Longitudinal and spatial analysis of Americans’ travel distances following COVID-19

Travel has become less common due to COVID-19. While prior research has discussed recent travel changes for Americans in multiple ways, few have examined the adjusted travel that has been sustained since March 2021. In addition, little is known about changes in Americans’ travel patterns in trips by distance. In this research, we asked two questions: 1) How have the numbers of trips by distance changed since 2019? and, 2) What are the geospatial patterns of the changes? Data from mid-March to mid-September 2021 indicates a 7% decrease in the number of trips and a 14.5% increase in people staying home. People traveled less except for those in the middle U.S. states, from North Dakota to Texas, as vertically aligned. Staying home more seemed to occur mainly in the South. Trips between 50 and 500 miles increased nationwide. COVID-19 has had different levels of impact on trips of different distance ranges.