Introduction

While there are statistics available as far

back as 1789 on U.S. water

transportation (number of merchant

vessels and their trade) and 1830 on

railroads (at that time there were 23

miles of railroads in operation, and 40

miles actually built), the Federal

censuses did not begin collecting and

reporting data on such subjects until

1880. There were special censuses of

water transportation in 1906, 1916, and

1926, as well as one covering "express"

business in 1907. The monthly Survey

of Current Business in the 1920's and

early 1930's also requested some

transportation data.

For much of the last century, Federal

regulatory agencies have collected and

published most of the statistics needed

on transportation, and the U.S. Census

Bureau's role has been limited to

gathering data only for those areas not

already covered by other agencies. In

1957, the Census Bureau conducted a

national travel survey, sponsored by the

travel industry, and took the first "census

of transportation" (actually several

surveys) in 1963 with funds

appropriated by Congress. Similar

enumerations followed in 1967 and as

part of subsequent economic censuses

(carried out every 5 years for years

ending in "2" and "7"). Utilities were

included in the census for the first time

for 1992, and a Commodity Flow Survey

(CFS) was conducted for 1993. The

Truck Inventory and Use Survey was first

done for 1963. For the 1997 census

year, its name was altered to Vehicle

Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS).

The censuses are conducted under the

authority of Title 13, U.S. Code, which

also makes response mandatory.

Surveys are similarly authorized, but

response is mandatory only for annual,

or less frequently done surveys (e.g., the

CFS and VIUS), and is voluntary to those

occurring more frequently than annually.

Responses are confidential by law, and

the U.S. Census Bureau must make

certain that no individual's or firm's

operations can be identified in published

reports—including CD-ROM (compact

disk; read-only memory) products or the

agency's online systems. 

The North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS)

The unit of enumeration for the service

industries is the establishment—defined

as a single physical location that

provides services. Prior to the 1997

Economic Census, the U.S. Census

Bureau classified business activities in its

censuses and surveys using the

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)

Code, originally introduced in the 1940's

and updated periodically since. The

1997 Economic Census collected,

tabulated, and disseminated the bulk of

the data in terms of the new North

American Industry Classification System

(NAICS). The NAICS was developed after

extended negotiations among the United

States, Canada, and Mexico to create an

integrated industrial classification

system providing comparable economic

statistics for all three national

economies. The 1997 Economic Census

was the first major statistical activity

conducted by one of the three signatory

nations to collect and publish data in

terms of the new system.

The NAICS measures of economic

activity would be "production-based"

and organized economic activity

classifications into 20 sectors instead of

the 10 "divisions" used by the SIC

system. The NAICS provided a more

detailed and accurate measurement of

industrial activity in the United States,

creating several new sectors comprised

of specified services, and adding over

150 new services industries to the

classification system. The SIC

"Transportation, Communications,

Electric, Gas, and Sanitary Services

Division" was replaced by the NAICS

"Transportation and Warehousing

Sector"—which was drawn largely from

the SIC Transportation Division, together

with industries from the SIC

"Communications" and "Utilities"

Divisions. The NAICS "Utilities Sector"

also incorporated industries from the SIC

"Transportation, Communications,

Electric, Gas, and Sanitary Services

Division," particularly from the SIC Major

Industry Group 49, "Electric, Gas, and

Sanitary Services."

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Transportation and Warehousing, 

and Utilities Statistics

Issued July 2000

CFF-13
The NAICS was introduced in Census

Bureau operations and products in the

1997 Economic Census, although, at the

request of the local area governments,

the census for the Outlying Areas

(Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern

Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands

of the United States) continued to use

the SIC Code. The agency's current

economic surveys programs would

begin using NAICS classifications after

the 1997 census.

Census Geography

Census data for most of the subjects

listed in the following section are

available for the United States, the

District of Columbia, and selected

metropolitan areas (MAs).

What Subjects Are Covered

by the Census and Surveys?

The 1997 Economic Census covered

establishments classified as part of the

NAICS sectors 22, Utilities Industries,

and 48-49, Transportation and

Warehousing. The data collected

included—

• Physical location.

• Revenues.

• Payroll.

• Number of employees.

• Operational status (i.e., in operation,

temporarily or seasonally inactive,

ceased operation, or sold or leased to

another operator).

• Ownership.

• Legal form of organization (i.e.,

individual owner [sole proprietorship],

partnership, corporation, or other).

The census excluded government

operations. With regard to the Utilities

Sector, while the sector comprised

establishments engaged in providing

electrical power, natural gas, steam

supply, water supply, and sewage

removal, it excluded establishments

involved in waste management services

classified in the NAICS subsector 562,

Waste Management and Remediation

Services. 

The principal transportation surveys

carried out as part of the 1997

Economic Census were the 1997 Vehicle

Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) and the

1997 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS).

The VIUS collected data on the physical

and operational characteristics of the

Nation's private and commercial truck

population. The information requested

included body type (e.g. pickup, sport

utility vehicle, dump truck, wrecker,

etc.), weight, total length, and size;

major use; body and cab type; annual

miles driven and range of operation;

model year; how vehicles were acquired;

lease characteristics; primary operator

classification; primary products carried;

whether hazardous materials were

carried; equipment type (e.g., braking

system, power steering, vehicle-control

aids for handicapped drivers, airconditioning, navigational aids, etc.);

fuel conservation equipment;

maintenance (who performed general

maintenance and/or major overhauls);

and engine type and size.

The 1997 CFS asked for the following

information on outbound shipments

from establishments in mining,

manufacturing, wholesale, and selected

service industries: domestic destination

or port of exit, commodity, value,

weight, mode(s) of transportation, date

shipment made, and whether the

shipment was an export, hazardous

material, or containerized. For

shipments including multiple

commodities, respondents were asked

to report the commodity that made up

the greatest percentage of the

shipment's weight. For exports, mode

of export and foreign destination city

and country were requested. For

hazardous material shipments,

respondents were asked to report the

four-digit United States/North American

(UN/NA) code.

Who Uses the Data?

Transportation statistics are used by

Federal and state agencies; railroad,

airline, shipping, and trucking

associations and carriers; transportation

economists; highway improvement

bureaus; private traffic departments;

students; market research and

consulting firms; manufacturers; and

other organizations or 

persons concerned with policy or

promotional activities in the general field

of travel and transportation. 

Utilities data are used by Federal

Government and by state and local

governments to assess electric power

generation, transmission, and

distribution capacities; natural gas

distribution networks; and water supply,

distribution, and treatment, including

sewage removal; within and between

specified jurisdictions. Analysis of these

data contribute to planning and zoning

decisions, including promotion of

commercial or residential development.

Censuses

The economic censuses are carried out

every 5 years for years ending in "2" and

"7," covers business establishments in

the United States and the Outlying Areas

(Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands of

the United States, and the

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana

Islands). Data collected in the 1997

2 CFF-13 U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Census Bureau CFF-13 3

proprietorships, partnerships, and

corporations). This series of seven

reports includes— 

• Company Summary. 

• Women.

• Black.

• Hispanic.

• Asian and Pacific Islander.

• American Indian and Alaska Native.

• Summary. 

An eighth report, Business Expenses,

shows operating expenses data at the

national level for SIC-based service

industries and travel industries.

Final census data appear in the following

series for the transportation and

warehousing, and the utilities sectors:

• Geographic Area Report. This series

presents general statistics by kind of

business on the number of

establishments, revenue, payroll, and

employment for the U.S., states, the

District of Columbia, and for

metropolitan areas (MAs), for each

sector. 

• Subject Series.

• Sources of Revenue. This report

presents sources of revenue data

for establishments by kind of

business. Data are presented for

the United States.

• Establishment and Firm Size

(including legal form of

organization). This report presents

revenue, payroll, and employment

data for the United States by

revenue size, by employment size,

and by legal form of organization

for establishments; and by revenue

size (including concentration by

largest firms), by employment size,

and by number of establishments

operated (single- and

multiestablishment) for firms.

• Miscellaneous Subjects Report.

This report presents data for

establishments for a variety of

industry-specific questions.

Presentation of data varies by kind

of business.

• Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey,

series EC97TV-(area). This series

consists of online reports for the

United States, each state, and the

District of Columbia, with data on the

number of vehicles by selected

characteristics and use. Statistics

include number of vehicles by major

use, body and cab type, vehicle size,

annual miles driven, model year, how

vehicles were acquired, range of

operation, average weight, total

length, lease characteristics, primary

operator classification, primary

products carried, whether hazardous

materials were carried, total size of

vehicle fleet, equipment type (e.g.,

braking system, power steering,

vehicle-control aids for handicapped

drivers, air-conditioning, navigational

aids, etc.), fuel conservation

equipment, maintenance (who

performed general maintenance

and/or major overhauls), and engine

type and size. In addition, a

microdata CD-ROM was released

containing all individual records

modified to avoid identifying a

specific vehicle or owner, tabulation

software, all previously released

tables, new tables not previously

released, and documentation.

• Commodity Flow Survey, series

EC97TCF-(area). This series consists

of a summary report for the United

States, a report for each state,

selected metropolitan areas, and a

separate report for the United States

on the transportation of hazardous

materials (EC97TCF-US(HM)). The

summary United States report shows

basic data on characteristics of

Economic Census are published in the

following economy-wide reports

between 1999 and 2001:

• Core Business Statistics

• Advance Report. This report

contains the first data ever

published on a NAICS basis and

contains national data at the sector

and subsector levels. The NAICS

table was limited to 1997 data, but

a separate, Standard Industrial

Classification (SIC) code-based table

shows 1992 and 1997 figures at

the two-digit SIC level, which

permits calculation of percentage

change in sales or employment

over the 5-year period.

• Comparative Statistics. This report

supercedes the Advance Report. It

presents two-, three-, and four-digit

SIC summary data at the U.S. level

and two-digit SIC data at the state

level.

• Bridge Between NAICS and SIC.

The Bridge Between NAICS and SIC

presents 1997 data cross-tabulated

by the old and new classification

systems identifying the lowest

common denominator between the

two systems.

• Nonemployer Statistics. This report

summarizes the number of

establishments and sales and

receipts of companies with no paid

employees.

• Company Statistics. Data compiled

from the 1997 economy-wide

programs, including the Surveys of

Minority- and Women-Owned Business

Enterprises, are released as part of the

Company Statistics Series. Each of

these reports includes data by

industrial classification and/or

geographic areas (states, metropolitan

areas, counties, and places), size of

firm (employment and receipts), and

legal form of organization (individual
shipments for the United States by

mode of transportation, shipment

size, two-digit commodity

classification, and distance shipped,

with some comparable data for 1997

and 1993. The state reports include

the same kind of information for

"state of origin" and "state of

destination" of shipments. The

hazardous materials report includes

tables on hazardous materials

shipments by mode of transportation,

hazard class, selected states of origin

and destination, shipment

characteristics by mode of

transportation and selected UN/NA

numbers, and shipment

characteristics for export by country

of destination. The 1997 CFS also

includes a separate report presenting

major shipment characteristics of

exports (series EC97TCF-US(EXP)).

Summary. After the publication of all

area and subject reports, a single

volume was published summarizing

the most widely used statistics from

all of the previously issued

Transportation and Warehousing, and

Utilities Industries reports.

The Census of Population 

and Housing 

A census of population and housing is

carried out every 10 years in and for

years ending in "0," and collects (on a

sample basis) some data on

transportation (e.g., mode of

transportation to work, carpooling,

commuting time, time of departure for

work, vehicles available to the

household) and utilities (in the home;

e.g., cost of utilities and fuels, type of

home heating fuel, and presence of

telephone service). These data appear

in the following Census 2000 products

(titles are as of this writing) available

online and on CD-ROM: 

• Demographic Profiles (data for the

United States and states)

• Congressional District Demographic

Profiles (107th Congress—a Summary

File for Congressional Districts for the

108th Congress also will be

produced)

• Summary Files 3 (detailed population

and housing characteristics down to

the census tract/block numbering

group level) and 4 (population and

housing characteristics iterated by

many race and ethnic groups, down

to the census tract level). 

The following products will be

available online only: 

• Quick Tables (tables equivalent to a

printed report, but the user may

select from specified geographic

levels and race/ethnic groups,

available down to the tract level).

• Geographic Comparison Tables

(summary data down to places of

1,000 or more inhabitants). 

The principal printed report for the

census will be the Summary Social,

Economic, and Housing Characteristics

(also available online, with social,

economic, and housing data down to

the place level).

Current Surveys

• Annual Survey of Communications

Services, series (BC/year). This

annual report series provided data for

firms that were primarily engaged in

providing point-to-point

communications services, whether by

wire or radio transmission, including

telephone, telegraph, or other

message communications, such as

electronic mail services or facsimile

transmission services. Statistics on

operating revenue and expenses were

summarized by kind-of-business and

by tax status (i.e., tax exempt or

taxable) and were published for the

United States. This survey was

incorporated into the Service Annual

Survey beginning with reference year

1999.

• Transportation Annual Survey, series

BT/(year). An annual report covered

firms primarily engaged in

commercial motor freight transport or

public warehousing services. The

reports show data on total operating

revenue, expenses, and inventories of

revenue generating equipment (e.g.

trucks, truck tractors, trailers) for the

United States. Comparative data were

shown for the previous 4 years,

together with year-to-year percentage

changes. This survey was

incorporated into the Service Annual

Survey, beginning with reference year

1999.

• Service Annual Survey (SAS) provides

estimates for the United States of

receipts for companies providing

services to individuals, businesses,

and governments. Estimates of

current- and previous-year receipts,

year-to-year percentage changes, and

the corresponding estimated

coefficient of variations are shown.

The report also presents data for

selected kinds of business by Federal

income-tax status (taxable and taxexempt). The SAS reports are issued

12 months after the end of the survey

year. 

The scope of the SAS was expanded,

beginning with reference year 1999, to

encompass both the Annual Survey of

Communications and the Transportation

Annual Survey. The annual report

issued included statistics on tax and

4 CFF-13 U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Census Bureau CFF-13 5

• Geographic Reference Manual, series

EC92-R-1. This manual is a set of

geographic codes to which data were

tabulated in the 1992 Economic

Census. This report contains such

areas as state, MAs, counties,

incorporated places of 2,500 or more

inhabitants, and, in eight

Northeastern States, selected towns,

and townships with populations of

10,000 or more. As of this writing,

the 1992 version is the latest

complete Geographic Reference

Manual in print. The online version

includes some updated material at the

Census Bureau's Web site at

www.census.gov.

Other Aids and Sources of Data 

• County Business Patterns. This is an

annual series that covers most of the

Nation's economic activity. Data are

provided in the following NAICS

economic sectors: forestry, fishing,

hunting, and agriculture support;

mining; utilities; construction;

manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail

trade; transportation and

warehousing; information; finance

and insurance; real estate and rental

and leasing professional, scientific,

and technical services; management

of companies and enterprises;

administrative and support and waste

management and remediation

services; education services; health

care and social assistance; arts,

entertainment, and recreation;

accommodation and food services;

and other services (except public

administration). The series is useful

for studying the economic activity of

small areas; analyzing economic

changes over time; and as a

benchmark for statistical series,

surveys, and databases between

economic censuses. The series serves

various business uses such as

analyzing market potential,

measuring the effectiveness of sales

and advertising programs, setting

sales quotas, and developing

budgets. The data are also used by

government agencies for

administration and planning.

• More information about the scope,

coverage, classification system, data

items, and publications for each of

the economic censuses and related

surveys are published in the Guide to

the 1997 Economic Census and

Related Statistics (available at

http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/g

uide.html); The Statistical Abstract of

the United States; the periodic County

and City Data Book (latest, 1994),

State and Metropolitan Area Data

Book (latest, 1998), Historical

Statistics of the United States from

Colonial Times to 1970 (available

from the Government Printing Office,

out-of-print commercially), and

County and State Profiles (latest,

1997). Census and survey data also

appear in trade journals, textbooks,

and other secondary sources.

Additional information on the

methodology, procedures, and history

of the economic censuses will be

available in the History of the 1997 

Economic Census (http:/www.census.

gov/econ/www/history.html).

• U.S. trade with Puerto Rico and U.S.

Possessions, series FT895/(year). This

annual report includes statistics on

method of transportation of

merchandise shipments; (1) between

the United States and Puerto Rico, (2)

between the United States (including

Puerto Rico) and the Virgin Islands of

the United States, and (3) from other

U.S. possessions to the United States.

• Information on the Transportation and

Warehousing, and Utilities sectors

organizational status, operating revenue

for both taxable and tax-exempt firms

and organizations, sources of revenue

and expenses by type for selected

industries, operating expenses for taxexempt firms, and selected industryspecific items. The implementation of

the NAICS led the Census Bureau to

further expand the coverage of the SAS

to include approximately 150 new

services industries.

• American Housing Survey. This

biennial survey includes questions on

means of transportation to work,

number of people in carpools, travel

time, distance to work, departure

time and telecommuting for owners

or renters of housing units. The

number of cars and of trucks

available to household use is also

collected. Utility and fuel costs are

tallied along with details on how the

fuels are used—home heating,

cooking, water heating, cooling or

clothes drying.

Reference Files for Computer

and Other Applications

• TIGER/Line® files. These are extracts,

by county, of selected information

from the U.S., Census Bureau's

computerized mapping system called

TIGER (topologically integrated

geographic encoding and referencing)

prepared originally for the 1990

Census of Population and Housing

and updated for the 2000

enumeration. TIGER files contain

digitized data for all census map

features (e.g., roads, railroads, and

rivers) and their associated political

and statistical geography down to the

level of blocks, for the entire country,

plus address ranges and ZIP Codes for

streets within metropolitan areas.

Software for TIGER applications is

available commercially.
appear in digest form in reports from

the economic census and surveys and

are available from more than 1,400

Government and Census depository

libraries across the country. These

depositories consist primarily of

college and university libraries. Many

smaller libraries also maintain

collections of census publications.

• Business and Industry Data Centers

(BIDCs) are the result of a U.S. Census

Bureau pilot project launched in 1988.

The U.S. Census Bureau and other

Federal agencies furnish economic

data and related assistance and

training to aid a number of BIDCs in

furthering economic development in

their respective states. As of this

writing, 23 states, Puerto Rico, and

American Samoa have established

BIDCs.

• All of the states, plus the District of

Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the

Virgin Islands of the United States

have Census State Data Centers that

assist the public with printed and

electronic census data.

How the Data Are Published

Most of the transportation and

warehousing, and utilities industries data

are issued on CD-ROM, and online

through the U.S. Census Bureau's

American FactFinder, and in PDF format

at http://www.census.gov. Only

selected highlights are published in

printed reports. Printed products may

be ordered by mail, telephone, and the

Internet from—

Superintendent of Documents

U.S. Government Printing Office

P.O. Box 371954

Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 

Telephone: 202-512-1800

Fax: 202-512-2250

http://www.gpo.gov

Electronic products may be purchased by

mail from—

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Census Bureau (MS1921)

P.O. Box 277943

Atlanta, GA 30384-7943

Electronic products may be ordered by

telephone or fax from—

Administrative and Customer

Services Division

Customer Services Branch

U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, DC 20233

Telephone: 301-457-4100

Fax: 888-249-7295 or 301-457-3842

The U.S. Census Bureau's Customer

Services Branch can print and bind any

PDF report on demand, priced at $25 or

more per report, depending upon the

number of pages. (A list of reports, with

page counts, is available via the U.S.

Census Bureau's Internet site

(http://www.census.gov), in the

economic census section of the Catalog:

Publications.)

Factfinder for the Nation

General information about the U.S.

Census Bureau's various statistical

programs are contained in the

publications of the Factfinder for the

Nation. Inquiries and suggestions about

the services statistics program and other

U.S. Census Bureau activities are invited.

Write to— 

U.S. Census Bureau

Office of the Director

Washington, DC 20233

6 CFF-13 U.S. Census Bureau