Roberto Quercia–PI. Traditional urban economic theory holds that land values decline from a central business district in direct proportion to the cost of commuting. In reality, we know that urban spatial structures are rarely so monocentric, but instead involve multiple centers of employment with widespread patterns of cross-commuting and reverse commuting. Nevertheless, the general tradeoff between housing costs and commuting costs should still hold, otherwise households would be better off by moving closer to their jobs. This research will use information from the American Community Survey and a relatively new employment database compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau that includes detailed geographic information on the location of workers residences and workplaces. The difference in housing costs will then be compared to the estimated commuting distance using multiple regression analysis. Separate models will be run using different components of housing cost, different household types, and different metropolitan areas to explore different patterns in behavior. Research findings will help inform policy and practice. Real estate agents will be able to better serve households looking for the right home that balances commutes and housing costs. The research results will also help inform policies ranging from the ability-to-repay rule for home mortgages, affordable housing subsidies, and local housing regulations.