Pocket 

Guide to

Transportation

2010

RITA Bureau of Transportation Statistics
For additional copies of this guide or information 

about the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and 

its products and services, contact:

Product Orders

Internet: www.bts.gov

Mail: Product Orders

Research and Innovative

 Technology Administration

Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

ATTN: Product Orders

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E36-109

Washington, DC 20590

orders@bts.gov

Information Service

Phone: 800-853-1351

Email: answers@bts.gov

January 2010
Pocket 

Guide to

Transportation

2010

RITA Bureau of Transportation Statistics
U.S. Department of

Transportation

Ray LaHood

Secretary

John D. Porcari

Deputy Secretary

Research and

Innovative

Technology

Administration

Peter H. Appel

Administrator

Robert L. Bertini, Ph.D.

Deputy Administrator

Bureau of

Transportation

Statistics

Steven D. Dillingham, Ph.D.

Director

Steven K. Smith, Ph.D.

Deputy Director

Acknowledgments

Produced under the

direction of:

Deborah Johnson

Assistant Director for 

Transportation Analysis

Project Manager

Sean Jahanmir

Contributors

David Chesser, Ph.D. 

Vincent Fang, Ph.D. 

Chester Ford

Xiaoli Han, Ph.D.

Getachew Mekonnen

Adam Mengesha

William Moore

Long Nguyen

Hilary Ross

Alpha Glass Wingfield

Jie Zhang
1

Resident population (thousands) 248,791 304,060

Total area (thousand sq. mi.) 3,718 3,794 (2000)a

Total civilian labor force (thousands) 125,840 154,287

Real gross domestic productb

 (trillions) $8.0 $13.3 

Median household incomeb,c $41,465 $46,370 

Average household incomeb,c $44,160 $58,594 

Average household expendituresb,c $39,338 $46,304 

Number of households (thousands) 93,347 117,181

Life expectancy at birth (years)d 75.4 77.7 (2006)

a

 Data for 2000 include inland water, coastal water, Great Lakes, and 

territorial water. The Census Bureau tabulates area data for the decennial 

census years only. b Data in 2005 chained dollars (see Glossary for 

definition). c

 BTS computations, November 2009. d Life expectancy for 

2000–2006 was calculated using a revised methodology and may differ 

from previously published data.

Sources: Area—U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC), U.S. 

Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2002 and 

2009, available at www.census.gov as of November 2009. GDP—

USDOC, Bureau of Economic Analysis, available at www.bea.gov 

as of November 2009. Population, number of households, and 

median household income—USDOC, Census Bureau, available at 

www.census.gov as of November 2009. Average household income 

and expenditures, and labor force—U.S. Department of Labor, 

Bureau of Labor Statistics, available at www.bls.gov as of October 

2009. Life expectancy—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, available at www.cdc.gov as of September 2009.

America’s transportation system continues to change 

along with the population, work force, and economy. 

The following table puts those changes in perspective: 

Context 1990 2008

Glossary 48

Environmental Sustainability 44

Economy 32

Mobility and Livability 17

Security 11

Safety 5

Transportation Infrastructure and Use 2

Contents
2 Pocket Guide to Transportation

The U.S. transportation system is an extensive, interrelated public and private network of roads, airports, 

railroads, transit routes, waterways, terminals, ports, and 

pipelines. Millions of people and businesses rely on this 

expanding system to get to work, travel on vacations, 

conduct business, and ship goods within the United States 

and abroad. The transportation system links regions and connects small and large cities and urban and rural areas.

1 Transportation Infrastructure and Use

Mode Components

Highway Public roads

(2007) 46,934 miles of Interstate highway

116,813 miles of other National Highway System 

roads

3,884,777 miles of other roads

Air Public-use airports

5,202 airports

Airports serving large certificated carriers 

(enplaned passengers)

25 large hub areasa (71 airports), 479 million 

passengers

38 medium hub areas (65 airports), 142 million 

passengers

70 small hub areas (87 airports), 54 million 

passengers

893 nonhub areas (927 airports), 22 million 

passengers

Rail Miles of railroad operated

(2007)

94,313 miles by Class I freight railroads in the 

United Statesb

16,930 miles by regional freight railroads

28,891 miles by local freight railroads

21,708 miles by Amtrak (passenger)c

1-1

The Transportation Network: 2008
Transportation Infrastructure and Use 3

Mode Mode Components Components

1-1—continued

Urban transit Directional route-milesd

Bus: 150,899e

Trolley bus: 456e

Commuter rail: 3,876

Heavy rail: 1,603

Light rail: 1,252

Stations

Commuter rail: 1,189

Heavy rail: 1,041

Light rail: 787

Water Navigable channels: 25,320 miles (2007)

Ferry routes: 682 directional route-miles

Commercial waterway facilitiesa

Great Lakes: 600 deep-draft, 154 shallow-draft

Inland: 2,321 shallow-draft

Ocean: 4,466 deep-draft, 2,043 shallow-draft

Lock chambers: 257

Pipeline Miles of oil pipe

Total oil: 169,322

Miles of gas pipe

Transmission: 298,993

Distribution: 1,205,991

a

 See Glossary for definitions. b There are also 561 miles of railroad operated 

within the U.S. Class I freight railroad system that are owned by Cana- dian railroads. c

 Approximately 97% of the trackage on which Amtrak 

operates is owned by freight railroads. d Directional route-miles includes 

only directly operated service. Does not include contracted service. 

e

 Includes directional route-miles on exclusive right-of-way, controlled 

right-of-way, and mixed traffic.

Sources: Highway—USDOT, FHWA, Highway Statistics 2007 (Washington, DC: 2009), table HM-18. Air—Public-use airports—FAA as cited in 

USDOT, RITA, BTS, National Transportation Statistics, tables 1-03, available 

at http://www.bts.gov as of December 2009. Airports serving large certificated carriers—USDOT, RITA, BTS, Airport Activity Statistics of Certificated Air Carriers, Summary Tables, October 2009. Rail—Association 

of American Railroads, Railroad Facts 2008. Transit—USDOT, Federal 

Transit Administration, National Transit Database 2008, tables 21, 23, and 

24. Water: Commercial waterway facilities—U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water Resources, Navigation Data Center, The U.S. 

Waterway System Facts, December 2007 (Alexandria, VA: 2008). Navigable 

channels—U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as cited in USDOT, RITA, BTS, 

National Transportation Statistics, tables 1-1, available at http://www.bts.

gov as of October 2009. Pipeline—PHMSA as cited in USDOT, RITA, BTS, 

National Transportation Statistics, table 1-10, available at http://www.bts.gov 

as of January 2010.
Total all bridges 572,205 589,674 599,766 601,396

Urban 108,770 133,384 151,171 153,407

Rural 463,435 456,290 448,595 447,989

Structurally deficient 

bridges, total 137,865 86,678 72,520 71,461

Urban 16,847 13,079 12,951 12,896

Rural 121,018 73,599 59,569 58,565

Functionally obsolete

bridges, total 100,355 81,510 79,804 79,933

Urban 30,266 29,398 33,139 33,691

Rural 70,089 52,112 46,665 46,242

Notes: Explanations for the terms Structurally Deficient and Functionally 

Obsolete can be found on pages 14 and 15 in chapter 3 of the Federal 

Highway Administration, 2006 Conditions and Performance Report, available 

at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/2006cpr/pdfs/chap3.pdf as of September 2009. U.S. totals include the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 

Puerto Rico. Data include: Rural–interstate, principal arterial, minor arterial, major collector, minor collector and local roads; Urban–interstate, 

other freeways or expressways, other principal arterial, minor arterial, 

collector, and local roads. Data for 1990, 2007, and 2008 are as of 

December of those years and for 2000 as of August of that year.

Sources: Federal Highway Administration, Office of Bridge Technology, 

National Bridge Inventory Database, Count, Area, Length of Bridges by Highway System, available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/britab.htm as of 

March 2009 as reported in U.S. Department of Transportation, Research 

and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 1-27, available at http://www.bts.

gov as of September 2009.

4 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Mode 1990 2000 2007 2008

1-2

Condition of U.S. Highway Bridges: 1990–2008
The safety of the traveling public is of major concern for 

the U.S. Department of Transportation. Although progress 

has been made in reducing fatalities, roughly 40 percent of 

U.S. deaths due to unintentional injury involve transportation. 

Roughly 95 percent of transportation fatalities arise from motor vehicle crashes.

Air

 Large U.S. air carriera 39 22 1 3

 Commuter air carriera 6 0 0 0

 On-demand air taxia 51 18 43 66

 General aviationa 770 563 496 495

Highwayb 44,599 43,510 41,259 37,261

Pipeline, gas, and 

 hazardous liquid 9 14 15 8

Railroadc 599 525 510 513

Transitd 339 236 288 U

Waterborne

 Vessel-related, 

 commercial ship 85 78 67 51

 Nonvessel-relatede

,

 commercial ship 101 60 59 67

 Recreational boating 865 697 685 709 a

 Includes people on planes and on the ground. b Includes motor vehicle 

occupants, nonoccupants, and fatalities at railroad crossings. c

 Includes 

fatalities from nontrain incidents as well as train incidents and accidents. 

Also includes train occupants and nonoccupants except motor vehicle 

occupants at grade crossings. d

 Fatalities resulting from all reportable 

incidents, not just accidents. Includes commuter rail, heavy rail, light rail, 

motorbus, demand response, van pool, and automated guideway. e

 Fatali- ties unrelated to vessel accidents, e.g., individual falling overboard and 

drowning.

Key: P = preliminary; R = revised; U = unavailable. 

Notes: Data for 2005 have been revised for pipeline, vessel-related, and nonvessel-related. Data for 2007 have been revised for general aviation, 

highway, transit, vessel-related, and nonvessel-related. The number of rail- road fatalities in 2008 is preliminary.

Sources: Air—National Transportation Safety Board, Highway—National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Pipeline—Office of Pipeline Safety, 

Rail—Federal Railroad Administration, Transit—Federal Transit Adminis- tration and personal communication, Water—U.S. Coast Guard as cited in 

U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation 

Statistics, table 2-1, available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_

transportation_statistics/ as of January 2010.

 Safety 2

Mode 1990 R2005 R2007 P2008

2-1

Transportation Fatalities by Mode: 1990–2008

Safety 5
6 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Passenger car occupants 14,587 37.16

Light-truck occupants 10,764 27.42

Motorcycle riders 5,290 13.48

Pedestrians struck by motor vehicles 4,378 11.15

Pedalcyclists struck by motor vehicles 716 1.82

Recreational boating 709 1.81

Large-truck occupants 677 1.72

Other and unknown motor vehicle occupants 594 1.51

General aviation 495 1.26

Railroad trespassers (excl. grade crossings)a 457 1.16

Other nonoccupants struck by motor vehiclesb 188 0.48

Grade crossings, not involving motor vehiclesc 68 0.17

Waterborne transportation (nonvessel-related) 67 0.17

Bus occupants (school, intercity, transit) 67 0.17

Air taxi 66 0.17

Waterborne transportation (vessel-related) 51 0.13

Rail employees on duty and contractorsa 26 0.07

Passengers on railroad trains 24 0.06

Private grade crossings, with motor vehiclesa 21 0.05

Gas distribution pipelines 6 0.02

Air carriers 3 0.01

Hazardous liquid pipelines 2 0.01

Gas transmission pipelines 0 0.00

Commuter air 0 0.00

Total, all modesd 39,256 100.00

Other counts, redundant with above

 Crashes involving large truckse U

 Public grade crossings, with motor vehiclesa 198

 Commuter rail U a

 Includes fatalities outside trains. b Includes all nonoccupant fatalities in 

motor vehicle crashes, except pedalcyclists and pedestrians. c

 Public 

grade crossing fatalities involving motor vehicles are included in motor 

vehicle counts. d

 Unless otherwise noted, includes fatalities outside 

vehicles e

 Includes large-truck occupants, other vehicle occupants, and 

nonoccupants.

Key: P = preliminary; U = unavailable.

Notes: Fatalities for general aviation, air carriers, air taxi, passengers on railroad trains, commuter air, grade crossing not involving motor vehicles, 

public grade crossing with motor vehicles and private grade crossings 

with motor vehicles are preliminary. Heavy-rail transit (e.g., rail subway) 

and Light-rail transit catagories are excluded due to lack of data.

Sources: Air—National Transportation Safety Board, Highway—National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Rail—Federal Railroad Administra- tion, Transit—Federal Transit Administration, Waterborne—U.S. Coast 

Guard, Recreational boating—U.S. Coast Guard, Office of Boating Safety, 

Pipeline—Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration as cited 

in U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation 

Statistics, table 2-4, available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_

transportation_statistics/ as of January 2010.

Category PNumber %

2-2

Distribution of Transportation Fatalities: 2008
Safety 7

Occupants 31,979 12,963 40.5

Single-vehicle crashes 17,058 8,591 50.4

Two-vehicle crashes 12,594 3,656 29.0

More than two-vehicle 

 crashes

2,327 716 30.8

Pedestrians 4,378 2,150 49.1

Single-vehicle crashes 3,965 1,906 48.1

Multiple-vehicle crashes 413 245 59.3

Pedalcyclists 716 268 37.4

Single-vehicle crashes 688 252 36.6

Multiple-vehicle crashes 28 16 57.1

Others/unknown 188 58 30.9

Total 37,261 15,438 41.4

a

 Fatalities in all crashes whether or not alcohol was involved. b Fatalities 

in crashes that involve alcohol. c

 Percentage of all crash fatalities in 

category that involve alcohol.

Notes: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. A motor vehicle 

crash is considered to be alcohol-related if at least one driver or nonoccupant (e.g., a pedestrian or pedalcyclist) involved in the crash is 

determined to have had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.01 grams 

per deciliter or greater. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates alcohol involvement when test results are unknown

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Database, 

personal communication, October 2009 as cited in USDOT, RITA, BTS, 

National Transportation Statistics, table 2-20, available at http://www.

bts.gov as of January 2010.

2-3

Fatalities in Motor Vehicle Crashes by Person Type, 

Crash Type, and Alcohol Involvement: 2008

 % Alcohol

 Fatalities Alcohol involveCrash category in category a involvementb mentc
8 Pocket Guide to Transportation

2-4

Fatality Rates for Selected Modes: 1985–2007

Notes: Air carrier data were smoothed using an exponential smoothing model, with 

a weight of 0.945 to reduce the year-to-year fluctuations. Air carrier fatalities result- ing from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks include only those persons onboard 

aircraft. All 2006 data are revised. 1999 and 2003 data for general aviation fatalities 

and rates, 1997 data for passenger car occupants fatalities, and 1985 data for VMT 

are revised. 

Sources: Passenger car occupants, Light-truck occupants, Large-truck occupants, 

and Motorcycle riders—U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, Traffic Safety Facts 

2007, table 7 to 10, available at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov as of October 2009. Air 

carriers and General aviation—National Transportation Safety Board, Annual Review 

of Aircraft Accident Data— U.S. Air Carrier Operations and U.S. General Aviation, available 

at http://www.ntsb.gov/ as of April 2008 and September 2009 as reported in U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, tables 2-9 and 

2-14, available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ 

as of October 2009.

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

Passenger car occupants

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0 Per 100 million vehicle-miles

Large-truck occupants

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

0

10

20

30

40

50

60 Per 100 million vehicle-miles

Motorcycle riders

Actual

Smoothed

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Per 100,000 aircraft departures

0

3

6

9

Air carriers (actual and

smoothed fatality rates)

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Per 100,000 aircraft-hours flown

0

1

2

3

4

5

General aviation

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0 Per 100 million vehicle-miles Per 100 million vehicle-miles

Light-truck occupants

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Safety 9

Air

Large U.S. air carrier 29 29 16 16

Commuter air carrier 11 7 0 2

On-demand air taxi 36 12 20 13

General aviation 409 309 255 258

Highwaya 3,230,666 3,188,750 2,491,000 2,346,000

Pipeline, gas, and 

hazardous liquid 76 81 50 63

Railroadb 22,736 10,424 8,501 7,765

Transitc 54,556 56,697 20,625 U

Waterborne

Vessel-related, 

 commercial ship 175 150 190 152

Nonvessel-relatedd, commercial ship U 607 559 464

Recreational boating 3,822 4,355 3,673 3,331

a

 Includes passenger car occupants, motorcyclists, light-duty and large-truck 

occupants, bus occupants, occupants of unknown vehicle types, and 

pedestrians, pedalcyclists, and other nonmotorists. b Injuries resulting 

from train accidents, train and nontrain incidents, and occupational illness. Includes Amtrak. Also includes train occupants and nonoccupants 

except motor vehicle occupants at grade crossings. 

c

 Injuries resulting from all reportable incidents, not just from accidents. 

Includes commuter rail, heavy rail, light rail, motorbus, demand response, 

van pool, and automated guideway. The drop in the number of injuries 

in 2007 is due largely to a change in definitions by the Federal Transit 

Administration. Only injuries requiring immediate medical treatment 

away from the scene now qualify as reportable. Previously, any injury 

was reportable. d Injuries unrelated to vessel accidents, e.g., an individual 

getting a cut while onboard a vessel.

Key: R = revised; U = unavailable.

Notes: Modes may use different reporting criteria and/or estimation methods for injuries. All 2007 data have been revised with the exception of 

highway, commuter air carrier and on-demand air taxi.

Sources: Air—National Transportation Safety Board, Highway—National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Pipeline—Pipeline and Hazardous 

Materials Safety Administration, Railroad—Federal Railroad Administration, Transit—Federal Transit Administration, Waterborne—U.S. Coast 

Guard as cited in U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and 

Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

National Transportation Statistics, table 2-2, available at http://www.bts.gov/

publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of January 2010. 

2-5

Injured Persons by Transportation Mode: 1990–2008

Mode 1990 2000 R2007 2008
Highway 7,297 15,063 17,157 16,904 14,781 

 Accident related 249 329 306 306 283 

 Injuries 311 164 192 161 149 

 Fatalities 8 16 6 10 8 

Air 297 1,419 2,411 1,555 1,277 

 Accident related 0 3 7 7 8 

 Injuries 39 5 2 8 7 

 Fatalities 0 0 0 0 0 

Rail 1,279 1,058 704 750 750 

 Accident related 48 62 44 52 26 

 Injuries 73 82 24 56 63 

 Fatalities 0 0 0 0 1 

Water 7 17 68 61 98 

 Accident related 0 0 0 0 0 

 Injuries 0 0 15 3 0 

 Fatalities 0 0 0 0 0 

Natural gas 

 distribution

110 154 142 153 151 

 Injuries 52 59 30 36 58 

 Fatalities 6 22 18 9 6 

Natural gas 

 transmission

89 80 146 132 140 

 Injuries 17 18 5 7 5 

 Fatalities 0 15 3 2 0 

Liquid 180 146 120 119 139

 Injuries 7 4 2 10 2 

 Fatalities 3 1 0 4 2 

Key: R = revised.

Notes: Accident related excludes human errors, package failures, and unre- ported cases. Water data are for incidents involving packaged materials 

only and do not include incidents where the vessel is the container (e.g., 

a barge or oil tanker). Nonpipeline reporting requirements changed in 

2002. Natural gas transmission includes gathering systems. Natural gas 

transmission fatalities for 2000 is revised. Highway incidents and accident 

related; natural gas distribution incidents, injuries and fatalities; and liquid 

pipline incidents for 2006 are revised. 2007 incidents for highway, rail, air 

and natural gas transmission are revised. Moreover, 2007 accident related 

incidents and injuries for highway, and rail injuries are revised. 

Sources: Highway, Rail, Air, and Water—USDOT, Pipeline and Hazardous 

Materials Safety Administration, Hazardous Materials Information System 

Database, available at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/library/data-stats 

as of November 2009 as reported in USDOT, RITA, BTS, National Transportation Statistics, table 2-6, available at http://www.bts.gov as of January 2010. 

Pipeline—USDOT, PHMSA, Office of Pipeline Safety, Pipeline Statistics, available at http://ops.dot.gov/stats/stats.htm as of November 2009.

10 Pocket Guide to Transportation

2-6

Hazardous Materials Transportation Incidents, 

Injuries, and Fatalities: 1990–2008

 1990 R2000 R2006 R2007 2008

Pipeline 1990 2000 2006 2007 2008
Ensuring the security of all transportation systems and the 

people who use them is a national priority. While much 

of the initial national focus after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was on aircraft and airports, today attention is 

also directed at other modes, including rail, water, highways, 

and pipelines. Another national security issue is U.S. dependency on foreign sources of oil. The U.S. transportation 

sector remains almost entirely dependent on petroleum as 

an energy source, and nearly two-thirds of the petroleum 

used in the United States is imported. 

 Security 3

3-1

International Piracy and 

Armed Robbery at Sea: 1997–2008

1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007

Number of incidents

0

100

200

300

400

500

Note: Incidents include attempts and threatening actions. 2006 data 

are revised.

Source: International Maritime Organization, Reports on Acts of Piracy 

and Armed Robbery Against Ships: Annual Report, available at http://

www.imo.org/home.asp as of September 2009.

Security 11
12 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Knivesa 1,822,752 1,607,125 1,056,687 626,182

Incendiaries and 

explosive/

flammable materials 398,830 113,700 89,623 116,200

Other cutting 

instrumentsa 3,276,691 163,419 101,387 59,459

Clubsa 20,531 12,296 9,443 6,447

Box cuttersa 21,315 15,999 11,908 6,284

Firearms 2,217 2,075 1,416 902

Othera 10,345,260 11,797,145 5,245,558 157,336

Total 

prohibited items 15,887,596 13,711,759 6,516,022 972,810

a

 2008 consists of data up to Aug. 8, 2008 with the exception of firearms and 

incendiaries. TSA has stopped the collection of data on all prohibited items 

except for Firearms and Incendiaries as of Aug. 8, 2008.

Notes: Other cutting instruments include scissors, hatchets, swords, sabers, 

meat cleavers, ice axes, and picks. Effective Dec. 22, 2005, scissors less than 4 

inches and tools less than 7 inches were no longer prohibited. Knives include 

any length and type except round-bladed, butter, and plastic cutlery. Clubs 

includes martial arts items, baseball bats, night sticks, hammers, pool cues, 

and billy clubs. Firearms includes any weapon (including a starter gun) that is 

designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of 

an explosive, as well as spear guns, BB guns, flare pistols, compressed air guns, 

and stunning devices. Other refers to tools, self-defense items, compressed 

gas cylinders, bleach, lighters, and certain sporting goods. Lighters (except for 

torch lighters and micro torches) were removed from the prohibited items 

list effective Aug. 4, 2007.

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security 

Administration, personal communication, October 2009 as reported in USDOT, 

RITA, BTS, National Transportation Statistics, table 2-16b, available at http://www.

bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of January 2010.

3-2

Prohibited Items Intercepted at U.S. Airport 

Screening Checkpoints: 2005–2008

Items 2005 2006 2007 2008
Security 13

3-3

U.S. Petroleum Production and 

Consumption: 1975–2008

0

5

10

15

20

25

Million barrels per day

Total consumption

Transportation consumption

Total production

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Notes: 2008 data are preliminary. All 2007 data are revised. Transportation 

consumption data for 2006 are revised.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, 

Annual Energy Review 2008 (Washington, DC: June 2009), tables 5.1 and 

5.13a-d, available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/aer/petro.html as of September 2009 as reported in USDOT, RITA, BTS, National Transportaiton Statistics, Table 4-1, available at http://www.bts.gov/ as of January 2010.
14 Pocket Guide to Transportation

3-4

Transportation’s Share of 

U.S. Petroleum Use: 1975–2008

0

3

6

9

12

15

Million barrels per day

Transportation

Industry

Buildings

Utilities

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Notes: 2008 data are preliminary. 1984 data for Industry and Buildings; 2006 

data for Transportation, Industry, and Buildings; and 2007 data for Transportation and Buildings are revised.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, 

Annual Energy Review 2008 (Washington, DC: June 2009), tables 5.13a–d, 

available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/aer/petro.html as of September 2009.
Security 15

3-5

U.S. Oil Imports: 1980–2008

Notes: OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) members 

are Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, 

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Angola joined 

OPEC in January 2007. Ecuador was a member of OPEC from 1973-

1992, and rejoined OPEC in November 2007. Gabon was a member 

from 1975-1994. Indonesia withdrew from OPEC in May 2008.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, 

Monthly Energy Review, September 2009, tables 3.3c and 3.3d, available 

at http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/petro.html as of September 2009.

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

Total OPEC Total Non-OPEC

Thousand barrels per day, average

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008
Canada 934 1,869 2,455 2,493 

Saudi Arabia 1,339 1,543 1,485 1,529 

Mexico 755 1,340 1,532 1,302 

Venezuela 1,025 1,360 1,361 1,189 

Nigeria 800 490 1,134 988 

Iraq 518 254 484 627 

Algeria 280 240 670 548 

Angola 237 301 508 513 

Russia 45 29 414 465 

U.S. Virgin Islands 282 255 346 320 

Brazil 49 59 200 258 

United Kingdom 189 273 277 236 

Ecuador 49 128 205 221 

Kuwait 86 239 181 210 

Total, major 

suppliers 6,588 8,381 11,252 10,899

Total, all 

U.S. imports 8,018 11,459 13,468 12,915

Key: R = revised.

Notes: The country of origin for petroleum products may not 

be the country of origin for the crude oil used to produce 

the products. For example, refined products imported from 

western European refineries may have been produced from 

Middle Eastern crude oil. 2007 Ecuador data represent 9 

month average.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, tables 3.1, 3.3c–d, available at 

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/petro.html as of September 

2009.

3-6

Major Suppliers of U.S. Imported Crude Oil

and Petroleum Products: 1990–2008

(Thousand barrels per day, average; rank in 2008)

1990 2000 R2007 2008

16 Pocket Guide to Transportation
 Mobility and Livability 17

Air

Air carrier 3,963 5,664 6,605 6,428

Highway

Passenger cars 1,408,266 1,600,287 1,690,534 1,670,994

Other 2-axle, 

 4-tire vehiclesa

574,571 923,059 1,082,490 1,111,277

Motorcycles 9,557 10,469 12,050 13,612

Busesb 5,726 7,590 6,783 6,976

Trucks

 Single-unit 51,901 70,500 80,344 81,954

 Combination 94,341 135,020 142,169 145,008

Total Highway 2,144,362 2,746,925 3,014,370 3,029,821

Railc

Transitd 561 648 726 741

Commuter 213 271 315 326

Intercity/Amtrake 301 368 264 267

Class I freight 26,159 34,590 38,955 38,186

Other transitf 324 833 1,136 1,657 a

 Includes vans, pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, and other 2-axle, 4-tire motor 

vehicles that are not passenger cars. b Includes municipally owned transit and 

commercial, federal, and school buses. c

 Car-miles. d Includes light and heavy 

rail only. e Fiscal year data. f Includes demand response, ferryboat, and other 

transit not specified. 

Key: R = revised; P = preliminary.

Notes: Air and highway data for 2006 are revised. Transit, commuter rail, and 

other transit data for 2007 are preliminary.

Sources: Air Carrier—Bureau of Transportation Statistics, General Aviation—

National Transportation Safety Board, Highway—Federal Highway Administration, Class I and Intercity Rail—Association of American Railroads, Transit and 

Commuter Rail—American Public Transportation Association as cited in U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administra- tion, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 

1-32, available at http://www.bts.gov as of October 2009.

The U.S. transportation network makes possible a high 

degree of personal mobility and an extensive amount of 

freight activity. The data in this section show growth in travel 

and freight shipments over time. Factors influencing this 

growth include, among others: vehicle availability, travel costs, 

population, congestion, the economy, and consumer income.

 Mobility and Livability 4

4-1

Vehicle-Miles: 1990–2007

(Millions)

Mode 1990 2000 R 2006 P2007
18 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Air

Air carrier 6,083 8,055 8,089 8,044

General aviation 198,000 217,533 221,943 231,607

Highway

Automobiles 133,700,496 133,621,420 135,399,945 135,932,930

Other 2-axle, 

 4-tire vehiclesa 48,274,555 79,084,979 99,124,775 101,469,615

Buses (municipally 

 owned transit and 

 commercial, federal, 

 and school buses) 626,987 746,125 821,959 834,436

Motorcycles 4,259,462 4,346,068 6,678,958 7,138,476

Trucks

 Single-unit 4,486,981 5,926,030 6,649,337 6,806,630

 Combination 1,708,895 2,096,619 2,169,670 2,220,995

Rail—Passenger

Amtrak–Cars 1,863 1,894 1,191 1,164

Amtrak–Locomotives 318 378 319 270

Commuter railcars

 and locomotives 4,982 5,498 6,403 6,391

Transitb 11,477 11,638 12,853 13,032

Rail—freight

Class I–Freight cars 658,902 560,154 475,415 460,172

Class I–Locomotives 18,835 20,028 23,732 24,143

Other freight carsc 553,359 820,642 871,092 925,537

Waterborne

Nonself-propelled 

 vessels (barges)d,e 31,209 33,152 32,211 31,654

Self-propelled vesselsd,e 8,236 8,202 8,898 9,041

Oceangoing shipse

 (1,000 gross tons 

 and over) 635 461 272 275

Recreational boats 

 (numbered boats) 10,996,253 12,782,143 12,746,126 12,875,568

a

 Includes vans, pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, and other 2-axle, 4-tire motor 

vehicles that are not passenger cars. b

 Includes light and heavy rail transit only. c

 Includes Non-class I and car companies’ and shippers’ freight cars only. d See 

Glossary for definitions. e

 U.S.-flag vessels. 1990 and 2000 data include private 

and government owned vessels of 1,000 gross tons and over. Beginning in 2006, 

data are for privately-owned vessels of 1,000 gross tons and over.

Key: R = revised.

Notes: Transit, commuter rail, oceangoing ships, and motorcycles data for 2006 are 

revised. Transit and oceangoing ships data for 1990 and 2000 are revised, as is 

commuter rail data for 1990. 

Sources: Air—Federal Aviation Administration, Highway—Federal Highway 

Administration, Rail—Amtrak and Association of American Railroads, Transit—

American Public Transportation Association, Waterborne—U.S. Army, Corps 

of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard as cited in U.S. Department of Transporta- tion, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 1-11, available at http://

www.bts.gov as of January 2010.

4-2

Number of Aircraft, Vehicles, 

Railcars, and Vessels: 1990–2007

Mode R1990 R2000 R2006 2007
 Mobility and Livability 19

Aira

Air carrier 345,873 516,129 588,455 607,546

General aviation 13,000 15,200 U U

Highway

Passenger cars 2,281,391 2,544,457 2,671,044 2,640,170

Other 2-axle, 

 4-tire vehiclesb 999,754 1,467,664 1,876,690 1,926,597

Busesc 121,398 160,919 143,816 147,906

Motorcycles 12,424 11,516 15,303 17,287

Rail

Transitd 12,046 15,200 16,587 18,070

Commuter 7,082 9,402 10,361 11,153

Intercity/Amtrake 6,057 5,498 5,410 5,784

Other transitf 841 1,631 2,221 2,998

a

 All domestic operations of U.S. carriers other than those operating under 

14 CFR 121 and 14 CFR 135. b

 Includes vans, pickup trucks, sport 

utility vehicles, and other 2-axle, 4-tire motor vehicles that are not 

passenger cars. c

 Includes municipally owned transit and commercial, 

federal, and school buses. d

 Includes light and heavy rail only. e Fiscal year data. Amtrak began operations in 1971. f

 Includes demand 

response, ferryboat, and other transit not specified. 

Key: R = revised, U = unavailable, P = preliminary.

Notes: Highway and air data are revised for 2006. Rail (except Intercity/

Amtrak) and other transit data are preliminary for 2007. 2007 data for 

buses and other are not comparable to earlier years due to a change 

in the method of data collection and estimation by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

Sources: Air Carrier—Bureau of Transportation Statistics, General 

Aviation—Eno Transportation Foundation, Highway—Federal Highway 

Administration, Class I and Intercity Rail—Association of American 

Railroads, Transit and Commuter Rail—American Public Transportation 

Association as cited in U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and 

Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 1-37, available at http://www.

bts.gov as of October 2009.

4-3

Passenger-Miles: 1990–2007

(Millions)

Mode 1990 2000 R2006 P2007
20 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Total 3,622 4,329 4,631 4,609 27.2

Air 10 16 15 15 45.3

Truck 849 1,193 1,291 1,317 55.2

Railroad 1,064 1,546 1,856 1,820 71.0

Water 834 646 562 553 -33.6

Pipeline 865 928 907 904 4.5

Key: R = revised.

Notes: Truck data are revised for 1990. Truck and Pipeline data are 

revised for 2000. All data except Domestic Water Transportation 

are revised for 2006. BTS is revising truck ton-mile estimates to 

include 2002 Commodity Flow Survey data.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National 

Transportation Statistics, table 1-46b, available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of December 2009.

4-4

U.S. Domestic Freight Ton-Miles 

by Mode: 1990–2007 (Billions)

 Percent change

Mode R1990 R2000 R2006 2007 1990–2007

4-5

Travel Between the United States 

and Foreign Countries: 2000, 2006, 2007

Overseas

overnighta

North 

American

overnight

North 

American 

same-day

Total

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Millions of visitors

2000 2006 2007 

a

 Overseas excludes Canada and Mexico.

Source: Overseas overnight and North American overnight—U.S. 

Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, Office of 

Travel and Tourism Industries, 2008 United States Resident Travel Abroad, available at http://tinet.ita.doc.gov as of October 2009. North American 

same-day, Canada and North American same-day, Mexico—North 

American Transportation Statistics Database, Tables 9-1b and 9-1c, avail- able at http://nats.sct.gob.mx as of October 2009.
 Mobility and Livability 21

4-6

Households by Number of Motor Vehicles: 2008

 1 vehicle

(33.4%)

 0 

vehicles

(8.8%)

 2 vehicles

(37.8%)

 3+ vehicles

(20.0%)

Note: Data cover the household population and exclude the population 

living in institutions, college dormitories, and other group quarters.

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, 2008 

American Community Survey, annual issues, available at http://www.census.gov/acs/www/index.html as of September 2009.
22 Pocket Guide to Transportation

1 Atlanta, GA (Hartsfield) 89,379 90,039 0.7

2 Chicago, IL (O’Hare) 76,178 69,354 -9.0

3 London, England 

(Heathrow)

68,068 67,056 -1.5

4 Tokyo, Japan (Narita) 66,823 66,755 -0.1

5 Paris, France 

(Charles de Gaulle)

59,922 60,875 1.6

6 Los Angeles, CA 

(Los Angeles)

61,896 59,498 -3.9

7 Dallas/Ft Worth, TX 

(Dallas/Ft. Worth)

59,786 57,093 -4.5

8 Beijing, China 

(Beijing Capital)

53,584 55,937 4.4

9 Frankfurt, Germany 

(Frankfurt)

54,162 53,467 -1.3

10 Denver, CO (Denver) 49,863 51,245 2.8

11 Madrid, Spain (Barajas) 52,123 50,824 -2.5

12 Hong Kong, China 

(Hong Kong)

47,042 47,858 1.7

13 New York, NY (JFK) 47,717 47,808 0.2

14 Amsterdam, Netherlands 

(Schiphol)

47,795 47,430 -0.8

15 Las Vegas, NV (McCarran) 46,961 43,209 -8.0

16 Houston, TX (G. Bush) 42,998 41,709 -3.0

17 Phoenix, AZ 

(Phoenix Sky Harbor)

42,185 39,891 -5.4

18 Bangkok, Thailand 

(Suvarnabhumi)

41,210 38,603 -6.3

19 Changi, Singapore (Changi) 36,702 37,695 2.7

20 Dubai, United Arab 

Emirates (Dubai)

34,348 37,441 9.0

a

 Passenger movements include enplanements and deplanements, with 

intransit passengers counted once. Both domestic and international 

passenger movements are included. General aviation passengers are 

excluded.

Notes: Airports include those participating in the ACI annual traffic statistics 

collection as of Aug. 26, 2009. Airports are ranked based on 2008 data.

Source: Airports Council International, Annual Traffic Data, available at 

http://www.airports.org/cda/aci_common/display/main/aci_content07_c.

jsp?zn=aci&cp=1-5-54-55_666_2__ as of Aug. 26, 2009.

4-7

Top 20 World Airports by Passenger Movementsa

: 

2007 and 2008 

(Thousands of passengers enplaned, deplaned, and in-transit at airport)

2008 City % change

rank airport 2007 2008 2007–2008
 Mobility and Livability 23

1 New York (JFK), NY 21,460 22,029 2.7

2 Los Angeles, CA 16,869 16,164 -4.2

3 Miami, FL 15,586 15,999 2.7

4 Chicago (O’Hare), IL 11,539 11,106 -3.7

5 Newark, NJ 10,568 10,934 3.5

6 Atlanta, GA 8,911 9,232 3.6

7 San Francisco, CA 8,601 8,331 -3.1

8 Houston (G. Bush), TX 7,476 7,673 2.6

9 Washington (Dulles), DC 5,822 6,011 3.2

10 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX 5,031 4,938 -1.9

11 Detroit, MI 3,830 3,800 -0.8

12 Philadelphia, PA 3,611 3,724 3.1

13 Boston, MA 3,808 3,523 -7.5

14 Honolulu, HI 3,858 3,414 -11.5

15 Fort Lauderdale, FL 2,883 3,073 6.6

16 Seattle-Tacoma, WA 2,547 2,787 9.4

17 Orlando, FL 2,214 2,575 16.3

18 Guam Island, GU 2,777 2,564 -7.7

19 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 2,515 2,560 1.8

20 Charlotte, NC 2,110 2,297 8.9

Total, top 20 U.S. 

international airports 142,134 142,733 0.4

Top 20, percentage of totalb 88.4 89.0 0.6

Total, all U.S. international 

airports 160,846 160,379 -0.3 a

 International passengers are residents of any country traveling nonstop 

to and from the United States on U.S. and foreign carriers. b

 The value in the last column is the difference in the percentage from 

2007 to 2008.

Key: R = revised.

Notes: Ranking is based on 2008 data. The 2007 total, top 20 U.S. international airports is not the total of this table because some of the 

airports in the 2007 top 20 are not in the 2008 top 20, and thus are 

not shown here. The data cover all passengers arriving and departing 

from U.S. airports on nonstop commercial international flights with 

60 seats or more.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of 

Airline Information, T-100 Segment Data, September 2009.

4-8

Top 20 U.S. Gateways for Nonstop International 

Air Travel: 2007 and 2008

(Thousands of international passengersa

)

2008 Gateway % change

rank airport R2007 2008 2007–2008 
24 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Total for all U.S.-Mexico crossings

Personal vehicles 78,857

Personal vehicle passengers 157,982

Buses 266 

Bus passengers 3,456

Train passengers and crew 22

Pedestrians 44,842

Personal vehicles—top 5 gateways

El Paso, TX 13,716

San Ysidro, CA 13,672

Hidalgo, TX 6,983

Brownsville, TX 6,567

Laredo, TX 6,105

Personal vehicle passengers—top 5 gateways

San Ysidro, CA 25,319

El Paso, TX 21,806

Laredo, TX 15,398

Hidalgo, TX 13,468

Brownsville, TX 13,275

Buses—top 5 gateways

San Ysidro, CA 88

Otay Mesa, CA 48

Laredo, TX 39

Hidalgo, TX 33

El Paso, TX 25

Bus passengers—top 5 gateways

Laredo, TX 929

El Paso, TX 748

San Ysidro, CA 701

Hidalgo, TX 334

Otay Mesa, CA 240

Train passengers and crew—top 5 gateways

El Paso, TX 9.7

Eagle Pass, TX 6.6

Nogales, AZ 2.6

Tecate, CA 2.2

Calexico East, CA 0.5

Pedestrians—top 5 gateways

El Paso, TX 8,029

San Ysidro, CA 7,290

Nogales, AZ 6,568

Calexico, CA 4,360

Laredo, TX 3,874

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Border 

Crossing/Entry Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/itt/ as of September 

2009 as reported in U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and 

Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statis- tics, National Transportation Statistics, table 1-45, available at http://www.

bts.gov as of January 2010.

4-9

U.S.-Mexican Border Land-Passenger Crossings: 2008

(Thousands)

 Entering the U.S.
 Mobility and Livability 25

Total for all U.S.-Canada crossings

Personal vehicles 28,678

Personal vehicle passengers 57,401

Buses 127

Bus passengers 3,404

Train passengers and crew 239

Pedestrians 500

Personal vehicles—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 5,716

Detroit, MI 4,744

Blaine, WA 2,749

Port Huron, MI 1,667

Massena, NY 1,003

Personal vehicle passengers—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 13,102

Detroit, MI 8,386

Blaine, WA 5,755

Port Huron, MI 3,500

Champlain-Rouses Point, NY 1,946

Buses—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 34

Detroit, MI 31

Blaine, WA 14

Skagway, AK 11

Champlain-Rouses Point, NY 8

Bus passengers—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 1,041

Detroit, MI 720

Blaine, WA 336

Champlain-Rouses Point, NY 306

Sault Ste. Marie, MI 208

Train passengers and crew—top 5 gateways

Skagway, AK 77

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 37

Blaine, WA 35

Champlain-Rouses Point, NY 32

Detroit, MI 9

Pedestrians—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 334

Sumas, WA 38

Calais, ME 27

Detroit, MI 16

International Falls, MN 15

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Border Crossing/

Entry Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/itt/ as of September 2009 as 

reported in U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National 

Transportation Statistics, table 1-44, available at http://www.bts.gov as of 

January 2010.

4-10

U.S.-Canadian Border Land-Passenger Crossings: 2008

(Thousands)

 Entering the U.S.
26 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Airport Rank

Total 

enplaned 

passengers Rank

Total 

enplaned 

passengers

% 

change 

1998-

2008

Atlanta, GA 1 34,951 1 43,251 23.7

Chicago (O’Hare), IL 2 33,002 2 31,358 -5.0

Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX 3 28,289 3 26,839 -5.1

Denver, CO 5 16,929 4 23,920 41.3

Los Angeles, CA 4 22,874 5 22,440 -1.9

Las Vegas, NV 11 14,033 6 19,887 41.7

Houston (G. Bush), TX 13 13,784 7 19,414 40.8

Phoenix, AZ 8 15,045 8 19,209 27.7

Charlotte, NC 20 10,242 9 17,193 67.9

New York (JFK), NY 21 10,076 10 16,964 68.4

Detroit, MI 7 15,113 11 16,752 10.8

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN 12 13,909 12 16,317 17.3

Orlando, FL 16 11,931 13 16,122 35.1

Newark, NJ 9 14,564 14 16,112 10.6

San Francisco, CA 6 16,684 15 15,728 -5.7

Philadelphia, PA 19 10,286 16 15,267 48.4

Seattle, WA 15 12,243 17 15,207 24.2

Miami, FL 14 13,265 18 13,578 2.4

Boston, MA 17 10,704 19 11,599 8.4

New York (La Guardia), 

NY 18 10,356 20 11,173 7.9

Top 20 airports 332,415 388,330 16.8

Top 20, percentage 

of totala 52.0 55.6 3.6

All airports 639,053 698,528 9.3

a

 The value in the last column is the difference in percentages from 1998 to 2008.

Notes: The 1998 top 20 airports total does not reflect the total of this table because some 

airports that appeared in the 1998 top 20 did not appear in the 2008 top 20. New York 

(JFK), NY, was not in the top 20 in 1998. St. Louis (STL), MO, was in the top 20 in 1998 

but not in 2008.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Admin- istration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Schedule T-3 Data, special tabulation, Sep- tember 2009 as reported in U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation 

Statistics, table 1-41, available at http://www.bts.gov as of January 2010.

4-11

Top 20 U.S. Passenger Airports: 1998 v. 2008 

Rankings

(Thousands of enplaned passengers on large certificated air carriers)

1998 2008
 Mobility and Livability 27

Airport

On-time 

rank %

On-time 

rank %

Salt Lake City, UT 1 80.0 1 83.5

Phoenix, AZ 6 77.9 2 80.9

Chicago (Midway), IL 4 78.4 3 80.7

Oakland, CA 2 79.7 4 80.3

Baltimore, MD 7 77.6 5 80.3

Detroit, MI 17 73.7 6 80.0

Cincinnati, OH 9 76.7 7 79.1

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN 19 72.6 8 78.9

Denver, CO 14 75.8 9 78.3

Houston (G. Bush), TX 3 78.7 10 78.3

Charlotte, NC 24 71.3 11 78.3

San Diego, CA 5 78.4 12 78.0

Tampa, FL 11 76.5 13 78.0

Washington 

(Reagan National), DC 22 71.7 14 77.9

Orlando, FL 10 76.5 15 77.8

Las Vegas, NV 8 76.8 16 77.8

Portland, OR (PDX) 13 76.2 17 77.7

St. Louis, MO (STL) 15 74.9 18 77.3

Los Angeles, CA 12 76.4 19 76.9

Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX 21 72.0 20 76.2

Seattle, WA 23 71.4 21 75.6

Atlanta, GA 16 74.4 22 75.5

Fort Lauderdale, FL 18 73.4 23 75.1

Washington (Dulles), DC 20 72.4 24 74.0

Boston, MA 27 69.7 25 73.4

Philadelphia, PA 28 66.5 26 73.0

Miami, FL 25 71.0 27 70.9

San Francisco, CA 26 69.8 28 69.1

New York (JFK), NY 30 62.8 29 68.6

Chicago (O’Hare), IL 29 65.9 30 67.7

New York (LaGuardia), NY 32 58.5 31 62.8

Newark, NJ 31 59.4 32 62.3

Key: R = revised.

Notes: On-time flights arrive within 15 minutes of scheduled arrival time. 

2007 Newark data have been revised.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline On-Time 

Performance Data (December issues), table 4, available at http://www.bts.

gov/programs/airline_information/airline_ontime_tables as of September 

2009.

4-12

Major U.S. Airports’ On-Time Arrival 

Performance: 2007 and 2008

(Percent on-time, rank in 2008)

 R2007 2008
28 Pocket Guide to Transportation

1997 

delay 

per peak 

traveler

2007 

delay 

per peak 

traveler

Percentage 

change 

1997-2007

Annual 

growth 

rate 

1997-2007

Very large areas 43 51 18.1 1.7

Large areas 31 35 12.3 1.2

Medium areas 20 23 15.2 1.4

Small areas 15 19 25.5 2.3

90-area average 36 41 15.8 1.5

1997 cost 

per peak 

traveler

2007 cost 

per peak 

traveler

Percentage 

change 

1997-2007

Annual 

growth 

rate 

1997-2007

Very large areas 666 1,084 62.8 5.0

Large areas 475 734 54.5 4.4

Medium areas 304 481 58.2 4.7

Small areas 224 384 71.4 5.5

90-area average 547 871 59.2 4.8

a

 A peak traveler is estimated to travel from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. 

to 7:00 p.m.

Key: 

Very large = over 3 million population (e.g., New York-Northern New Jersey). 

Large = 1 million–3 million population (e.g., San Diego). 

Medium = selected areas with 500,000–1 million population (e.g., Charlotte). 

Small = selected areas under 500,000 population (e.g., Colorado Springs).

Notes: See Glossary for definitions of delay and congestion cost. Methodology 

and data sources have been changed in 2009 and applied retroactively to 

past years, these figures are not comparable to those in past editions of 

Pocket Guide.

Source: Texas Transportation Institute, 2009 Urban Mobility Report, Tables 

by Population Groups, available at http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/congestion_

data/ as of August 2009 as reported in U.S. Department of Transportation, 

Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation 

Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, tables 1-63 and 1-66, available at 

http://www.bts.gov as of October 2009.

4-13

Roadway Delay and Congestion Cost per 

Peak Travelera

 in Urban Areas: 1997 and 2007

Annual Roadway Delay per Peak Traveler

(Hours per year)

Annual Roadway Congestion Cost per Peak Traveler

(Current dollars)
 Mobility and Livability 29

On-time performance

Total (weighted) 67.8% 68.6% 71.2% 80.4%

Short distance 

(<400 miles)a 72.8% 72.2% 73.6% 81.1%

Long distance 

(>400 miles) 29.9% 39.5% 52.0% 75.5%

Hours of delay 

by cause 

Amtrakb 23,968 22,902 23,223 21,813

Host railroadc 71,387 72,565 64,724 46,842

Otherd 6,166 6,187 6,618 10,648

Totale 101,522 101,655 94,566 79,304

a

 Includes all Amtrak Northeast Corridor and Empire Service (New York 

State) trains. b

 Includes all delays when operating on Amtrak-owned tracks 

and delays for equipment or engine failure, passenger handling, holding for 

connections, train servicing, and mail/baggage handling when on tracks of 

a host railroad. c

 Includes all operating delays not attributable to Amtrak 

when operating on tracks of a host railroad (e.g., track- and signal-related 

delays, power failures, freight and commuter train interference, routing 

delays). d

 Includes delays not attributable to Amtrak or host railroads 

(e.g., customs and immigration, law enforcement action, weather, or waiting for scheduled departure time). e

 Numbers may not add to totals due 

to rounding.

Notes: All percentages are based on Amtrak’s fiscal year (Oct. 1–Sept. 30). 

Host railroad is a freight or commuter railroad over which many Amtrak 

trains operate for all or part of their trips.

Amtrak trips are considered delayed based on the following chart:

4-14

Amtrak On-Time Performance Trends

and Hours of Delay by Cause: 2006–2009

Trip length 

(miles)

Arrival time

delay (minutes)

0–250

251–350

351–450

451–550

> 551

10

15

20

25

30

Source: Amtrak, personal communication, November 2009.

 2006 2007 2008 2009
30 Pocket Guide to Transportation

South Louisiana, LA 229.0 Los Angeles, CA 5,497

Houston, TX 216.1 Long Beach, CA 5,131

New York, NY and NJ 157.2 New York/ New Jersey 4,047

Long Beach, CA 85.9 Savannah, GA 1,980

Beaumont, TX 81.4 Norfolk Harbor, VA 1,626

Corpus Christi, TX 81.1 Oakland, CA 1,579

Huntington-Tristate, 

WV-OH-PA 76.5 Seattle, WA 1,416

New Orleans, LA 76.0 Tacoma, WA 1,415

Los Angeles, CA 65.5 Houston, TX 1,400

Mobile, AL 64.5 Charleston, SC 1,369

Lake Charles, LA 64.2 Honolulu, HI 889

Plaquemines, LA 58.8 San Juan, PR 792

Texas City, TX 56.8 Port Everglades, FL 676

Baton Rouge, LA 54.6 Miami, FL 669

Tampa, FL 46.9 Jacksonville, FL 581

Duluth-Superior, 

MN and WI 46.5 Baltimore, MD 501

Baltimore, MD 41.3 Anchorage, AK 276

Norfolk Harbor, VA 39.7 New Orleans, LA 255

Pittsburgh, PA 38.1 Portland, OR 213

Paulsboro, NJ 38.0 Wilmington, DE 179

Total, top 20 1,618 30,493

Total, all ports 2,564 32,567

Notes: Includes exports, imports, and domestic shipments. See table 5-8 for 

top 20 freight gateways by value of shipments. TEUs = 20-foot equivalent 

units. One 20-foot container equals one TEU.

Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce of the United 

States, Calendar Year 2007, Part 5, National Summaries, tables 1-1 and 5-2, 

available at http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/wcsc.htm as of September 2009. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Container Traffic 

for U.S. Ports and all 50 States and U.S. Territories, Port TEUs, available at 

http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/wcsc.htm as of September 2009.

4-15

Top 20 U.S. Water Ports by Shipment Weight & 

Top 20 U.S. Water Ports by Container TEUs: 2007

Port by Short tons Port by Full TEUs

shipment weight (millions) container TEUs (thousands)
 Mobility and Livability 31

1 1 Singapore Singapore 27,936

3 2 Shanghai China 26,152

2 3 Hong Kong China 23,998

4 4 Shenzhen China 21,104

a 5 Yingkou(Liaoning) China 13,713

5 6 Busan South Korea 13,255

7 7 Rotterdam Netherlands 10,791

8 8 Dubai United Arab 

Emirates 10,653

6 9 Kaohsiung Taiwan 10,257

9 10 Hamburg Germany 9,917

11 11 Qingdao China 9,431

13 12 Ningbo China 9,259

15 13 Guangzhou China 9,200

10 14 Los Angeles United States 8,355

14 15 Antwerp Belgium 8,176

12 16 Long Beach United States 7,312

16 17 Port Klang Malaysia 7,119

17 18 Tianjin China 7,102

19 19 Tanjung Pelepas Malaysia 5,500

18 20 New York/

New Jersey United States 5,299

a

 Yingkou was unranked among the world’s top 20 container ports in 

2006.

Notes: TEU = 20-foot equivalent unit. One 20-foot container equals one 

TEU. 

Source: American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), Port Industry 

Statistics, World Port Rankings (Container Traffic), available at http://

www.aapa-ports.org/ as of September 2009.

4-16

Top 20 World Container Ports: 2006 and 2007

(Thousands of full and empty TEUs)

Rank Rank 

(2006) (2007) Port Country TEUs
32 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Transportation is a major sector of the U.S. economy. It 

moves people and goods, employs millions of workers, 

generates revenue, and consumes resources and services produced by other sectors of the economy. In 2008, 

transportation-related goods and services contributed $1.38 

trillion to the $14.44 trillion U.S. Gross Domestic Product.

5

5-1 

U.S. Gross Domestic Product by 

Major Societal Function: 2008

Housing

(21.5%)

Health care

 (16.0%)

 Food

(10.9%)

Transportation-

 relateda

 (9.5%)

Education

 (7.3%)

Recreation

 (7.4%)

 Otherb

(27.4%)

a Includes all consumer and government purchases of goods (e.g., vehicles and fuel) and 

services (e.g., auto insurance) and exports related to transportation. b Includes all 

other categories (e.g., entertainment, personal care products and services, and payments to pension plans).

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, calculated based on data from U.S. 

Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product 

Account Tables, available at http://www.bea.gov/national/nipaweb/Index.asp as of October 2009 as reported in U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation 

Statistics, Table 3-5, available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of February 2009.

Economy
Economy 33

5-2

Average Household Expenditures by

Major Spending Category: 2008

Current dollars

Apparel and services 

(4%) Othera

(16%) Personal 

insurance 

and pensions 

(11%) 

Health 

care 

(6%) 

Housing

(34%)

Food 

(13%)

Transportation

(17%) 

$8,604 

 Private vehicle expenditures = $8,091

 Vehicle purchases = $2,755

 Gasoline and motor oil = $2,715

 Other vehicle expenditures = $2,621

 Public transportation 

 expenditures = $513

 Airline fares = $343

 Ship fares = $38

 Mass transit fares = $61

 Taxi fares = $25

 Intercity train fares = $22

 Local transportation on

 out-of-town trips = $12

 Intercity bus fares = $11

 School bus = $1

a

 Includes entertainment, personal care products and services, education, 

tobacco products and smoking, and miscellaneous.

Note: Numbers do not add to totals due to rounding.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer 

Expenditure Survey, 2008, personal communication, October 2009.
34 Pocket Guide to Transportation

5-3

Transportation Services Index (TSI): 

January 1990–August 2009

Seasonally adjusted

60

80

100

120

1990 1995 2000 2005 2009

Chain-type index: 2000 = 100

TSI total TSI freight

TSI passenger

Notes: May–August 2009 data are preliminary. The TSI total is a monthly 

measure of the volume of services provided by for-hire transportation 

industries in the United States using 2000 as the base year. 

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), 

special calculation, avaliable at http://www.bts.gov/xml/tsi/src/index.xml as 

of October 2009. 
Economy 35

Total U.S. labor force (Nonfarm) 109,487 131,785 137,598 137,066

Total transportation related

labor forceb 12,317 13,907 13,516 13,234

Transportation as a percent 

of U.S. total 11.2 10.5 9.8 9.7

For-hire transport & warehousing 3,476 4,410 4,541 4,505

 Air 529 614 492 493

 Water 57 56 66 65

 Railroad 272 232 234 230

 Transit/ground 

 passenger transportation 274 372 412 418

 Pipeline 60 46 40 42

 Trucking 1,122 1,406 1,439 1,391

 Support activities 364 537 584 590

Scenic/sightseeing transportation 16 28 29 28

Couriers/messengers 375 605 581 576

Warehousing/storage 407 514 665 673

Related services & construction 5,256 6,177 6,015 5,871 

Automotive repair services/

parking; automotive equipment 

rental/leasing; gasoline stations 1,800 2,125 2,053 2,010 

Highway, street, bridge construction 289 340 345 329 

Dealers or wholesalers of motor 

vehicles, parts, petroleum, 

supplies, equipment 1,993 2,360 2,393 2,319 

Travel arrangement/

reservation services 250 299 227 228 

Ambulatory health care services 99 173 228 239 

Postal service 825 880 769 748 

Transportation-related

manufacturingc 2,683 2,447 2,071 1,963 

Governmentb 903 873 890 895 

a

 Annual averages. Data are NAICS-based. (See Glossary for definition.) 

b

 Fiscal year data. Includes U.S. DOT and state and local personnel. State and local component of government employment includes highway, air, transit, and water modes; while this 

component of the data in the last year’s version of the report included highway employ- ment only. c

 Includes transportation equipment; petroleum products; tires; rubber; plastics; search, detec- tion, navigation, guidance, aeronautical, and nautical systems; and instrument manufactur- ing.

Key: R = revised.

Notes: USCG employees are excluded from government for years 2003 and after. All 2007 data are revised. Government employment and total transportation related labor force 

data for 1990 and 2000 are revised. Transportation-related manufacturing employment is 

revised for 1990. Due to independent rounding, details may not add to total.

Sources: Total and transportation related labor force—Bureau of Labor Statistics, Gov- ernment—Bureau of the Census and U.S. Department of Tranportation as cited in U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau 

of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 3-19b, available at http://

www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of January 2010.

5-4

Employment in Transportation and Selected 

Transportation-Related Industriesa

 : 1990-2008

(Thousands)

 R1990 R2000 R2007 2008
36 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Total 1,300,136 100.0 2,100,141 100.0 3,400,277 100.0

Water 471,536 36.3 1,152,327 54.9 1,623,863 47.8

Air 388,347 29.9 417,227 19.9 805,574 23.7

Truck 278,857 21.4 275,577 13.1 554,434 16.3

Rail 51,403 4.0 89,022 4.2 140,424 4.1

Pipeline 5,564 0.4 82,212 3.9 87,775 2.6

Other, 

unknown & 

miscellaneous 104,430 8.0 83,777 4.0 188,206 5.5

Notes: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. 

Excludes intransit data (merchandise shipped from one foreign country to 

another via a U.S. port). 

Imports—Excludes imports valued at less than $1,250. Import value is based 

on U.S. general imports, customs value basis. 

Exports—Excludes exports valued at less than $2,500. Export value is FAS 

(free alongside ship) and represents the value of exports at the port of 

export, including the transaction price and inland freight, insurance, and 

other charges.The data for other, unknown & miscellaneous are derived by 

deducting the sum of water, air, truck, rail and pipeline from the total value 

of merchandise trade.

Sources: Total, water and air—U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census 

Bureau, Foreign Trade Division, FT920 U.S. Merchandise Trade: Selected Highlights, December 2008, available at http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/

Press-Release/ft920_index.html as of September 2009. Truck, rail, and pipeline —U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Transborder Freight 

Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/

TBDR_QA.html as of September 2009.

5-5

Value of U.S.–International Merchandise Trade by 

Mode of Transportation: 2008

(Millions of current U.S. dollars)

Modal Modal Total Total

Exports % Imports % trade modal %
Economy 37

Total 705,093 100.0 1,256,610 100.0 1,961,703 100.0

Watera 535,527 76.0 983,145 78.2 1,518,672 77.4

Air 3,686 0.5 4,226 0.3 7,912 0.4

Truckb 93,717 13.3 88,474 7.0 182,191 9.3

Railb 62,454 8.9 85,049 6.8 147,503 7.5

Pipelineb 3,600 0.5 94,991 7.6 98,591 5.0

Other, 

unknown, & 

miscellaneousb 6,109 0.9 724 0.1 6,833 0.3

a

 The weight data for water transportation vary from those officially 

reported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, because the data in 

this table exclude intransit shipments (merchandise shipped from one 

foreign country to another via a U.S. port but not part of U.S. official 

merchandise trade). BTS uses U.S. Census Bureau trade-based data to 

allow for a complete modal comparison among the different freight 

transportation modes. b

 The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) 

estimated the weight of exports for truck, rail, pipeline, mail and other 

and unknown modes based on the import weight-to-value ratios that 

vary by country, mode, and commodity. The import weight-to-value 

ratios at the six, four, and two-digit HS code commodity detail are 

applied. Since the weight-to-value ratio of a given commodity drastically changes from one year to another, BTS removed the irregular 

components (outliers) of the import ratios to produce consistent and 

reliable export weight estimates. 

Notes: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. Excludes intransit 

data (merchandise shipped from one foreign country to another via 

a U.S. port). Imports—Excludes imports valued at less than $1,250. 

Import value is based on U.S. general imports, customs value basis. 

Exports—Excludes exports valued at less than $2,500. Export value 

is FAS (free alongside ship) and represents the value of exports at the 

port of export, including the transaction price and inland freight, insurance, and other charges.

Sources: Water and air—U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census 

Bureau, Foreign Trade Division, FT920 U.S. Merchandise Trade: Selected 

Highlights (December Issues), available at http://www.census.gov/foreigntrade/Press-Release/ft920_index.html as of September 2009. Truck, rail, 

pipeline and other, unknown, and miscellaneous—U.S. Department 

of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data; and special 

calculation, August 2009.

5-6

Weight of U.S.–International Merchandise Trade 

by Mode of Transportation: 2008

(Thousands of short tons)

Modal Modal Total Total

Exports % Imports % trade modal %
38 Pocket Guide to Transportation

NAFTA trade, total 100.0 100.0

Trucka 57.5 27.3

Raila 14.6 22.1

Pipelinea 9.1 14.8

Air 4.2 0.1

Water 9.7 34.8

Other and unknowna 4.9 1.0

U.S.-NAFTA imports, total 100.0 100.0

Truck 50.0 20.5

Rail 16.1 19.7

Pipeline 14.9 22.0

Air 2.9 0.0

Water 12.8 37.6

Other and unknown 3.2 0.2

U.S.-NAFTA exports, total 100.0 100.0

Trucka 67.6 39.6

Raila 12.5 26.4

Pipelinea 1.3 1.5

Air 6.0 0.1

Water 5.4 29.7

Other and unknowna 7.1 2.6 a

 BTS estimated the export weight for truck, rail, pipeline, and other and 

unknown based on value-to-weight ratios from the import data, because 

export weights for surface modes are not currently reported. Weight 

for water and air exports and imports are from the U.S. Department of 

Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau.

Note: U.S. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) refers to U.S. 

trade with Canada and Mexico, our partners in this agreement.

Sources: Water and air—U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census 

Bureau, Foreign Trade Division, FT920 U.S. Merchandise Trade: Selected Highlights, December 2008, available at http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/

Press-Release/ft920_index.html as of October 2009. Truck, rail, pipeline, 

and other and unknown—U.S. Department of Transportation, Research 

and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Transborder Freight Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/ as of November 2009; and BTS special calculation.

5-7

U.S. Merchandise Trade With Canada and 

Mexico by Mode Share: 2008

 Value Weight

Mode (percent) (percent)
Economy 39

1 New York, NY and NJ (w) 51.0 138.4 189.4 

2 Los Angeles, CA (w) 33.6 148.7 182.4 

3 JFK International Airport, NY (a) 85.5 82.4 167.9 

4 Long Beach, CA (w) 32.8 119.2 152.0 

5 Houston, TX (w) 68.5 78.2 146.7 

6 Detroit, MI (l) 66.5 53.7 120.2 

7 Laredo, TX (l) 53.9 61.8 115.8 

8 Chicago, IL (a) 35.9 61.2 97.0 

9 Port Huron, MI (l) 35.2 46.0 81.2 

10 Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY (l) 40.3 40.5 80.8 

11 Los Angeles Intl. Airport, CA (a) 41.3 37.0 78.3 

12 Charleston, SC (w) 22.3 39.9 62.1 

13 Savannah, GA (w) 22.8 36.0 58.8 

14 Norfolk, VA (w) 26.5 29.9 56.3 

15 San Francisco Int’l Airport, CA (a) 26.6 26.2 52.8 

16 El Paso, TX (l) 20.2 28.0 48.2 

17 Baltimore, MD (w) P 16.1 29.0 45.1 

18 New Orleans, LA (a) 19.9 25.1 45.0 

19 New Orleans, LA (w) 20.2 21.4 41.7 

20 Anchorage, AK (a) 10.2 31.2 41.4 

Key: a = airport; l = land port; w = water port; P = preliminary.

Notes: Air gateways include a low level (generally less than 3% of the total 

value) of freight shipped through small user-fee airports located in the 

same area as the gateways listed. Air gateways not identified by airport 

name (e.g., Chicago, IL) include major airport(s) in that area and small 

regional airports. Due to Census Bureau confidentiality regulations, courier operations are included in airport totals for only JFK, Los Angeles, 

Chicago, and Anchorage. Data for Baltimore are preliminary.

Sources: Air—U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division, special tabulation, September 2009. Water—U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, Navigation Data Center, Waterborne Commerce 

Statistics Center, special tabulation, September 2009. Land—U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data as cited in 

U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation 

Statistics, table 1-47, available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_

transportation_statistics/ as of January 2010.

5-8

Top 20 U.S. Foreign Trade Freight Gateways 

by Value of Shipments: 2008

(Billions of current dollars)

Rank Gateway Exports Imports Total
40 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Motor vehicles 

and parts (87) 111,457 195,073 306,531 -83,616

Aircraft, spacecraft, 

and parts (88) 71,993 21,555 93,548 50,439

Ships, boats, 

and floating 

structures (89) 3,243 1,678 4,921 1,565

Railway or 

tramway 

locomotives and 

parts (86) 3,020 1,805 4,825 1,215

Total, 

transportation 

commodities 189,713 220,111 409,824 -30,398

Total, all commodities 1,300,136 2,100,141 3,400,277 -800,006

Transportation 

commodities share 

of trade 14.6% 10.5% 12.1% 3.8%

Notes: The numbers in parentheses are the classification categories from 

the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. Classification category (87) also 

includes bicycles, wheelchairs, and baby carriages. Total trade = exports 

plus imports. Balance = exports minus imports.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics; based on 

data from U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. International Trade Commission, Interactive Tariff and Trade DataWeb, available at http://dataweb.

usitc.gov as of September 2009.

5-9

U.S. Trade in Transportation-Related 

Commodities: 2008

(Millions of current U.S. dollars)

Commodity Total

and code Exports Imports trade Balance
Economy 41

5-10

New Passenger Car and Light Truck Sales:

Model Years 1985–2008

Cars

Light trucks

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

0

Millions of vehicles

2

4

6

8

10

12

Notes: Data are based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) definitions of light trucks (gross vehicle weight of 8,500 pounds or less). 

Model year 2009 data are projected sales from the automotive companies. Cars and light-trucks data for 2007 and 2008 are revised.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Light-Duty Automotive 

Technology and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2008, Table E-1 to E-15, 

available at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.htm as of November 2009.
42 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Highway total 67,544 90,980 107,491 108,141

Federal: Highway 

Trust Funda 22,200 34,985 39,191 40,077 

State and local 45,344 55,995 68,300 68,063 

Transit totalb 8,575 10,670 15,117 13,874 

Railroadc 36 1 0 0 

Air total 14,518 22,298 27,080 29,447 

Federal: Airport and

Airway Trust Fundd 6,291 10,544 11,137 11,994 

State and local 8,227 11,754 15,943 17,453 

Water total 3,832 4,058 5,536 5,739 

Federal: water receiptse 1,909 1,551 1,837 1,873 

State and local 1,923 2,507 3,699 3,866 

Pipelinec 35 40 58 60 

General supportc 7 26 21 16 

Total, all modes 94,548 128,073 155,303 157,276 

Federal 30,478 47,147 52,244 54,020 

State and local 64,070 80,926 103,059 103,256 a

 Includes both Highway and Transit Accounts of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). 

Also includes other receipts from motor fuel and motor vehicle taxes not 

deposited in the HTF.

b

 Includes state and local government only.

c

 Includes federal only.

d

 Receipts from aviation user and aviation security fees are also included.

e

 Includes Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, St. Lawrence Seaway tolls, Inland 

Waterway Trust Fund, Panama Canal receipts through 2000, Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, Offshore Oil Pollution Fund, Deep Water Port Liability Fund, 

and excise taxes of the Boat Safety Program. 

Key: R = revised.

Notes: Government transportation revenue consists of money collected by 

governments from transportation user charges and taxes to finance transportation programs. The following types of receipts are excluded: 

1) revenues collected from users of the transportation system that are 

directed to the general fund and used for nontransportation purposes, 

2) nontransportation general fund revenues that are used to finance transportation programs, and 3) proceeds from borrowing. Local government 

receipts from motor fuel, motor vehicle, and highway toll charges are not 

included in 2007 due to lack of data. Thus, state and local revenues data 

for 2007 is not comparable to the data for previous years. State and local 

highway and air transportation revenues are revised for 2006.

Source: U. S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

Government Transportation Financial Statistics 2009 as reported in U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 3-27a, available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/

national_transportation_statistics/ as of January 2010.

5-11

Government Transportation Revenues by Mode

and Level of Government: 1995–2007

(Millions of current dollars)

 1995 2000 R2006 2007
Economy 43

Highway total 90,075 119,911 157,613 114,253

Federal 1,685 2,190 2,972 2,688

State and local 88,391 117,720 154,641 111,564

Transit total 25,460 34,828 44,097 48,750

Federal 1,277 3,677 83 98

State and local 24,183 31,150 44,014 48,652

Rail total 1,049 778 1,548 1,528

Federal 1,023 765 1,528 1,523

State and local 26 13 20 5

Air total 19,250 22,525 41,873 43,791

Federal 10,807 9,285 23,480 23,746

State and local 8,443 13,240 18,393 20,045

Water total 6,623 7,634 10,888 12,069

Federal 4,314 4,493 6,603 7,308

State and local 2,309 3,141 4,286 4,761

Pipeline total 24 46 91 89

Federal 12 28 66 66

State and local 12 18 25 23

General support 775 653 1,117 1,227

Federal 769 645 1,105 1,214

State and local 6 8 12 13

Total, all modes 143,256 186,374 257,226 221,707

Federal 19,886 21,084 35,836 36,644

State and local 123,369 165,290 221,391 185,063

Key: R = revised.

Notes: Federal expenditure includes direct federal spending, excluding grants 

to state and local governments. State and local expenditure includes 

outlays from all sources of funds including funds from federal grants, 

except railroad and pipeline modes. State and local expenditure for rail 

and pipeline modes include outlays that are funded by federal grants 

only. The part of expenditure that may be funded by other funding 

sources of state and local governments are not covered due to lack 

of data. Outlays for civilian transportation-related activities of the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers for construction, operation, and maintenance 

of channels, harbors, locks, and dams, and protection of navigation are 

not included for all years due to lack of data. Local government outlays 

for highway are not included in 2007 due to lack of data. Thus, state and 

local expenditure data for 2007 is not comparable to the data for previous years. Federal air and general support expenditures for 2006 are 

revised. State and local highway outlays for 2006 are also revised.

Source: U. S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Government 

Transportation Financial Statistics 2009 as reported in U.S. Department 

of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, 

Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, tables 

3-29a and 3-30a, available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_

transportation_statistics/ as of January 2010.

5-12

Government Transportation Expenditures by 

Mode and Level of Government: 1995–2007

(Millions of current dollars)

 R1995 R2000 R2006 2007
44 Pocket Guide to Transportation

While transportation enhances the quality of our lives, 

it also generates environmental impacts that can lead 

to human health problems and ecological damage. Overall, 

most transportation air emissions in the United States, such 

as particulates, have declined since 1980 despite significant 

increases in U.S. population, Gross Domestic Product, and 

vehicle-miles traveled. However, carbon dioxide emissions 

from transportation fuel use have risen.

6

6-1

New Passenger Car and Light Truck Fuel Economy

Averages: Model Years 1985–2009

30

35

25

20

15

10

5

Miles per gallon

0

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Light trucks

Cars

Notes: Fuel economy is miles divided by gallons. 2008 data are revised.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Light-Duty Automotive 

Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 

Through 2009, Table A-2, available at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.

htm as of November 2009.

Environmental Sustainability
Environmental Sustainability 45

6-2

U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions From 

Energy Use: 1985–2008

150

250

350

450

550

650

Commercial

Residential

Transportation

Industrial

Million metric tons of carbon

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Notes: 2008 data are preliminary. One ton of carbon equals 3.667 tons 

of carbon dioxide gas. Electric utility emissions are distributed across 

sectors. All data are revised from 1987 to 2007.

Sources: 1985–1986—U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), Energy 

Information Administration (EIA), Emissions of Greenhouse Gasses in 

the United States, Appendix E, available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/

oiaf/1605/1605aold.html as of December 2005. 1987-1989, U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), Energy Information Administration (EIA), 

Emissions of Greenhouse Gasses in the United States, table 5, available 

at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/1605aold.html as of October 

2009. 1990–2008—USDOE, EIA, U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions from 

Energy Source 2008 Flash Estimate, available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/

oiaf/1605/flash/flash.html as of October 2009.
46 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Acres:

Impacted 2,041 1,905 1,942 1,278 847 1,139 591 699

Mitigated 7,671 4,017 5,198 3,431 1,763 3,741 1,581 2,285

Gained (net) 5,630 2,112 3,256 2,153 916 2,602 990 1,586

Mitigation

 ratio 3.8:1 2.1:1 2.7:1 2.7:1 2.1:1 3.3:1 2.7:1 3.3:1

Key: R = revised.

Notes: These data cover wetlands acreage affected by Federal-Aid Highway 

projects, approximately 24% of the total mileage of U.S. public roads. 

These data are collected by states using varying collection methodologies. The mitigation ratio equals acres mitigated to acres impacted. Acres 

gained data have been revised for 2006. 2000-05 data are adjusted to 

represent all 50 states, based on the proportion of reporting states. 2006 

data are based on 17 states’ responses. 2007 data are based on 34 states’ 

responses.

Sources: 2000–2004—U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Highway Administration Wetland Mitigation 

Performance Measure for Federal-Aid Highway Projects Fiscal Year (FY) 2004, 

available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/perform/ as of November 2008. 2005–2007—USDOT, FHWA, personal communication, August 

2007 and September 2009.

6-3

Wetlands Impacted and Mitigated Under the 

Federal-Aid Highway Program: 2000–2007

 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 R2006 2007
Environmental Sustainability 47

6-4

Index of Key Air Pollutant Emissions From 

U.S. Transportation: 1990–2008

Index: 1990 = 1.0

Key: PM-10 = airborne particulates of less than 10 microns, PM-2.5 = airborne 

particulates of less than 2.5 microns.

Notes: The indexes are calculated using data on emissions from highway vehicles 

only. Particulate matters include PM without condensibles. 2003 data are 

revised except carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and ammo- nia. 2004 data are revised except nitrogen oxide, sulur dioxide, and ammo- nia. 2005 data are revised except carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and 

ammonia. 2006 data are revised except carbon monoxide, volatile organic 

compounds, and ammonia. 2007 data revised except carbon monoxide, 

sulfur dioxide, and ammonia.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Clearinghouse for Inventories 

and Emissions Factors (CHIEF), Current Emission Trends Summaries, available at 

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/trends/index.html as of September 2009.

1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1990 1995 2000 2005

Carbon monoxide

0.4

0.2

0

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1990 1995 2000 2005

Nitrogen oxides

1990 1995 2000 2005

0.4

0.2

0

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

Volatile organic compounds

PM-10

PM-2.5

1990 1995 2000 2005

0.4

0.2

0

0.6

0.8

1.2

1.0

PM-10; PM-2.5

1990 1995 2000 2005

Sulfur Dioxide

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1990 1995 2000 2005

0.0

0.4

0.8

1.2

1.6

2.0

Ammonia
48 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Glossary

Air carrier—Certificated provider of scheduled and nonscheduled services.

Chained dollars—A method to measure real changes in dollar 

values between years that uses chain-type indexes, rather than 

constant dollars. The method first calculates the real changes 

between adjacent years. Annual rates of real changes are then 

chained (multiplied) together to obtain the rate of real changes 

between nonadjacent years. 

Class I railroads—Railroads earning adjusted annual operating revenues for three consecutive years of $250,000,000 or 

more.

Commercial waterway facilities—Waterway facilities as 

counted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are piers, 

wharves, and docks. Not included are those facilities used 

exclusively for recreational or active military craft and generally those providing nonmaritime use.

Commuter rail—Urban/suburban passenger train service for 

short-distance travel between a central city and adjacent suburbs run on tracks of a traditional railroad system. Does not 

include heavy- or light-rail transit service.

Congestion cost—Value of travel time delay (estimated at 

$15.47 per hour of person travel and $102.42 per hour of 

truck travel) and excess fuel consumption (estimated using the 

average cost per gallon by state).

Contracted service (purchased transportation)—Transportation service provided to a public transit agency or governmental unit from a public or private transportation provider 

based on a written contract. 

Delay—The extra travel time (hours) spent traveling at congested 

speeds rather than free-flow speeds (60 mph on freeways and 

35 mph on principal arterials) divided by the number of persons making a trip during the peak period (6:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. 

and 4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.).

Demand-response transit—A nonfixed-route, nonfixedschedule form of transportation that operates in response to 

calls from passengers or their agents to the transit operator 

or dispatcher.

Directional route-miles—The sum of the mileage in each 

direction over which transit vehicles travel while in revenue 

service.

Directly operated service—Transportation service provided 

directly by a transit agency, using their employees to supply the 

necessary labor to operate the revenue vehicles. 
Glossary 49

Draft—The depth of water a vessel draws, loaded or unloaded.

General aviation—Civil aviation operations other than those 

air carriers holding a Certificate of Public Convenience and 

Necessity. Types of aircraft used in general aviation range from 

corporate, multi-engine jets piloted by a professional crew to 

amateur-built, single-engine, piston-driven, acrobatic planes.

Gross Domestic Product—The total value of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United 

States. As long as the labor and property are located in the 

United States, the suppliers may be either U.S. residents or 

residents of foreign countries.

Heavy-rail transit––High-speed transit rail operated on rightsof-way that exclude all other vehicles and pedestrians.

Hub area—As used here, a geographic area based on the percentage of total enplaned passengers in that area. A hub area 

can comprise more than one airport and falls into one of the 

following classes: large, a community enplaning 1% or more of 

the total enplaned passengers; medium, 0.25%–0.99%; small, 

0.05%–0.24%; nonhub area, less than 0.05%. The definition of 

hub used here should not be confused with airline usage of the 

term to describe “hub-and-spoke” route structures or other 

definitions of hubs used by the Federal Aviation Administration, 

which focus on traffic at individual airports.

Intermodal—Transportation activities involving more than one 

mode of transportation, including transportation connections, 

choices, cooperation, and coordination of various modes.

Large certificated air carrier—Carriers operating aircraft with 

a maximum passenger capacity of more than 60 seats or a 

maximum payload of more than 18,000 pounds. These carriers 

are also grouped by annual operating revenues: 1) majors—

more than $1 billion; 2) nationals—between $100 million 

and $1 billion; 3) large regionals—between $20 million and 

$99,999,999; and 4) medium regionals—less than $20 million.

Long-distance travel—As defined in the Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics National Household Travel Survey, 

long-distance trips are trips of 50 miles or more from home 

to the farthest destination traveled and include the return 

component as well as any overnight stops and stops to change 

transportation mode.

Light-rail transit––Urban transit rail operated on a reserved 

right-of-way that may be crossed by roads used by motor 

vehicles and pedestrians.
50 Pocket Guide to Transportation

Light truck—Trucks of 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight 

rating or less, including pickup trucks, vans, truck-based station 

wagons, and sport utility vehicles.

Metric ton—A unit of weight equal to 2,204.6 pounds.

North American Industry Classification System 

(NAICS)—NAICS (established in April 1997) replaces the 

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) and groups producing 

and nonproducing economic activities into 20 sectors and 

1,170 industries in the United States version. It was developed 

to provide common industry definitions for Canada, Mexico, 

and the United States to facilitate analyses of the economies of 

the three countries.

Nonself-propelled vessels—Includes dry cargo, tank barges, and 

railroad car floats that operate in U.S. ports and waterways.

Particulates—Carbon particles formed by partial oxidation and 

reduction of hydrocarbon fuel. Also included are trace quantities of metal oxides and nitrides, originating from engine wear, 

component degradation, and inorganic fuel additives. 

Passenger-mile—One passenger transported one mile. For 

example, one vehicle traveling 3 miles carrying 5 passengers 

generates 15 passenger-miles. 

Self-propelled vessels—Includes dry cargo vessels, tankers, and 

offshore supply vessels, tugboats, pushboats, and passenger 

vessels, such as excursion/sightseeing boats, combination passenger and dry cargo vessels, and ferries.

Short-ton—A unit of weight equal to 2,000 pounds.

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)—SIC (first used 

in 1937) groups establishments by primary activity to ease 

data collection, tabulation, presentation, and analysis. SIC was 

intended to promote greater uniformity and comparability in 

data presentations by government, industry, and research institutions. SIC classifies industries by composition and structure 

of the economy.

Ton-miles—A unit of measure equal to the movement of one 

ton over one mile.

Truck: 

Single unit—A large truck on a single frame with at least 2 

axles and 6 tires. Excludes “other 2-axle, 4-tire vehicles” noted 

above.

Combination—A power unit (truck or truck tractor) and 

one or more trailing units.

Vehicle-mile—One vehicle traveling one mile.
Statistics published in this Pocket Guide to Transportation

come from many different sources. Some statistics are 

based on samples and are subject to sampling variability. 

Statistics may also be subject to omissions and errors in 

reporting, recording, and processing.

Photo Credits

Front cover

Traffic - L. Henk

Truck - BTS Staff

Cargo ship - BTS Staff

Airplane - Daniel Duchon

Back cover

Highway - BTS Staff

Train tracks - BTS Staff

Pipeline - Kevin Abbott

Taxis - BTS Staff
This report is printed on paper containing 

recycled post consumer waste paper.