data that I found initially may seem rather surprising, but you must keep in mind what I was up to during this time period. 2003 through present spans when I graduated from high school to after college graduation.

Here is the data:

• 2003 14.7%
• 2004 8.8%
• 2005 4.5%
• 2006 4.1%
• 2007 4.9%
• 2008 6.7%

Of all the years I would have to say that 2005 - 2008 have the most reliable data. 2007 should realistically be 7.3%, but it is much lower due to graduation presents that I received. The income that I used for my data was for just income in general no matter where it came from.

Is 6.7% high? Well, according to an article in the International Herald Tribune (the global version of the NY Times), “Americans spend 3.7 percent of their disposable income on transportation fuels. At its lowest point, that share was 1.9 percent in 1998, and at its highest it reached 4.5 percent in 1981.” So yes, as a percentage of income I am spending much more on gas than the average American. If I keep the same driving habits as I have right now, my take home income would have to increase by 82% in order to have my spending as a percentage of income be in line with the average American. Alternatively, I could choose to drive 45% less than I do now in order to be on par with everyone else.

Here are a few possible factors that might be keeping me above the national average:

• Some people do not drive, therefore they spend zero income on gas
• The average driver likely has a higher income than I do
• My car isn’t economical when it comes to gas
• My car uses premium fuel
• Gas prices in Seattle are among the highest in the nation.