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The Impact of Road Quality on Nearby House Prices

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Cary

    (Virginia Tech)

  • Brad Humphreys

    (West Virginia University)

Abstract

This paper estimates the impact of road quality on house prices in Hamilton County, Ohio, USA which includes the city of Cincinnati. We use a hedonic regression framework using road segmentlevel international roughness index (IRI) data as a measure of road quality. We find that rougher roads decrease house prices, with a one standard deviation increase in road roughness from the sample mean decreasing house prices by 3.5%. This equates to a $6,700 decrease in the value of an average priced home in our sample, demonstrating the importance of road quality and maintenance for local economic development.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Cary & Brad Humphreys, 2026. "The Impact of Road Quality on Nearby House Prices," Working Papers 26-07, Department of Economics, West Virginia University.
    • Handle: RePEc:wvu:wpaper:26-07
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    File URL: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1263&context=econ_working-papers
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • R42 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Government and Private Investment Analysis; Road Maintenance; Transportation Planning
    • R31 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Housing Supply and Markets

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