144 Million Americans Cancelled Trips in 2020

Have you cancelled your traditional Thanksgiving travel plans because of coronavirus? If so, you belong to the supermajority of Americans who have scuttled 2020 travel plans during the pandemic. 

Because of coronavirus, fully 144 million Americans aged 18 or older report that they cancelled one or more planned overnight trips to a place 100 or more miles from their home. That's 66 percent of the adult population, according to the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. Just 7 percent of those who had planned an overnight trip went ahead with the trip despite the pandemic. The remaining 27 percent of adults had not planned on taking any trips in 2020. 

There is little difference by age in the percentage of people who had to cancel a 2020 trip. There are big differences by household income, however. Take a look...

Percent who cancelled any planned overnight trips in 2020 because of the pandemic

Less than $25,000:         45%

$25,000 to $34,999:       55%

$35,000 to $49,999:       66%

$50,000 to $74,999:       68%

$75,000 to $99,999:       74%

$100,000 to $149,999:   78%

$150,000 to $199,999:   82%

$200,000 or more:          86%

Why the big difference by household income in the percentage of people who cancelled trips? Because those with lower incomes were much less likely to have planned on taking any trips in 2020. Only 45 percent of Americans in households with incomes below $25,000 cancelled any overnight trips in 2020 because an even larger 49 percent had not planned on taking any trips—they had no trips to cancel. Regardless of household income, only 5 to 8 percent of those who had planned a 2020 trip still traveled despite the risk. 

Source: Census Bureau, Household Pulse Survey, Week 18 (October 28–November 9)