Pocket Guide to 

Transportation

2012

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: http://www.bts.gov/publications/pocket_guide_

to_transportation/2012/

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 Technology Administration

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 ATTN: Product Orders

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Phone: 1-800-853-1351

Email: RITAinfo@dot.gov

January 2012
2012 

Pocket Guide to

Transportation

RITA Bureau of Transportation Statistics
U.S. Department of

Transportation

Ray LaHood

Secretary

John D. Porcari

Deputy Secretary

Research and

Innovative

Technology

Administration

Gregory Winfree

Acting Administrator

Bureau of

Transportation

Statistics

Patricia Hu

Director 

Deborah Johnson

Acting Deputy Director

Project Manager

Sean Jahanmir

Contributors

Steven Beningo

Chester Ford

Mindy Liu

William Moore

Ken Notis

Bernard Stankus

Anne Suissa

Alpha Wingfield

Acknowledgments
About the

Pocket Guide to Transportation

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the 

Research and Innovative Technology Administration 

produces the Pocket Guide to Transportation as a 

compact resource that provides snapshots of the U.S. 

transportation system and highlights major transportation 

trends. The Pocket Guide contains a wealth of information 

divided into five sections:

• Safety

• State of Good Repair

• System Use and Livable Communities

• Economic Competitiveness

• Environmental Sustainability

The Pocket Guide to Transportation supports the BTS 

mission to create, manage, and share transportation 

statistical knowledge. This contributes to data driven and 

evidence based decision making.
Contents

Safety................................................................................1

State of Good Repair ....................................................10

System Use and Livable Communities....................... 14 

Economic Competitiveness.........................................30

Environmental Sustainability ......................................47

Glossary.........................................................................53

America’s transportation system continues to  change along with the population, labor force, and 

economy. The following table puts these changes in 

perspective.

The American Landscape—Population, Labor Force, and 

Economy: 1990 and 2010

1990 2010

Resident population (thousands) 248,791 308,745

Total areaa

 (thousand sq. mi.) 3,718 3,797

Total civilian labor force (thousands) 125,840 153,889

Real gross domestic productb

 (trillions) $8.0 $13.1 

Median household incomeb,c $41,430 $44,545

Average household incomeb,c $44,122 $56,289

Average household expendituresb,c $39,320 $43,298

Number of households (thousands) 94,312 118,682

Life expectancy at birth (years) 75.4 78.3d

a Total area updated every 10 years. b Data are in 2005 chained dollars (see 

Glossary for definition). c Adjusted to chained dollars by BTS in October 

2011. d Estimated by the Bureau of the Census as part of the 2008 National 

Population Projections.

Sources: Population, Area, Households, Median income—U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Average income, Labor force, 

Expenditures—U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

GDP—U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis. Life 

expectancy—Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of 

the Census as of October 2011.

A Dynamic System
Safety 1

1  Safety

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s number one concern is the safety of the traveling public. Highway 

fatalities account for roughly 94 percent of total U.S. 

transportation fatalities. U.S. DOT initiatives have helped 

to reduce highway fatalities by 26 percent between 1990 

and 2010.

1-1 Transportation Fatalities by Mode: 1990, 2000, 2009, 2010

Mode 1990 2000 2009 2010

Air

Large U.S. air carriera 39 92 52 2

Commuter air carriera 6 5 0 0

On-demand air taxia 51 71 17 17

General aviationa 770 596 478 450

Highwayb 44,599 41,945 33,883 32,885

Pipeline, gas and hazardous liquid 9 38 13 25

Railroadc 729 631 544 601

Transitd 235 208 224 215

Waterborne

Vessel-related, commercial ship 85 53 49 41

Nonvessel-relatede, commercial ship 101 69 58 43

Recreational boating 865 701 736 672

Total 47,489 44,409 36,054 34,951 a

Aircraft and ground fatalities. bMotor vehicle occupant and nonoccupant fatalities, 

including at railroad crossings. c

Train occupant and nonoccupant fatalities for incidents 

and accidents, not including those at public highway rail grade crossings involving 

motor vehicles. Includes commuter rail. d

All reportable incident and accident fatalities. 

Includes heavy rail, light rail, motorbus, demand response, van pool, and automated 

guideway. e

Fatalities unrelated to vessel accidents, e.g., individual falling overboard 

and drowning.

Note: Data for 2009 have been revised for general aviation, highway, railroad, transit, 

vessel-related commercial ship, and nonvessel-related commercial ship.

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 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, available 

at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of December 

2011.
2 Pocket Guide to Transportation

1-2 Distribution of Transportation Fatalities: 2010

Category Number Percent

Passenger car occupants 12,435 36.50

Light-truck occupants 9,752 28.68

Motorcycle riders 4,502 12.44

Pedestrians struck by motor vehicles 4,280 11.41

Recreational boating 672 1.87

Pedalcyclists struck by motor vehicles 618 1.76

Other and unknown motor vehicle occupants 543 1.57

Large-truck occupants 529 1.40

General aviation 450 1.25

Railroad trespassers (excluding grade crossings)a 442 1.23

Other nonoccupants struck by motor vehiclesb 182 0.42

Heavy rail transit (subway) 96 0.27

Grade crossings, not involving motor vehiclesc 92 0.26

Transit buses (motorbus) 84 0.23

Waterborne transportation (nonvessel-related) 43 0.12

Waterborne transportation (vessel-related) 41 0.11

Private highway-rail grade crossings, rail with motor vehiclesa 33 0.09

Bus occupants (school, intercity, transit) 44 0.07

Light rail transit 24 0.07

Rail employees on duty and contractorsa 23 0.06

On-demand air taxi 17 0.05

Gas distribution pipelines 14 0.04

Demand response transit 10 0.03

Gas transmission pipelines 10 0.03

Railroad, other (off-duty and nontrespassers) 8 0.02

Passengers on railroad trains 3 0.01

Large U.S. air carriers 2 0.01

Hazardous liquid pipelines 1 <0.01

Automated guideway 1 <0.01

Total, all modesd 34,951 100.00

Other counts, redundant with above

Crashes involving large trucksd 3,675

Public highway-rail grade crossings, rail with motor 

 vehicles 135

Commuter raile 59

Vanpool 1 a

Includes fatalities outside trains. bIncludes 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 fatalities on directly operated systems, excluding suicides.

Note: Fatality data are preliminary for air, rail, and transit. 

Sources: Air—National Transportation Safety Board. Highway—National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration. Railroad—Federal Railroad Administration. Transit—Federal Transit 

Administration and personal communication. 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 December 2011.
Safety 3

1-3 Alcohol-Related Fatalities in Motor Vehicle Crashes by Person

 Type and Crash Type: 2010

Person type, crash category

Fatalities in 

categorya

Alcohol 

involvementb

Percent 

alcohol 

involvementc

Occupants 27,805 11,087 39.9

Single-vehicle crashes 14,567 7,165 49.2

Two-vehicle crashes 11,197 3,313 29.6

More than two-vehicle crashes 2,041 608 29.8

Pedestrians 4,280 2,020 47.2

Single-vehicle crashes 3,682 1,731 47.0

Multiple-vehicle crashes 598 290 48.5

Pedalcyclists 618 209 33.8

Single-vehicle crashes 592 196 33.1

Multiple-vehicle crashes 26 13 50.0

Others/unknown 182 49 26.9

Total 32,885 13,364 40.6

a

Total fatalities. bTotal alcohol-related fatalities. cAlcohol-related fatalities as a percentage of 

total fatalities.

Notes: Catogory numbers may not sum to totals due to rounding. A motor vehicle crash is 

considered alcohol-related if at least one driver or nonoccupant (e.g., a pedestrian or pedalcyclist) involved in the crash has a blood alcohol concentration of 0.01 grams per deciliter or 

greater. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates alcohol involvement 

when test results of alcohol concentration are unknown.

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

Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Database, personal communication, December 

2011 as cited in USDOT, RITA, BTS, National Transportation Statistics, table 2-20, available 

at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of December 2011.
4 Pocket Guide to Transportation

1-4 Fatality Rates for Selected Modes: 1985–2009

1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0 Per 100 million vehicle miles

1985

1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0 Per 100 million vehicle miles

1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0 Per 100 million vehicle miles

Per 100 million vehicle miles

Passenger car occupants Light-truck occupants

Large-truck occupants

Large air carriers 

(actual and smoothed fatality rates) General aviation

Motorcycle riders

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0

2

4

6

8

10

Actual

Smoothed

1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009

Per 100,000 aircraft departures

0

1

2

3

4

5

Per 100,000 hours flown

Notes: Not all graph scales are comparable. 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 resulting from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks include only onboard fatalities. Highway 

fatality rates for 1999 through 2008 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, annual issues, and

2010 Motor Vehicle Crashes: Overview, available at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov as of December 

2011. Large 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 October 2011 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 December 2011.
Safety 5

1-5 Injured Persons by Transportation Mode: 

 1990, 2000, 2009, 2010

Mode 1990 2000 2009 2010

Air

Large U.S. air carriera 29 29 23 15

Commuter air carriera 11 7 1 2

On-demand air taxia 36 12 4 6

General aviationa 409 309 273 256

Highwayb 3,230,666 3,188,750 2,217,000 2,243,000

Pipeline, gas and hazardous 

liquid 76 81 67 111

Railroadc 22,736 10,424 7,227 7,376

Transitd 54,556 56,697 21,420 23,414

Waterborne

Vessel-related, 

 commercial ship 175 150 196 139

Nonvessel-related, 

 commercial shipe U 607 377 417

Recreational boating 3,822 4,355 3,358 3,153 a

Includes serious injuries only. bIncludes passenger car occupants, motorcyclists, 

light-duty and large-truck occupants, bus occupants, occupants of unknown vehicle 

types, pedestrians, pedalcyclists, and other nonmotorists. c

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. d

Injuries resulting from all reportable incidents, not just 

from accidents. Includes commuter rail, heavy rail, light rail, motorbus, on-demand 

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

2008 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. e

Injuries unrelated to 

vessel operations.

Key: U = unavailable.

Note: Reporting criteria and/or estimation methods for injuries are not standardized 

across modes. 

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—United States 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 

December 2011. 
6 Pocket Guide to Transportation

1-6 State Laws on Distracted Driving—Bans on Hand-Held

 Devices and Texting While Driving as of September 2011

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, State Laws on Distracted Driving, available at PR http://www.distraction.gov/statelaws/ as of Sept. 5, 2011.

Notes: While nine States have universal bans on hand-held devices and texting, many 

other States have partial bans on either or both that restrict use for novice drivers or bus 

drivers. In Iowa and Virginia, secondary enforcement is applied to texting while driving. 

In Maryland, secondary enforcement is applied to using hand-held devices while driving. 

The term “secondary enforcement” means that motorists must be stopped for another 

violation before they can be cited for texting or using a cell phone.TX CA MT IDAZ NV NMCO OR IL UT KS WY IA NE SD MN ND OK

FL

WI

MO

WA

AL GA

AR

MI

PA

IN

NY

NC

LA

MS

TN

VA

KY

OH

SC

ME

WV

VT

NH

NJ

MA

MD

CT

DE

RI

DC

(both)

AK

HI

PR Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, State Laws on Distracted Driving, available at http://www.distraction.gov/state-laws/ as of September 5, 2011.

Notes: While nine States have universal bans on hand-held devices and texting, many other States have partial bans on either or both that

restrict use for novice drivers or bus drivers. In Iowa and Virginia, secondary enforcement is applied to texting while driving.

In Maryland, secondary enforcement is applied to using hand-held devices while driving. The term "secondary enforcement" means thatmotorists must be stopped for another violation before they can be cited for texting or using a cell phone.

Ban on Handheld Devices and Texting

Both No Bans Texting Ban

Only
Safety 7

1-7 Percentage of Crashes Involving Distraction by 

 Crash Severity: 2005-2009

Crash severity 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Fatal 10 14 14 16 16

Injury 22 19 18 19 20

Property damage only 21 16 16 16 16

Total 21 17 17 17 17

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

Administration, Distracted Driving 2009, available at http://www.distraction.

gov/download/research-pdf/Distracted-Driving-2009.pdf as of Dec. 22, 2011.
8 Pocket Guide to Transportation

1-8 Hazardous Materials Transportation Incidents, Injuries,

 and Fatalities: 1990, 2000, 2009, 2010

Mode 1990 2000 2009 2010

Highway 7,297 15,063 12,730 12,644 

Accident related 249 329 251 320 

Injuries 311 164 153 153 

Fatalities 8 16 11 8 

Rail 1,279 1,058 643 750 

Accident related 48 62 37 37 

Injuries 73 82 38 13 

Fatalities 0 0 1 0 

Air 297 1,419 1,356 1,293 

Accident related 0 3 2 2 

Injuries 39 5 10 2 

Fatalities 0 0 0 0 

Water 7 17 90 105 

Accident related 0 0 0 1 

Injuries 0 0 0 2 

Fatalities 0 0 0 0 

Pipeline

Natural gas distribution 110 154 158 122 

 Injuries 52 59 52 46 

 Fatalities 6 22 9 14 

Natural gas transmission 89 80 129 118 

 Injuries 17 18 11 61 

 Fatalities 0 15 0 10 

Liquid 180 146 338 345 

 Injuries 7 4 4 4 

 Fatalities 3 1 4 1 

Notes: Data for 2009 are revised. Accident-related excludes human errors, package failures, and unreported 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. 

Pipeline data contain all incidents reported to PHMSA based on the reporting 

criteria in effect at the time of the incidents. Natural gas transmission includes 

gathering system.

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

Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Hazardous Material Safety, 

Incident Statistics, available at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/library/datastats as of October 2011. Pipeline—USDOT, PHMSA, Office of Pipeline Safety, 

Accident/Incident Summary Statistics, available at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/

pipeline/library/data-stats as of October 2011.
Safety 9

1-9 International Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea: 

 1997–2010

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

0

100

200

300

400

500

Number of incidents

Notes: Incidents include attempts and threatening actions. The 2008 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 

as of August 2011.
10 Pocket Guide to Transportation

2  State of Good Repair

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, conduct business, ship 

goods within the United States and abroad, and travel on 

vacations. The transportation system links regions, joins 

urban and rural areas, and connects the United States 

(people and goods) with the rest of the world.

2-1 The Transportation Network: 2010

Mode Components

Highwaya Public roads

47,002 miles of Interstate highway (2009)

117,084 miles of other National Highway System roads 

 (2008)

3,895,244 miles of other roads (2008)

Air Total airports: 19,802

Public use: 5,175

Private use: 14,353

Military: 274

Rail Miles of railroad operated

95,700 miles by Class I freight railroads in the United 

 Statesb

12,000 miles by regional freight railroads

32,456 miles by local freight railroads

21,178 miles by Amtrak (passenger)c

Urban transit Directional route-milesd

Bus: 236,434e

Trolley bus: 451e

Commuter rail: 7,630

Heavy rail: 1,617

Light rail: 1,497

continued next page
State of Good Repair 11

2-1—continued

The Transportation Network: 2010

Mode Components

(cont.)

Urban transit Stations 

Commuter rail: 1,225

Heavy rail: 1,041

Light rail: 848

Water Navigable channels: 25,320 miles

Ferry routes: 697 directional route-miles 

Commercial waterway facilitiesf

Great Lakes: 647

Inland: 1,949

Ocean: 5,588

Lock chambers: 238

Pipeline Miles of oil pipe

Total oil: 176,271

Miles of gas pipe

Transmission: 324,984

Distribution: 1,220,999 a

Highway data are for years indicated. bThere are also 561 miles of railroad operated 

within the U.S. Class I freight railroad system that are owned by Canadian railroads. 

c

Approximately 97 percent of the trackage on which Amtrak operates is owned by 

other railroads. d

Directional route-miles includes both directly operated and purchased 

transport service. e

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

right-of-way, and mixed traffic. f

See Glossary for definitions.

Sources: Highway—USDOT, FHWA, Highway Statistics 2009,table HM-18. Air—

Public-use airports: FAA as cited in USDOT, RITA, BTS, National Transportation 

Statistics, tables 1-3, as of October 2011. Airports serving large certificated carriers: 

USDOT, RITA, BTS, Airport Activity Statistics of Certificated Air Carriers, Summary 

Tables, October 2011. Railroad—Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts 

2011. Transit—USDOT, Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database 2010, 

tables 21, 23, and 24 as of October 2011. Water—Commercial waterway facilities—U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water Resources, Navigation Data Center, The 

U.S. Waterway System Facts, November 2011. Navigable channels—U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers as cited in USDOT, RITA, BTS, National Transportation Statistics, table 

1-1 as of November 2011. Pipeline—PHMSA as cited in USDOT, RITA, BTS, National 

Transportation Statistics, tables 1-1 and 1-10 as of October 2011.
12 Pocket Guide to Transportation

2-2 Number of Aircraft, Railcars, Vehicles, and Vessels:

 1990, 2000, 2008, 2009

Mode 1990 2000 2008 2009

Air

Air carrier 6,083 8,055 7,856 7,771

General aviation 198,000 217,533 228,663 223,877

Highway

Light duty vehiclesa 181,975,051 212,706,399 236,448,155 234,467,679

Busesb 626,987 746,125 R 843,308 841,993

Motorcycles 4,259,462 4,346,068 R 7,752,926 7,929,724

Trucks

 Single-unitc 4,486,981 5,926,030 R 8,288,046 8,356,097

 Combination 1,708,895 2,096,619 R 2,585,229 2,617,118

Rail—Passenger

Amtrak–Cars 1,863 1,894 1,177 1,214

Amtrak–

Locomotives 318 378 278 274

Commuter railcars

 and locomotives 4,982 5,497 6,494 6,722

Transitd 11,477 11,617 13,325 13,520

Rail—freight

Class I–Freight cars 658,902 560,154 450,297 416,180

Class I–

Locomotives 18,835 20,028 24,003 24,045

Other freight carse 553,359 820,642 942,675 947,253

Waterborne

Non-self-propelled 

 vessels (barges)f 31,209 33,152 31,238 31,008

Self-propelled

 vessels 8,236 8,202 9,063 9,101

Oceangoing ships 

 (1,000 gross tons 

 and over) 636 454 272 196

Recreational boats 

 (numbered boats) 10,996,253 12,782,143 12,692,892 12,721,541 a

Light duty vehicles include passenger cars, light trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles regardless of 

wheelbase. bIncludes municipally owned transit and commercial, Federal, and school buses. cSingleunit trucks include single frame trucks that have two axles and at least six tires or a gross vehicle 

weight rating exceeding 10,000 lbs. d

Includes light and heavy rail only. eIncludes Non-class I and car 

companies’ and shippers’ freight cars only. fSee Glossary for definitions.

Key: R = revised.

Notes: In 2011, FHWA revised highway data for 2007 through 2009 using a new methodology.

Data for these years are based on new categories and are not comparable to previous years.

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, U.S. Coast Guard, and Maritime Administration as cited 

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

Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 1-11, available at http://www.bts.gov/

publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of December 2011.
State of Good Repair 13

2-3 Condition of U.S. Highway Bridges: 2000–2010

Urban areas

Rural areas

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

Functionally obsolete

Not Identified as structurally deficient 

or functionally obsolete 

Not Identified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete 

Structurally deficient

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

Structurally deficient

Functionally obsolete

Note: Structurally Deficient and Functionally Obsolete are defined in Glossary.

Sources: 2000—U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics; based on data 

from Federal Highway Administration, Office of Bridge Technology, National 

Bridge Inventory, personal communication, Aug. 14, 2001. 2001–2010—U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Bridge 

Technology, National Bridge Inventory, Count of Bridges by Highway System, 

available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/britab.htm as of Aug. 18, 2011.
14 Pocket Guide to Transportation

3  System Use and Livable

 Communities

The U.S. transportation system makes possible a high degree of personal mobility and freight activity. This 

section presents data showing changes in passenger travel 

and freight shipments over time. Factors influencing these 

changes include vehicle availability, travel costs, population, congestion, the economy, and consumer income.

3-1 Vehicle Miles: 1990, 2000, 2008, 2009 (millions)

Mode 1990 2000 2008 2009

Air

Air carrier 3,963 5,662 6,446 5,936

Highway

Light duty

vehiclesa 1,982,837 2,523,346 2,630,213 2,630,338

Motorcycles 9,557 10,469 20,811 20,800

Busesb 5,726 7,590 14,823 14,358

Trucks

 Single unitc 51,901 70,500 126,855 120,163

 Combination 94,341 135,020 183,826 167,842

Total Highway 2,144,362 2,746,925 2,976,528 2,953,501

Raild

Transite 561 647 762 775

Commuter 213 271 337 337

Intercity/Amtrakf 301 368 272 283

Class I freight 26,159 34,590 37,226 32,115

Other transitg 322 628 989 1,061 a

Light duty vehicles include passenger cars, light trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles regardless of wheelbase. b

Includes municipally owned transit and commercial, Federal, and school 

buses. cSingle unit trucks include single frame trucks that have two axles and at least six tires 

or a gross vehicle weight rating exceeding 10,000 lbs. dCar-miles. eIncludes light and heavy rail 

only. fFiscal year data. gIncludes on-demand service and other unspecified forms of transit. 

Notes: In 2011, FHWA revised highway data for 2007 through 2009 using a new methodology. 

Data for these years are based on new categories and are not comparable to previous years.

Sources: Air Carrier—Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Highway—Federal Highway 

Administration. Class I freight and Intercity/Amtrak—Association of American Railroads. 

Transit and Commuter Rail—American Public Transportation Association and Federal Transit 

Administration as cited in U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, 

table 1-35, available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as 

of October 2011.
System Use and Livable Communities 15

3-2 Passenger Miles: 1990, 2000, 2008, 2009 (millions)

Mode 1990 2000 2008 2009

Air

Air carrier 345,873 518,598 583,281 551,732

Highway

Light duty vehiclesa 3,281,144 4,012,121 4,248,783 3,621,589

Busesb 121,398 160,919 314,278 304,386

Motorcycles 12,424 11,516 26,430 22,404

Rail

Transitc 12,046 15,183 18,931 19,001

Commuter 7,082 9,400 11,032 11,129

Intercity/Amtrakd 6,057 5,498 6,179 5,914

Other transite 841 1,518 2,390 2,500

a

Light duty vehicles include passenger cars, light trucks, vans and sport utility 

vehicles regardless of wheelbase. b

Includes municipally owned transit and commercial, federal, and school buses. c

Includes light and heavy rail only. dFiscal year 

data. e

Includes on-demand service, ferryboat, and other unspecified means of 

transit.

Notes: Highway data for 2007 through 2009 were revised in 2011 using a new 

methodology developed by FHWA. Data for these years are based on new categories and are not comparable to previous years.

Sources: Air carrier—Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Highway—Federal 

Highway Administration. Intercity/Amtrak—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 1-40, available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of October 2011.
16 Pocket Guide to Transportation

3-3 Annual Percent of Person Trips by Transportation Mode: 

 1990, 1995, 2001, 2009

1990 1995 2001 2009

Private vehicle 87.8 89.3 86.3 83.4

Transit 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.9

Walk 7.2 5.4 8.6 10.4

Other 3.2 3.2 3.4 4.2

Total 100% 100% 100% 100%

Notes: Totals may include some unreported characteristics. The 1990 person and 

vehicle trips were adjusted to account for survey collection method changes. Transit 

includes local bus, commuter bus, commuter train, subway, trolley, and streetcar.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2009 

National Household Travel Survey, available at http://nhts.ornl.gov/ as of December 

2011.
System Use and Livable Communities 17

3-4 Trends in Transit Ridership: 1990–2009

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

Unlinked passenger trips (millions)

Source: American Public Transportation Association, Public Transportation Fact 

Book 2011, available at http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Pages/transitstats.aspx as of December 2011.
18 Pocket Guide to Transportation

3-5 Passenger Travel and Freight Transportation Per Person:

 2009

Passenger Transportation Daily Annual

Person trips per person R 3.79 R 1,383.35

Person miles of travel per person R 36.13 R 13,187.45

Vehicle trips per driver 3.02 1,102.30

Vehicle miles of travel per driver 28.97 10,574.05

Domestic Freight Transportation (2007) Annual

Tons per capita 41.6

Ton miles per capita 11,090

Key: R = revised.

Notes: Tons per capita is calculated with BTS methodology based on data from the 

2007 Economic Census: Transportation Commodity Flow Survey. Data based on the 

National Household Travel Survey presented here use the source frame population 

estimate, which does not include persons under five years of age.

Sources: Passenger—U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Federal Highway 

Administration, 2009 National Household Travel Survey, available at http://nhts.ornl.

gov/ as of September 2011. Freight—U.S. Department of Transportation, Research 

and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics and 

U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 Economic Census: Transportation Commodity Flow Survey, December 2009. Population—U.S. Department of 

Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, Annual Population Estimates, 

December 2009, available at http://www.census.gov/popest/estbygeo.html as of September 2011.
System Use and Livable Communities 19

3-6 Households by Number of Motor Vehicles: 2010

0 vehicles

(9.1%)

1 vehicle

(33.8%)

2 vehicles

(37.6%)

3 vehicles

(13.7%)

4+ vehicles

(5.8%)

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, 2010 American 

Community Survey, table B25044, available at http://www.census.gov/acs/

www/index.html as of October 2011.
20 Pocket Guide to Transportation

3-7 Foreign Visitors to the United States: 2000, 2009, 2010

Millions of visitors

2000 2009 2010

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Overseas overnight

North American overnight

North American same-day

Note: North American visitors come from Canada and Mexico and overseas visitors come from all other countries.

Sources: Overseas overnight and North American overnight—U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, Office of Travel and 

Tourism Industries, International Visitation to the United States: A Statistical 

Summary of U.S. Visitation (2010), available at http://tinet.ita.doc.gov as of October 2011. North American same-day, Canada and North American sameday, Mexico—North American Transportation Statistics Database, tables 9-1b 

and 9-1c, available at http://nats.sct.gob.mx as of October 2011.
System Use and Livable Communities 21

3-8 U.S.-Mexican Border Land-Passenger Entries: 2010

 (thousands)

Entering the U.S.

Total for all U.S.-Mexico crossings

Personal vehicles 64,045

Personal vehicle passengers 125,750

Buses 219 

Bus passengers 2,680

Train passengers and crew 3

Pedestrians 39,915

Personal vehicles—top 5 gateways

San Ysidro, CA 13,348

El Paso, TX 9,968

Hidalgo, TX 5,604

Laredo, TX 4,864

Brownsville, TX 4,640

Personal vehicle passengers—top 5 gateways

San Ysidro, CA 23,601

El Paso, TX 17,920

Laredo, TX 10,858

Hidalgo, TX 10,692

Brownsville, TX 9,292

Buses—top 5 gateways

San Ysidro, CA 71

Laredo, TX 44

Otay Mesa, CA 35

El Paso, TX 23

Hidalgo, TX 20

Bus passengers—top 5 gateways

Laredo, TX 902

San Ysidro, CA 550

El Paso, TX 400

Hidalgo, TX 311

Nogales, AZ 167

Train passengers and crew—top 3 gatewaysa

Nogales, AZ 2.4

Otay Mesa, CA 0.5

Calexico East, CA 0.4

continued next page
22 Pocket Guide to Transportation

3-8—continued

 U.S.-Mexican Border Land-Passenger Entries: 2010

 (thousands)

Entering the U.S.

Pedestrians—top 5 gateways

El Paso, TX 6,930

San Ysidro, CA 6,440

Calexico, CA 4,587

Nogales, AZ 3,971

Laredo, TX 3,588

a

There are eight total U.S.-Mexico Ports of Entry for rail. Train service across the Tecate, CA 

port was suspended in 2010 due to fire damage. Four ports are in Texas where train crews 

are exchanged at the border, resulting in no new entry of persons into the United States. 

Therefore, no persons are recorded as entering the country by train at Texas Ports of Entry. 

There is no regularly scheduled rail passenger service across the border.

Note: BTS obtains these data on a quarterly basis from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 

BTS then assesses, analyzes, summarizes, and disseminates monthly and annual border 

crossing/entry data. Most data elements are available beginning in 1994.

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/programs/international/ as of July 2011 as reported in U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 1-48, available at http://www.bts.gov/

publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of September 2011. 
System Use and Livable Communities 23

3-9 U.S.-Canadian Border Land-Passenger Entries: 

 2010 (thousands)

Entering the U.S.

Total for all U.S.-Canada crossings

Personal vehicles 28,884

Personal vehicle passengers 56,789

Buses 116

Bus passengers 2,451

Train passengers and crew 255

Pedestrians 395

Personal vehicles—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 5,478

Detroit, MI 4,051

Blaine, WA 3,366

Port Huron, MI 1,651

Calais, ME 1,055

Personal vehicle passengers—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 11,918

Detroit, MI 7,218

Blaine, WA 6,996

Port Huron, MI 3,443

Champlain-Rouses Point, NY 2,239

Buses—top 5 gateways

Detroit, MI 29

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 26

Blaine, WA 16

Skagway, AK 10

Champlain-Rouses Point, NY 9

Bus passengers—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 745

Champlain-Rouses Point, NY 369

Blaine, WA 332

Detroit, MI 269

Skagway, AK 145

Train passengers and crew—top 5 gateways

Skagway, AK 72

Blaine, WA 61

Champlain-Rouses Point, NY 42

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 31

Port Huron, MI 8

Pedestrians—top 5 gateways

Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY 259

Sumas, WA 28

International Falls, MN 22

Detroit, MI 17

Point Roberts, WA 14

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Adminis- tration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Border Crossing/Entry Data, available at http://

www.bts.gov/programs/international/ as of July 2011 as reported in U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transporta- tion Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 1-47, available at http://www.bts.gov/

publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of September 2011.
24 Pocket Guide to Transportation

3-10 Top 20 U.S. Passenger Airports, Enplaned 

 Passengers: 2000 and 2010

New York (La Guardia), NY

Boston, MA

Miami, FL

Philadelphia, PA

Seattle, WA

Newark, NJ

Detroit, MI

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN

Orlando, FL

New York (JFK), NY

San Francisco, CA

Las Vegas, NV

Charlotte, NC

Phoenix, AZ

Houston (G. Bush), TX

Los Angeles, CA

Denver, CO

Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX

Chicago (O'Hare), IL

Atlanta, GA

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

2000

2010

Total enplaned passengers (thousands)

Notes: The 2000 top 20 airports total does not reflect the total of this table 

because some airports that appeared in the 2000 top 20 did not appear in the 

2010 top 20. Charlotte, NC was not in the top 20 in 2000. St. Louis (STL), MO 

was in the top 20 in 2000 but not in 2010.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Schedule T-3 Data, 

special tabulation, April 2011 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/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of 

September 2011.
System Use and Livable Communities 25

3-11 Top 20 U.S. Gateways for Nonstop International Air 

 Travel, Enplaned Passengers: 2009 and 2010

Phoenix, AZ

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

Seattle-Tacoma, WA

Charlotte, NC

Detroit, MI

Orlando, FL

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Honolulu, HI

Boston, MA

Philadelphia, PA

Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX

Washington (Dulles), DC

Houston (G. Bush), TX

San Francisco, CA

Atlanta, GA

Chicago (O’Hare), IL

Newark, NJ

Los Angeles, CA

Miami, FL

New York (JFK), NY

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

2010

2009

Total enplaned passengers (thousands)

Notes: Ranked by 2010 passengers. International passengers are residents 

of any country traveling nonstop to and from the United States on U.S. and 

foreign carriers. 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 International Segment Data, special calculation, September 

2011.
26 Pocket Guide to Transportation

3-12 Top 20 World Airports by Passenger Movementsa: 2009 and

 2010 (thousands of passengers enplaned, deplaned, and 

 in-transit at airport)

2010 

Rank City (airport) 2009 2010

Percent

change 

2009–2010

1 Atlanta, GA (Hartsfield) 88,032 89,332 1.5

2 Beijing, China (Beijing Capital) 65,372 73,948 13.1

3 Chicago, IL (O’Hare) 64,158 66,775 4.1

4 London, England (Heathrow) 66,038 65,884 -0.2

5 Tokyo, Japan (Haneda) 61,904 64,211 3.7

6 Los Angeles, CA (Los Angeles) 56,521 59,070 4.5

7 Paris, France (Charles de Gaulle) 57,907 58,167 0.4

8 Dallas/Ft Worth, TX (Dallas/Ft. Worth) 56,030 56,907 1.6

9 Frankfurt, Germany (Frankfurt) 50,933 53,009 4.1

10 Denver, CO (Denver) 50,167 52,209 4.1

11 Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong) 45,559 50,349 10.5

12 Madrid, Spain (Barajas) 48,251 49,845 3.3

13 Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Dubai) 40,902 47,181 15.4

14 New York, NY (JFK) 45,915 46,514 1.3

15 Amsterdam, Netherlands (Schiphol) 43,570 45,212 3.8

16 Jakarta, Indonesia (Soekarno–Hatta) 37,144 44,356 19.4

17 Bangkok, Thailand (Suvarnabhumi) 40,500 42,785 5.6

18 Changi, Singapore (Singapore) 37,204 42,039 13.0

19 Guangzhou, China (Guangzhou Baiyun) 37,049 40,976 10.6

20 Shanghai, China (Shanghai Pudong) 32,103 40,579 26.4

a

Passenger movements include enplanements and deplanements, with in-transit 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. 1, 2011. Airports are ranked based on 2010 data. The value in the third column is the 

percent change in passengers enplaned, deplaned, and in-transit from 2009 to 2010.

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 September 2011.
System Use and Livable Communities 27

3-13 Percentage of On-time Arrivals at Major U.S. Airports: 

 2000 and 2010

Top five

1990 2010

Rank Airport Percentage Rank Airport Percentage

1

Washington, 

DC (IAD) 84.3 1

Seattle, 

WA (SEA) 85.1

2

Charlotte, 

NC (CLT) 83.5 2

Phoenix, 

AZ (PHX) 85.1

3

Las Vegas, 

NV (LAS) 82.6 3

Portland, 

OR (PDX) 83.7

4

Salt Lake 

City, UT (SLC) 82.5 4

Denver, 

CO (DEN) 83.6

5

Washington, 

DC (DCA) 82.1 5

Charlotte, 

NC (CLT) 82.9

 Bottom five

1990 2010

Rank Airport Percentage Rank Airport Percentage

5

New York, 

NY (LGA) 74.2 5

Boston, 

MA (BOS) 76.3

4

Philadelphia, 

PA (PHL) 73.8 4

New York, 

NY (JFK) 74.7

3

New York, 

NY (JFK) 73.6 3

New York, 

NY (LGA) 73.7

2

Newark, 

NJ (EWR) 72.3 2

Newark, 

NJ (EWR) 71.9

1

Seattle, 

WA (SEA) 72.2 1

San Francisco, 

CA (SFO) 71.3

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

that enplane one percent or more of scheduled-service passengers.

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 

2011.
28 Pocket Guide to Transportation

3-14 Percentage of Flight Delay Minutes by Cause: 2010

Air carrier delay

(30.4%)

Weather delay

(4.4%)

National Aviation System delay

(25.7%)

Security delay

(0.2%)

Aircraft arriving late

(39.4%)

Notes: A flight is considered delayed when it arrives 15 or more minutes later 

than the scheduled arrival. Delayed minutes are calculated for delayed flights 

only. When multiple causes are assigned to one delayed flight, each cause is 

prorated based on delayed minutes it is responsible for; the displayed numbers 

are rounded and may not add up to the total.

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

Performance 234 as of December 2011.
System Use and Livable Communities 29

3-15 Amtrak On-Time Performance Trends and Hours 

 of Delay by Cause: 2008–2011

2008 2009 2010 2011

On-time performance

Total (weighted) 71.2% 80.4% 79.7% 78.1%

Short distance 

 (<400 miles)a 73.6% 81.1% 80.5% 79.7%

Long distance 

 (>400 miles) 52.0% 75.5% 73.7% 65.8%

Hours of delay by cause 

Totalb 94,566 79,304 79,976 86,021

Amtrakc 23,223 21,813 23,404 26,121

Host railroadd 64,724 46,842 44,090 48,707

Othere 6,618 10,648 12,482 11,192

a

Includes all Amtrak Northeast Corridor and Empire Service (New York 

State) trains. b

Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. cIncludes 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. d

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). e

Includes delays not 

attributable to Amtrak or host railroads (e.g., customs and immigration, law 

enforcement action, weather, or waiting for scheduled departure time). 

Notes: All percentages are based on Amtrak’s fiscal year. Host railroad is 

a freight or commuter railroad over which many Amtrak trains operate for 

all or part of their trips. Amtrak trains are considered on time if the actual 

arrival time at the endpoint is within the minutes of scheduled arrival time as 

shown on the following chart. Trip length is based on the total distance traveled by that train from origin to destination:

Trip length (miles)

Train is on-time at 

endpoint if within:

0–250 10 minutes or less 

251–350 15 minutes or less

351–450 20 minutes or less

451–550 25 minutes or less

> 551 30 minutes or less

Source: National Railroad Passenger Corp. (Amtrak), 

personal communication, October 2011.
30 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4  Economic Competitiveness

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 2010, 

transportation-related goods and services contributed $1.3 

trillion to the $14.5 trillion U.S. Gross Domestic Product.

4-1 U.S. Gross Domestic Product by Major Spending 

 Category: 2010

Housing

(18.7%)

Health care

(15.4%)

Food

(10%)

Education

(7.1%)

Recreation

(6.6%)

Otherb

(33.1%)

Transportationrelateda

(8.5%)

a

Includes transportation-related goods (e.g., vehicles and fuel) and services (e.g., 

auto insurance), private investment in transportation-related structures and equipment, net exports related to transportation, and change in motor vehicles inventory. 

b

Includes all other categories.

Note: Percents do not sum to 100 due to rounding.

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 2011 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 October 2011. 
Economic Competitiveness 31

4-2 Average Household Expenditures by Major Spending 

 Category: 2010 (current dollars)

Other

a

(15.6%)

Housing

(34.4%)

Food

(12.7%)

Apparel and

services

(3.5%)

Personal

insurance and

pensions

(11.2%) Health care

(6.6%)

Transportation

(16.0%)

Household Transportation Expenditures

Private vehicle expenditures = $7,184

Vehicle purchases = $2,588

Gasoline and motor oil = $2,132

Other vehicle expenditures = $2,464

Public transportation expenditures = $493

Airline fares = $325

Mass transit fares = $67

Ship fares = $39

Taxi fares = $23

Intercity train fares = $16

Local transportation on out-of-town trips = $11

Intercity bus fares = $10

School bus = $2

Total = $7,677 a

Includes alcoholic beverages, entertainment, personal care 

products and services, reading, education, tobacco products and 

smoking, miscellaneous, and others.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2010, personal communication, October 

2011.
32 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-3 Transportation Services Index (TSI): January 1990–

 August 2011 (seasonally adjusted)

1990 1995 2000 2005 2011

60

80

100

120

TSI total

TSI freight

TSI passenger

Chain-type Index: 2000 = 100

Notes: May–August 2011 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, available at http://www.bts.gov/xml/tsi/src/index.xml as of October 2011.
Economic Competitiveness 33

4-4 Employment in Transportation and Selected Transportation-

 Related Industriesa: 1990, 2000, 2009 and 2010 (thousands)

1990 2000 2009 2010

Total U.S. labor force (Nonfarm) 109,487 131,785 130,807 129,818

Total transportation related labor forceb 12,316 13,907 12,224 U

Transportation as a percent of U.S. total 11.2 10.6 9.3 U

For-hire transport & warehousing 3,476 4,410 4,236 4,184

Air 529 614 463 464

Water 57 56 63 63

Railroad 272 232 218 215

Transit/ground passenger transportation 274 372 422 432

Pipeline 60 46 43 42

Trucking 1,122 1,406 1,268 1,244

Support activities 364 537 549 540

Scenic/sightseeing transportation 16 28 28 27

Couriers/messengers 375 605 546 527

Warehousing/storage 407 514 637 628

Related services & construction 5,256 6,177 5,426 5,333

Automotive repair services/parking; 

automotive equipment rental/leasing; 

gasoline stations 1,800 2,125 1,910 1,890

Highway, street, bridge construction 289 340 291 289

Dealers or wholesalers of motor vehicles, 

parts, petroleum, supplies, equipment 1,993 2,360 2,082 2,060

Travel arrangement/reservation services 250 299 194 187

Ambulatory health care services 99 173 246 251

Postal service 825 880 703 656

Transportation-related manufacturingc 2,683 2,447 1,668 1,643

Governmentb 903 873 893 U a

Annual averages. Data are NAICS-based. See Glossary for definition. bFiscal 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. c

Includes transportation equipment; petroleum products; tires; rubber; plastics; search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical, and nautical systems; and instrument 

manufacturing.

Key: U = unavailable.

Notes: Data for 2009 are revised. Due to independent rounding, individual components may not add to 

total. U.S. Coast Guard employees are excluded from government for years 2003 and after. This table 

does not include in-house employment.

Sources: Total and transportation-related labor force—Bureau of Labor Statistics. Government—

U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Transportation as cited in U.S. Department of Transportation, 

Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, table 3-23, available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of October 2011.
34 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-5 U.S. Trade in Transportation-Related Commodities: 2010

 (millions of current U.S. dollars)

Commodity and HTS code Exports Imports

Total 

tradea

Trade 

balanceb

Motor vehicles and parts (87) 98,997 182,925 281,922 -83,928

Aircraft, spacecraft, and 

parts (88) 79,266 18,949 98,215 60,318

Ships, boats, and floating 

structures (89) 2,618 1,589 4,206 1,029

Railway or tramway 

locomotives and parts (86) 2,487 1,405 3,892 1,082

Total, transportation 

commodities 183,368 204,867 388,235 -21,500

Total, all commodities 1,277,504 1,912,092 3,189,596 -634,588

Transportation commodities 

share of trade 14.4% 10.7% 12.2% 3.4%

a

Total trade = exports plus imports. bTrade balance = exports minus imports.

Key: HTS = Harmonized Tariff Schedule.

Notes: The HTS codes are classification categories from the Harmonized Tariff Schedule 

and may not include all transportation-related commodities. Classification category (87) 

also includes bicycles, wheelchairs, and baby carriages.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics; special calculation 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 2011.
Economic Competitiveness 35

4-6 U.S. Domestic Freight Shipments by Mode: 2007

Mode

Value

($ billions) 

Tons

(millions)

Ton-miles

(billions)

Total 11,685 12,543 3,345 

Single modes 9,539 11,698 2,894 

Trucka 8,336 8,779 1,342 

Rail 436 1,861 1,344 

Water 115 404 157 

Air (including truck and air) 252 4 5 

Pipelineb 400 651 S

Multiple modes 1,867 574 417 

Parcel, USPS, or courier 1,562 34 28 

Truck and rail 187 226 197 

Truck and water 58 146 98 

Rail and water 14 55 47 

Other multiple modes 45 114 46 

Other and unknown modes 279 272 34 

a

Truck as a single mode includes any shipment made by private truck only, by 

for-hire truck only, or by a combination of private and for-hire truck. b

Estimates 

for pipeline exclude shipments of crude petroleum.

Key: S = Estimate does not meet publication standards because of high sampling variability or poor response quality.

Notes: The data presented in this table exclude shipments from entities classified in forestry, fishing, utilities, construction, transportation, and most retail and 

services industries. Farms and government-owned entities were also excluded. 

Also excluded are most imports and commodities shipped from a foreign location to another foreign destination that pass through the United States. Other 

and unknown modes refers to shipments using modes not listed above or any 

shipment for which the mode of transportation could not be determined.

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

Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 Economic Census: Transportation 2007 

Commodity Flow Survey, December 2009.
36 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-7 Value of U.S. International Merchandise Trade by Mode of 

 Transportation: 2010 (millions of current U.S. dollars)

Exports

Modal 

percentage Imports

Modal 

percentage

Total 

trade

Total 

modal 

percentage

Total 1,277,504 100.0 1,912,092 100.0 3,189,596 100.0

Water 455,460 35.7 978,799 51.2 1,434,259 45.0

Air 392,634 30.7 444,319 23.2 836,953 26.2

Truck 284,698 22.3 272,186 14.2 556,884 17.5

Rail 45,748 3.6 85,480 4.5 131,228 4.1

Pipeline 5,189 0.4 57,744 3.0 62,933 2.0

Other, 

unknown & 

miscellaneous 93,774 7.3 73,564 3.8 167,337 5.2

Notes: Individual categories may not sum 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 subtracting 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 2010, available at http://

www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/ft920_index.html as of September 2011. 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/ as of September 2011.
Economic Competitiveness 37

4-8 Weight of U.S.-International Merchandise Trade by Mode 

 of Transportation: 2010 (thousands of short tons)

Exports

Modal 

percent Imports

Modal 

percent

Total 

trade

Total 

modal 

percent

Total 755,626 100.0 1,127,282 100.0 1,882,908 100.0

Watera 575,053 76.1 863,391 76.6 1,438,444 76.4

Air 3,775 0.5 4,431 0.4 8,206 0.4

Truckb 101,570 13.4 85,693 7.6 187,263 9.9

Railb 59,968 7.9 74,292 6.6 134,260 7.1

Pipelineb 9,205 1.2 96,945 8.6 106,150 5.6

Other, 

unknown, & 

miscellaneousb 6,055 0.8 2,531 0.2 8,586 0.5

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

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 weightto-value ratios at the four-and two-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule code commodity detail 

are applied. Since the weight-to-value ratio of a given commodity drastically change from 

one year to another, BTS removed the irregular components (outliers) of the import ratios to 

produce a consistent and reliable export weight estimates. 

Notes: Individual categories may not sum 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/foreign-trade/Press-Release/ft920_index.html as of 

September 2011. 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, available at http://www.bts.gov/

programs/international/transborder/ as of September 2011, and BTS special calculation, 

September 2011.
38 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-9 U.S. Merchandise Trade with Canada and Mexico by

 Mode Share: 2010

Mode

Value 

(percent)

Weight 

(percent)

NAFTA trade, total 100.0 100.0

Trucka 60.7 29.0

Raila 14.3 20.8

Pipelinea 6.9 16.4

Air 4.9 0.1

Water 8.9 32.4

Other and unknowna 4.4 1.3

U.S.-NAFTA imports, total 100.0 100.0

Truck 53.8 21.1

Rail 16.9 18.3

Pipeline 11.4 23.9

Air 4.0 0.0

Water 11.5 36.0

Other and unknown 2.4 0.6

U.S.-NAFTA exports, total 100.0 100.0

Trucka 69.2 42.2

Raila 11.1 24.9

Pipelinea 1.3 3.8

Air 6.0 0.1

Water 5.6 26.5

Other and unknowna 6.8 2.5

a

Because export weights for surface modes are not currently reported, BTS 

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

based on value-to-weight ratios from the import data. 

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

with Canada and Mexico.

Source: 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 

September 2011, and BTS special calculation, September 2011.
Economic Competitiveness 39

4-10 Top 20 U.S.-International Trade Freight Gateways by Value

 of Shipments: 2010 (billions of current dollars)

Rank Gateway Exports Imports Total 

1 Los Angeles, CA (w) 33.7 202.6 236.3 

2 New York, NY and NJ (w) 46.3 125.1 171.3 

3 JFK International Airport, NY (a) 81.9 77.7 159.6 

4 Houston, TX (w) 70.7 60.2 130.9 

5 Laredo, TX (l) 57.3 63.7 121.0 

6 Detroit, MI (l) 62.8 48.2 111.0 

7 Chicago, IL (a) 35.3 75.3 110.7 

8 Long Beach, CA (w) 31.8 56.6 88.4 

9 Los Angeles Intl. Airport, CA (a) 36.9 40.5 77.4 

10 Port Huron, MI (l) 34.7 38.7 73.5 

11 Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY (l) 37.4 35.3 72.7 

12 Savannah, GA (w) 24.2 34.4 58.6 

13 New Orleans, LA (a) 22.7 35.0 57.7 

14 El Paso, TX (l) 23.9 31.7 55.6 

15 Charleston, SC (w) 19.4 30.8 50.2 

16 San Francisco Int’l Airport, CA (a) 27.4 22.6 49.9 

17 Miami Int’l Airport, FL (a) 34.5 15.3 49.9 

18 Norfolk, VA (w) 20.3 26.3 46.6 

19 Anchorage, AK (a) 9.8 34.9 44.7 

20 Seattle, WA (w) 10.0 32.7 42.8 

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

Notes: Air gateways include a low level (generally less than 3 percent 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 New York (JFK), 

Los Angeles, Chicago, and Anchorage. 

Sources: Air and Water—calculations based on data from U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division, USA Trade Online, available 

at http://data.usatradeonline.gov/ as of September 2011. 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 1-51, available at http://www.bts.gov/

publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of September 2011.
40 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-11 Top 20 U.S. Water Ports by Shipment Weight & 

 Top 20 U.S. Water Ports by Container TEUs: 2009

Port by shipment 

weight

Short tons 

(millions)

Port by container 

TEUs

Full TEUs 

(thousands)

South Louisiana, LA 212.6 Los Angeles, CA 4,919

Houston, TX 211.3 Long Beach, CA 4,064

New York, NY and NJ 144.7 New York, NY and NJ 3,761

Long Beach, CA 72.5 Savannah, GA 1,899

Corpus Christi, TX 68.2 Oakland, CA 1,543

New Orleans, LA 68.1 Norfolk Harbor, VA 1,413

Beaumont, TX 67.7 Houston, TX 1,263

Huntington, KY, OH, WV 59.2 Seattle, WA 1,219

Mobile, AL 58.4 Tacoma, WA 1,151

Texas City, TX 52.6 Charleston, SC 941

Lake Charles, LA 52.3 San Juan, PR 809

Mobile, AL 52.2 Honolulu, HI 686

Baton Rouge, LA 51.9 Jacksonville, FL 631

Plaquemines, LA 50.9 Miami, FL 623

Norfolk Harbor, VA 40.3 Port Everglades, FL 532

Pascagoula, MS 36.6 Baltimore, MD 453

Tampa, FL 34.9 Anchorage, AK 254

Valdez, AK 34.5 New Orleans, LA 232

Port Arthur,TX 33.8 Wilmington, NC 184

Pittsburgh, PA 32.9 Wilmington, DE 164

Total, top 20 1,436 26,741

Total, all ports 2,211 28,467

Notes: Includes exports, imports, and domestic shipments. See table 4-10 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, 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 2011 as cited in USDOT, RITA, BTS, National Transportation Statistics, 

table 1-57, available at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of 

September 2011. 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 2011.
Economic Competitiveness 41

4-12 Top 20 World Container Ports: 2008 and 2009

 (thousands of full and empty TEUs)

Rank 

(2008)

Rank 

(2009) Port Country TEUs

1 1 Singapore Singapore 25,867

2 2 Shanghai China 25,002

3 3 Hong Kong China 21,040

4 4 Shenzhen China 18,250

5 5 Busan South Korea 11,955

8 6 Guangzhou China 11,190

6 7 Dubai Ports United Arab Emirates 11,124

7 8 Ningbo China 10,503

10 9 Qingdao China 10,280

9 10 Rotterdam Netherlands 9,743

14 11 Tianjin China 8,700

12 12 Kaohsiung Taiwan 8,581

15 13 Port Kelang Malasyia 7,310

13 14 Antwerp Belgium 7,310

11 15 Hamburg Germany 7,008

16 16 Los Angeles United States 6,749

19 17 Tanjung Pelepas Malasyia 5,835

17 18 Long Beach United States 5,068

22 19 Xiamen China 4,680

18 20 Bremen/

Bremerhaven

Germany 4,579

Note: TEUs = 20-foot equivalent units. 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 2011.
42 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-13 New Passenger Car and Light-Truck Production: Model

 Years 1985–2010

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Cars

Light-trucks

Millions of vehicles

Notes: Data are based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) definitions of lighttrucks (gross vehicle weight of 8,500 pounds or less). Car and light-truck data for 

2003, 2008, and 2009 are revised.

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

Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2010, appendix 

E, available at http://www.epa.gov/oms/fetrends.htm as of October 2011.
Economic Competitiveness 43

4-14 U.S. Oil Imports: 1980–2010 

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

Total OPEC

Total Non-OPEC

Thousand barrels per day, average

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 (Washington, DC: August 2011), tables 3.3c and 3.3d, 

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

2011.
44 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-15 Major Suppliers of U.S. Imported Crude Oil and 

 Petroleum Products: 1990, 2000, 2009, 2010 

 (thousands of barrels per day, average)

Rank 

(2010) 1990 2000 2009 2010

Canada 1 934 1,807 2,479 2,535 

Mexico 2 755 1,373 1,210 1,284 

Saudi Arabia (OPEC) 3 1,339 1,572 1,004 1,096 

Nigeria (OPEC) 4 800 896 809 1,023 

Venezuela (OPEC) 5 1,025 1,546 1,063 988 

Russia 6 45 72 563 612 

Algeria (OPEC) 7 280 225 493 510 

Iraq (OPEC) 8 518 620 450 415 

Angola (OPEC) 9 NR NR 460 393 

Colombia 10 182 342 276 365 

Brazil 11 49 51 309 272 

United Kingdom 12 189 366 245 256 

U.S. Virgin Islands 13 282 291 277 253 

Ecuador (OPEC) 14 49 NR 185 212 

Kuwait (OPEC) 15 86 272 182 197 

Netherlands 16 55 30 140 108 

Norway 17 102 343 108 89 

Libya (OPEC) 18 0 0 79 70 

Total, major suppliers 6,690 9,806 10,333 10,678

Total, all U.S. imports 8,018 11,459 11,691 11,793

Key: OPEC = Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. NR = Not reported.

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. Angola joined OPEC in January 2007. Ecuador was a member 

of OPEC from 1973-1992, and rejoined OPEC in November 2007. Data for Angola 

for 1973-2006, and Ecuador for 1993-2007 are included in Total Non-OPEC in 

Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, table 3.3d.

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

Energy Review (Washington, DC: August 2011), tables 3.1, 3.3c–d, available at 

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/petro.html as of September 2011.
Economic Competitiveness 45

4-16 Government Transportation Revenues by Mode and 

 Level of Government: 1995, 2000, 2007, 2008 

 (millions of current dollars)

R

1995 R2000 R2007 2008

Highway total 67,544 90,981 114,396 111,980 

Federal: Highway 

 Trust Funda 22,200 34,986 40,061 37,080 

State and local 45,344 55,995 74,336 74,900 

Toll revenue 4,748 6,438 10,130 10,653 

Transit totalb 8,575 10,670 13,874 14,592 

Toll revenue 0 335 287 314 

Railroadc 36 1 0 0 

Air total 14,497 22,235 29,384 30,702 

Federal: Airport and 

 Airway Trust Fundd 6,291 10,544 11,994 12,484 

State and local 8,206 11,691 17,390 18,218 

Water total 3,832 4,058 6,191 6,551 

Federal: water 

 receiptse 1,909 1,551 2,325 2,412 

State and local 1,923 2,507 3,866 4,139 

Pipelinec 35 30 60 63 

General supportc 7 26 16 14 

Total, all modes 94,526 134,774 174,337 174,868 

Federal 30,478 47,138 54,456 52,053 

State and local 64,048 87,636 119,882 122,815 

Key: R = revised 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 depos- ited 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. 

Notes: Government transportation revenue consists of money collected by gov- ernments from transportation user charges and taxes to finance transportation 

programs. The revenue of a mode of transportation includes all transportation 

revenues designated to that mode regardless the sources or instruments from 

which the revenues are collected. Tolls from highways, bridges, and tunnels etc. 

but designated for transit use are accounted as transit revenue. The revisions for 

transportation revenues include: 1) state and local air transportation revenues for 

1995 and 2000, 2) pipeline revenues for 2000, and 3) the revenues for 2007. 

Source: U. S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technol- ogy Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Government Transporta- tion Financial Statistics 2011.
46 Pocket Guide to Transportation

4-17 Government Transportation Expenditures by Mode

 and Level of Government: 1995, 2000, 2007, 2008 

 (millions of current dollars)

R

1995 R2000 R2007 2008

Highway total 90,075 119,903 175,456 182,007 

Federal 1,685 2,182 2,932 3,803 

State and local 88,391 117,720 172,524 178,204 

Transit total 25,460 34,823 45,753 50,893 

Federal 1,277 3,672 98 90 

State and local 24,183 31,150 45,655 50,803 

Rail total 1,049 778 1,528 1,526 

Federal 1,023 765 1,523 1,525 

State and local 26 13 5 1 

Air total 19,184 22,352 43,584 46,430 

Federal 10,787 9,192 23,523 25,166 

State and local 8,397 13,160 20,061 21,264 

Water total 6,666 7,634 12,069 12,758 

Federal 4,357 4,493 7,308 7,818 

State and local 2,309 3,141 4,761 4,940 

Pipeline total 26 55 89 92 

Federal 14 37 66 61 

State and local 12 18 23 31 

General support 775 653 834 675 

Federal 769 645 821 663 

State and local 6 8 13 12 

Total, all modes 143,235 186,197 279,312 294,381 

Federal 19,911 20,987 36,271 39,126 

State and local 123,323 165,210 243,041 255,255 

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. The revisions for transportation expenditures include: 1) outlays for air transportation, 2) Federal 

water outlays for 1995 and 2007, 3) Federal expenditures on highway, transit 

and pipeline for 2000, 4) highway data for 2007, and 5) outlays for State and 

local transit and Federal general support for 2007. 

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

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Government 

Transportation Financial Statistics 2011.
Environmental Sustainability 47

5  Environmental Sustainability

While transportation enhances the quality of our lives, it also generates environmental impacts. Overall, 

most transportation-related air pollutant emissions have 

declined since 1980. This follows national mandates for 

more stringent vehicle emission standards, cleaner burning 

fuels, and greener automobile technologies. Greenhouse 

gas emissions from transportation fuel use rose steadily 

until 2007 before decreasing in 2008 due to the economic 

recession. However, transportation-related emissions have 

recently increased.

5-1 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Energy Use: 

 1985–2010 

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Residential

Commercial

Industrial

Transportation

Million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)

Notes: Electric power sector emissions are distributed across sectors. Data for 

2008 and 2009 are revised.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), Energy Information Administration (EIA), Monthly Energy Review, Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Energy 

Consumption, tables 12.2 to 12.5, available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/

mer/environ.html as of August 2011.
48 Pocket Guide to Transportation

5-2 Index of Key Air Pollutant Emissions From U.S. 

 Transportation: 1990–2009

1990 1995 2000 2005

1990 1995 2000 2005

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1990 1995 2000 2005

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1990 1995 2000 2005

1990 1995 2000 2005

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

Carbon monoxide

Volatile organic compounds

Index: 1990 = 1.0 Index: 1990 = 1.0

Index: 1990 = 1.0 Index: 1990 = 1.0

Index: 1990 = 1.0

1990 1995 2000 2005

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2 Index: 1990 = 1.0

Surfur dioxide

Nitrogen oxide

PM-10; PM-2.5

PM-10

PM-2.5

0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

Ammonia

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

particulates of less than 2.5 microns.

Notes: Not all graph scales are comparable. The indices are calculated using 

data on emissions from highway vehicles only. Particulate matters include PM 

without condensibles. Ammonia data for 2003 through 2005 are revised. Data 

for 2006 through 2008 are revised.

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 August 2011.
Environmental Sustainability 49

5-3 New Passenger Car and Light Truck Fuel Economy 

 Averages: 1990–2011 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Miles per gallon

1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011

New passenger cars

New light trucks

Average light duty, short wheelbasea,b

Average light duty, long wheelbasea

a

Data before 2007 are for passenger car and other 2-axle, 4-tire vehicles, 

respectively. b

Before 1995, light duty vehicle, short wheel base (previously 

passenger car) fuel efficiency includes motorcycles.

Key: U = unavailable.

Notes: Fuel economy is miles divided by gallons. New vehicle data are for 

model years. Average fleet data for 2007 to 2009 were calculated using a new 

methodology developed by FHWA. Data for these years are based on new 

categories and are not comparable to previous years. The new category “Light 

duty vehicle, short wheel base” includes passenger cars, light trucks, vans and 

sport utility vehicles with a wheelbase equal to or less than 121 inches. The 

new category “Light duty vehicle, long wheel base” includes large passenger 

cars, vans, pickup trucks, and sport/utility vehicles with wheelbases larger 

than 121 inches. 

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Summary of Fuel 

Economy Performance (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), available at 

http://www.nhtsa.gov/ and Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics 

(Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table VM-1, available at 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm as cited in U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, 

table 4-23, available at 

http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of 

December 2011.
50 Pocket Guide to Transportation

5-4 Hybrid Vehicle Salesa in the United States: 

 1999–2010c

Year Domestic hybridb Import hybrid Total hybrid

1999 0 17 17

2000 0 9,350 9,350

2001 0 20,282 20,282

2002 0 22,335 22,335

2003 0 47,566 47,566

2004 2,993 81,206 84,199

2005 15,960 189,868 205,828

2006 24,198 229,320 253,518

2007 77,629 275,233 352,862

2008 86,082 229,606 315,688

2009 81,882 208,858 290,740

2010 64,893 209,528 274,421

a

 Sales include leased vehicles and fleet sales. b Includes vehicles produced 

in Canada and Mexico. c

 Calendar year vehicle sales.

Notes: Data for 2009 are revised. The first domestic hybrid vehicle was not 

introduced in the U.S. market until 2004. A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle powered 

by a combination of battery-electric motor(s) and an internal combustion 

engine.

Source: Ward’s Automotive Group, WardsAuto.com, personal communication, March 2011.
Environmental Sustainability 51

5-5 U.S. Petroleum Production and Consumption:

 1975–2010

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

0

5

10

15

20

25

Transportation consumption

Total consumption

Total production

Million barrels per day

Notes: Data for 2010 are preliminary. Data for 2008 are revised.

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

Monthly Energy Review (Washington, DC: September 2010), tables 3.1 and 

3.7c, available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/aer/petro.html as of July 2010 as cited 

in USDOT, RITA, BTS, National Transportation Statistics, table 4-1, available 

at http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/ as of 

October 2011.
52 Pocket Guide to Transportation

5-6 Transportation’s Share of U.S. Petroleum Use: 

 1975–2010

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

0

3

6

9

12

15

Transportation

Industry

Residential

Utilities

Million barrels per day

Note: The 2010 data are preliminary.

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

Monthly Energy Review (Washington, DC: July 2011), tables 3.7a–c, available 

at http://www.eia.doe.gov/mer/petro.html as of August 2011.
Glossary 53

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 railroad: Railroads earning adjusted annual operating revenues for 

three consecutive years of $250,000,000 or more, based on 1991 dollars with 

an adjustment factor applied to subsequent years.

Commercial waterway facilities: Waterway facilities, as defined 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 $12.50 per hour 

of person travel and $23.70 per hour of truck travel in 2009) 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, nonfixed–schedule 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.

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

Ferry: Vessels that carry passengers and/or vehicles over a body of water. 

Generally steam or diesel-powered, ferryboats may also be hovercraft, 

hydrofoil, and other high-speed vessels. The vessel is limited in its use to the 

carriage of deck passengers or vehicles or both, operates on a short run on a 

frequent schedule between two points over the most direct water routes other 

than in ocean or coastwise service, and is offered as a public service of a type 

normally attributed to a bridge or tunnel. 

Glossary
54 Pocket Guide to Transportation

For-hire: Refers to a vehicle operated on behalf of or by a company that 

provides transport services to external customers for a fee. It is distinguished 

from private transportation services, in which a firm transports its own freight 

and does not offer its transportation services to other shippers.

Functionally Obsolete: Functional obsolescence is a function of the 

geometrics of the bridge not meeting current design standards.

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 rights–of–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 percent or more of the total enplaned passengers; 

medium—0.25–0.99 percent; small—0.05–0.24 percent; nonhub area—less 

than 0.05 percent. The definition of hub used here is distinct from airline usage 

of the term to describe “hub–and–spoke” route structures or other definitions 

of hubs used by the Federal Aviation Administration, which relate to 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: majors—more than $1 billion; nationals—between $100 

million and $1 billion; large regionals—between $20 million and $99,999,999; 

and medium regionals—less than $20 million.

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.

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.

Long–distance travel: 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.

Metric ton: A unit of weight equal to 2,204.6 pounds.
Glossary 55

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS): 

NAICS (established in April 1997) replaced 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.

Pedalcyclist: A person on a vehicle that is powered solely by pedals.

Personal communication: Involves contacting the source for data if not 

publicly available.

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.

Serious injury (Air Carrier/General Aviation): An injury that 

requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours, commencing within 7 days 

from the date when the injury was received; results in a bone fracture (except 

simple fractures of fingers, toes, or nose); involves lacerations that cause 

severe hemmorrhages, nerve, muscle, or tendon damage; involves injury to 

any internal organ; or involves second- or third-degree burns or any burns 

affecting more than 5 percent of the body surface.

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.

Structurally Deficient: Structural deficiencies are characterized by 

deteriorated conditions of significant bridge elements and reduced loadcarrying capacity.

Ton mile: A unit of measure equal to movement of one ton over one mile.

Truck: Single unit—A large truck on a single frame with at least two axles 

and six tires. 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

Cover (right to left)

Sébastien Dionne

 BTS Stock Photo

 BTS Stock Photo

 Kevin Abbott

Cathy Kaplan

 BTS Stock Photo
Printed on paper containing recycled post 

consumer waste paper.

http://www.bts.gov/publications/pocket_guide_to_transportation/2012/