Office of Operations Freight Management and Operations
Table of Contents

Quick Response Freight Manual II

9.0 Existing Data

This section presents an overview of existing freight transportation data sources that can be used in the planning process. It covers Commodity O‑D Tables, Mode-Specific Data Sources, Employment/Industry Data, and Performance Data. A brief overview of the most common data sources is presented, including a summary of the methodology as well as the major drawbacks and positive aspects of each.

9.1 Commodity O‑D Tables

There are several public and private sources for freight origin-destination data in the United States. This section discusses the four most commonly used ones: Global Insight’s TRANSEARCH Data, the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA), FAF1 and FAF2, and the U.S. Census Bureau's Bureau of Transportation Statistics' (BTS) Commodity Flow Survey (CFS). The discussion covers the general methodology used for each database as well as some of the major limitations.

9.1.1 Global Insight TRANSEARCH

TRANSEARCH is a privately maintained comprehensive market research database for intercity freight traffic flows compiled by Global Insight, formerly Reebie Associates. The database includes information describing commodities (by Standard Transportation Commodity Classification (STCC) code), tonnage, origin and destination markets, and mode of transport. Data are obtained from Federal, state, provincial agencies, trade and industry groups, and a sample of motor carriers. Forecasts of commodity flows for up to 25 years also are available.

TRANSEARCH data are generally accepted as the most detailed available commodity flow data and are commonly used by states, metropolitan planning organizations (MPO), and FHWA in conducing freight planning activities. However, it should be noted that there are some limitations to how this data should be used and interpreted:

  • Mode Limitations – The Rail Waybill data used in TRANSEARCH are based on data collected by Class I railroads. The waybill data contain some information for regional and short-line railroads, but only in regards to interline service associated with a Class I railroad. This is important to Maine, as it does not have any direct service from a Class I railroad. The rail tonnage movements provided by the TRANSEARCH database, therefore, are conservative estimates.
  • Use of Multiple Data Sources – TRANSEARCH consists of a national database built from company-specific data and other available databases. To customize the dataset for a given region and project, local and regional data sources are often incorporated. This incorporation requires the development of assumptions that sometimes compromise the accuracy of the resulting database. Different data sources use different classifications; most economic forecasts are based on SIC codes while commodity data are organized by STCC codes. For example, the U.S. Bureau of Census’ VIUS has its own product codes that must be assigned to STCCs to convert truck commodity flows to truck trips. These and other conversions can sometimes lead to some data being miscategorized or left unreported.
  • Data Collection and Reporting – The level of detail provided by some specific companies when reporting their freight shipment activities limits the accuracy of TRANSEARCH. If a shipper moves a shipment intermodally, for example, one mode must be identified as the primary method of movement. Suppose three companies make shipments from the Midwest United States to Europe using rail to New York then water to Europe. One company may report the shipment as simply a rail move from the Midwest to New York; another may report it as a water move from New York to Europe; the third may report the shipment as an intermodal move from the Midwest to Europe with rail as the primary mode. The various ways in which companies report their freight shipments can limit the accuracy of TRANSEARCH.
  • Limitations of International Movements – TRANSEARCH does not report international air shipments through the regional gateways. Additionally, specific origin and destination information is not available for overseas waterborne traffic through marine ports. Overseas ports are not identified and TRANSEARCH estimates the domestic distribution of maritime imports and exports. TRANSEARCH data also do not completely report international petroleum and oil imports through marine ports. This is a concern to a state like Maine, which receives large amounts of petroleum through its major marine ports from Canada. Finally, TRANSEARCH assigns commodity data only to the truck, rail, air, and water modes, though a large percentage of foreign imports (by weight) consist of oil and petroleum products – commodities that are frequently shipped via pipeline to storage and distribution points.

9.1.2 FHWA Freight Analysis Framework

In order to better understand freight demands, assess implications for the surface transportation system, and develop policy and program initiatives to improve freight efficiency, FHWA developed a Freight Productivity Program. The first generation of FAF1 was developed by FHWA as part of that program to document the magnitude and geography of freight moving within the United States; analyze changes in freight flows and networks; highlight mismatches in national and regional freight demand and supply; and understand the regional significance of freight corridors and nodes.

FAF1 is essentially a modified version of Global Insight’s TRANSEARCH database. Two important enhancements from the “off-the-shelf” TRANSEARCH database were included in FAF1. First, FAF1 provided better coverage of agricultural products, particularly in the truck mode. Second, freight rail movements in FAF1 reflect additional work that was done to better identify rail export volumes. The resulting county-to-county movements were summarized at the state level for release to state DOTs and MPOs.

The FAF1 data provide flows of specific commodities by mode (truck, rail, air, and water) for a base year (1998) and forecasts of freight movement by mode for 2010 and 2020. Forecasted freight movements were developed using forecasts of specific industries. While these data do not provide the level of geographic detail to be useful for detailed statewide or metropolitan freight planning, they are useful in identifying key transportation corridors and how those corridors are expected to grow in the future.

In 2006, the FHWA published the second generation of FAF (FAF2), which improved on the first version by providing more geographic regions that cover substate areas (FAF2 includes 114 zones, while FAF1 displayed only interstate flows); providing international freight flows to Canada, Mexico, Latin and South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the rest of the world through more than 75 international gateways in the country; providing seven mode classifications (truck, rail, water, air, pipeline, intermodal, and others) instead of the traditional four provided by FAF1 (truck, rail, air, water); and providing commodity data using the two-digit Standard Classification of Transported Goods (SCTG) scheme in order to match the 2002 CFS.

The FHWA notes that FAF2 is based entirely on public data sources and transparent methods and has been expanded to cover all modes and significant sources of shipments. Because the scope and methods changed significantly since FAF1, statistics from FAF2 and the original FAF should not be compared. Furthermore, the same limitations that apply to Global Insight’s TRANSEARCH data apply to both FAF1 and 2.

The FHWA has recently published forecasts for FAF2 that extend to 2035, the complete database and documentation are available on‑line for download at: http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/faf/index.htm.

9.1.3 Census Bureau Commodity Flow Survey

The 2002 CFS is undertaken through a partnership between the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the BTS, U.S. Department of Transportation. This survey produces data on the movement of goods in the United States. It provides information on commodities shipped, their value, weight, and mode of transportation, as well as the origin and destination of shipments of manufacturing, mining, wholesale, and select retail establishments. The data from the CFS are used by public policy analysts and for transportation planning and decision-making to assess the demand for transportation facilities and services, energy use, and safety risk and environmental concerns.

Industry Coverage

The 2002 CFS covers business establishments with paid employees that are located in the United States and are classified using the 1997 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) in mining, manufacturing, wholesale trade, and select retail trade industries, namely, electronic shopping and mail-order houses. Establishments classified in services, transportation, construction, and most retail industries are excluded from the survey. Farms, fisheries, foreign establishments, and most government-owned establishments also are excluded.

The survey also covers auxiliary establishments (i.e., warehouses and managing offices) of multi-establishment companies, which have nonauxiliary establishments that are in‑scope to the CFS or are classified in retail trade. The coverage of managing offices has been expanded in the 2002 CFS, compared to the 1997 CFS. For the 1997 CFS, the number of in‑scope managing offices was reduced to a large extent based on the results of the 1992 Economic Census. A managing office was considered in‑scope to the 1997 CFS only if it had sales or end-of-year inventories in the 1992 Census. However, research conducted prior to the 2002 CFS showed that not all managing offices with shipping activity in the 1997 CFS indicated sales or inventories in the 1997 Economic Census. Therefore, the 1997 Economic Census results were not used in the determination of scope for managing offices in the 2002 CFS.

Shipment Coverage

The CFS captures data on shipments originating from select types of business establishments located in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data do not cover shipments originating from business establishments located in Puerto Rico and other U.S. possessions and territories. Shipments traversing the United States from a foreign location to another foreign location (e.g., from Canada to Mexico) are not included, nor are shipments from a foreign location to a U.S. location. Imported products are included in the CFS at the point that they left the importer’s domestic location for shipment to another location. Shipments that are shipped through a foreign territory with both the origin and destination in the United States are included in the CFS data. The mileages calculated for these shipments exclude the international segments (e.g., shipments from New York to Michigan through Canada do not include any mileages for Canada). Export shipments are included, with the domestic destination defined as the U.S. port, airport, or border crossing of exit from the United States.

Availability

The 2002 CFS documentation and reports are available on the BTS site at: http://www.bts.gov/publications/commodity_flow_survey/.

9.2 Mode-Specific Freight Data

This subsection covers publicly available data that deal with specific modes, such as the VIUS, the Carload Waybill Sample, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Waterborne Commerce Statistics Database. As with the previous subsection, the discussion covers the general methodology used for each database as well as some of the major limitations.

9.2.1 U.S. Census Bureau’s Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS)

The VIUS provides data on the physical and operational characteristics of the nation’s truck population. Its primary goal is to produce national and state-level estimates of the total number of trucks. The first survey was conducted in 1963. It was then conducted every five years beginning in 1967 and continuing to 2002. Prior to 1997, the survey was known as the Truck Inventory and Use Survey (TIUS). VIUS has not been included in the budget for the 2007 Economic Census, and the 2002 VIUS may be the last survey available.

VIUS data are of considerable value to government, business, academia, and the general public. Data on the number and types of vehicles and how they are used are important in studying the future growth of transportation and are needed in calculating fees and cost allocations among highway users. The data also are important in evaluating safety risks to highway travelers and in assessing the energy efficiency and environmental impact of the nation’s truck fleet. Businesses and others make use of these data in conducting market studies and evaluating market strategies; assessing the utility and cost of certain types of equipment; calculating the longevity of products; determining fuel demands; and linking to, and better utilizing, other datasets representing limited segments of the truck population.

Public use microdata files are available for years 1977 and later. Publications are available for all years. Visit http://www.census.gov/svsd/www/vius/products.html to access these files and publications.

Methodology and Limitations

The VIUS is a probability sample of all private and commercial trucks registered (or licensed) in the United States. The sample size for each year is:


Year

Sample Size

2002

136,113

1997

131,083

1992

153,914

1987

135,290

1982

120,000

1977

116,400

1972

113,800

1967

~ 120,000

1963

~ 115,000

The VIUS excludes vehicles owned by Federal, state, or local governments; ambulances; buses; motor homes; farm tractors; and nonpowered trailer units. Additionally, trucks that were included in the sample but reported to have been sold, junked, or wrecked prior to the survey year (date varies) were deemed out of scope.

The sampling frame was stratified by geography and truck characteristics. The 50 states and the District of Columbia made up the 51 geographic strata. Body type and gross vehicle weight (GVW) determined the following five truck strata:

  1. Pickups;
  2. Minivans, other light vans, and sport utilities;
  3. Light single-unit trucks (GVW 26,000 pounds or less);
  4. Heavy single-unit trucks (GVW 26,001 pounds or more); and
  5. Truck-tractors.

Therefore, the sampling frame was partitioned into 255 geographic-by-truck strata. Within each stratum, a simple random sample of truck registrations was selected without replacement. Older surveys were stratified differently: for the 1963-1977 TIUS the survey was stratified by “small trucks” and “large trucks.”

9.2.3 Surface Transportation Board’s Carload Waybill Sample

The Carload Waybill Sample (Waybill Sample) is a stratified sample of carload waybills for terminated shipments by rail carriers. A waybill is a document issued by a carrier giving details and instructions relating to the shipment of a consignment of goods. Typically, it will show the names of the consignor and consignee, point of origin of the consignment, destination, route, method of shipment, and amount charged for carriage.

Railroads may file waybill sample information by using either: 1) authenticated copies of a sample of audited revenue waybills (the manual system); or 2) a computer-generated sample containing specified information (the computerized system or MRI). The waybill submissions from these two methods are combined in a 900 byte Master Record File containing a movement-specific Confidential Waybill File and a less detailed Public Use Waybill File. The content of waybill requests are described in 49 CFR 1244.9.

The Waybill Sample is a continuous sample that is released in yearly segments. For the past several years, the sample contained information on approximately 600,000 movements. It includes waybill information from Class I, Class II, and some of the Class III railroads. The STB requires that these railroads submit waybill samples if, in any of the three preceding years, they terminated on their lines at least 4,500 revenue carloads. The Waybill Sample currently encompasses over 99 percent of all U.S. rail traffic.

Data from the Waybill Sample are used as input to many STB projects, analyses, and studies. Federal agencies (U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, etc.) use the Waybill Sample as part of their information base. The Waybill Sample also is used by states as a major source of information for developing state transportation plans. In addition, nongovernment groups seek access to waybill sample data for such uses as market surveys, development of verified statements in STB and state formal proceedings, forecast of rail equipment requirements, economic analysis and forecasts, academic research, etc.

Access to the Files

Because the Master Waybill File contains sensitive shipping and revenue information, access to this information is restricted to railroads; Federal agencies; states; transportation practitioners, consultants, and law firms with formal proceedings before the STB or State Boards; and certain other users. Rules governing access to Waybill Data are described in 49 CFR 1244.9.

Anyone can access the nonconfidential data in the Public Use File by sending a written request to: OEEAA, Surface Transportation Board, 1925 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20423-0001.

9.2.4 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Waterborne Commerce Statistics Database

The USACE publishes every year the Waterborne Databanks and Preliminary Waterborne Cargo Summary reports, which contain foreign cargo summaries, including value and weight information by type of service on U.S. waterborne imports and exports. These statistics are based on the U.S. Bureau of the Census trade data matched to the U.S. Customs vessel entrances and clearances.

The Waterborne Commerce Dataset presents detailed data on the movements of vessels and commodities at the ports and harbors and on the waterways and canals of the United States and its territories. Statistics are aggregated by region, state, port, and waterway for comparative purposes. Data on foreign commerce are supplied to the USACE by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Customs, and purchased from the Journal of Commerce, Port Import Export Reporting Service.

Domestic Commerce

Contiguous and noncontiguous states and territories constitute the geographical space upon which domestic commerce may be transported. This includes Hawaii, Alaska, the 48 contiguous states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Wake Island, and the U.S. Trust Territories.

The waterborne traffic movements are reported to the USACE by all vessel operators of record on ENG Forms 3925 and 3925b (or equivalent) approved by the Office of Management and Budget under the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3510(a)). The reports are generally submitted on the basis of individual vessel movements completed. For movements with cargo, the point of loading and the point of unloading of each individual commodity must be delineated. Cargo moved for the military agencies in commercial vessels is reported as ordinary commercial cargo; military cargo moved in Department of Defense vessels is not collected.

In summarizing the domestic commerce, certain movements are excluded: cargo carried on general ferries; coal and petroleum products loaded from shore facilities directly into bunkers of vessels for fuel; and insignificant amounts of government materials (less than 100 tons) moved on government-owned equipment in support of Corps projects.

Beginning in 1996, fish are excluded from internal and intraport domestic traffic. The fish landing data in Tables 4.3 and 5.3 are furnished by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

In tables containing domestic tonnage totals for the United States, the commodity “Waterway Improvement Materials” is not included. “Waterway Improvement Materials” tonnage is included in domestic ports, waterways, and waterway systems. This is the same procedure that has been used in years prior to 1990; therefore, the tonnages for years 1990 and later are comparable to tonnages in years prior to 1990.

Foreign Commerce

Foreign commerce is waterborne import, export, and in‑transit traffic between the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and any foreign country. These statistics do not include traffic between any foreign country and the United States Territories and Possessions (American Samoa, Guam, North Mariana Islands, and U.S. outlying islands).

Beginning with the calendar year 2000 publication, foreign waterborne import, export, and in‑transit cargo statistics are derived primarily from data purchased from the Port Import Export Reporting Service, a division of the Journal of Commerce and supplemented by data furnished to the USACE by the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the U.S. Customs Service. Foreign cargo is matched to the vessel moves to improve geographic specificity.

Although t he Republic of Panama is a foreign country, individual vessel movements with origin and destination at U.S. ports traveling via the Panama Canal are considered domestic traffic. Alaskan crude oil (origin at Valdez, Alaska) shipped via the Panama pipeline (west to east) and destined for gulf and east coast ports also is considered domestic commerce.

Import and export shipments for use of the United States Armed Forces abroad are not reported to the Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center (WCSC). Beginning with calendar year 1989, shipments under the military assistance program of the Department of Defense are included in the statistics under the appropriate commodity code. In prior years, these cargoes were given as commodity code 9999.

9.2.5 Federal Highway Administration’s Vehicle Travel Information System (VTRIS)

The VTRIS system validates, facilitates editing, summarizes, and generates reports on vehicle travel characteristics. It also maintains the permanent database of the Station description, Vehicle Classification, and Truck Weight measurements in metric units. It allows repetitive data averaging and report generation with different options without additional source data processing. It allows input of ASCII traffic data as well as import of state-submitted data in internal VTRIS formats. The reports and graphs – final products of VTRIS functionality – can be created in both metric and English units.

The VTRIS software was developed by Signal Corporation together with the FHWA Office of Highway Policy Information (HPPI). It is distributed among all state agencies and FHWA field offices.

The information is presented in VTRIS W‑Tables, which are designed to provide a standard format for presenting the outcome of the Vehicle Weighing and Classification efforts at truck weigh sites. Tables list the characteristics of each weight station as well as summary of vehicles counted, vehicles weighted, average weight, and truck classification amongst other things based on user input regarding state, year, and station or roadway classification.

The VTRIS database and documentation can be accessed on‑line at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/ohimvtis.cfm.

9.3 Employment/Industry Data

Employment and wage data, as well as population and income data, are used to analyze and judge the economic development contributions that may result from a transportation improvement project. This can include analysis of job trends, the types of industries creating new jobs in the region, a description of how existing businesses would be affected by the transportation project, and whether the local labor pool is sufficient to fill new jobs created by the project. High unemployment and low relative wages would indicate an available labor pool, both in terms of people seeking jobs and “underemployed” people willing to change jobs for higher wages.

Wage and payroll data by region can be used to analyze the differences in pay levels in one area compared to another, by occupation or by industry and, often in conjunction with unemployment rates, can indicate whether a region is in relative “economic distress.” These data can be a reflection of the overall health of a region, especially if mean pay levels are significantly above or below state averages. When viewed over time, wage and payroll data can show whether a region is gaining or losing ground relative to the state. [See Section 8.0 for a description of a study on New York’s North Country which included a time series analysis to determine the extent of regional deficiencies in infrastructure and economic development. The study found that the rate of business expansions and industry growth (especially in tourism) significantly lagged state averages.] For poorer regions, a measure of economic progress can be wage levels that are progressively converging with the state. As an economic development strategy, transportation investment can be used to reduce disparities among subregions in employment and wage growth. Economic development outcomes emanating from a transportation project may include relative increases in employment growth rates and relative reductions in unemployment rates.

This section provides an overview of the most common sources for employment, wage data, and income data.

9.3.1 Sources of Employment and Wage Data

Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is an independent national statistical agency within the U.S. Department of Labor that collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential statistical data to the public, the U.S. Congress, other Federal agencies, state, and local governments, business, and labor.

The BLS works with state-level employment agencies throughout the country to collect data on employment, unemployment, and wages. Statistics can be obtained from the Bureau’s web site at http://www.bls.gov/.

State Department of Labor

States Department of Labor tend to be the chief collector of data on industry and regional employment trends in the state. Agencies usually collect data through several distinct programs, in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Employment, wage, and payroll data also are produced by the Census Bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Information for all State Departments of Labor can be found on the U.S. Department of Labor web site at: http://www.dol.gov/esa/contacts/state_of.htm.

Current Employment Statistics (CES)

CES data are collected through a monthly survey of about 160,000 business and government agencies representing approximately 400,000 individual work sites and provides detailed industry data (industry-level details are available at a four-digit NAICS code for some, generally larger, metropolitan areas) on nonfarm employment, hours, and earning estimates based on payroll records. Current data on employment are available for most industries. Because comparable data are collected for all states and metropolitan areas, CES data is an excellent source for evaluating and comparing the economic health and composition of these larger geographic areas; however, CES data is generally not available at the county level. CES data at the state and metropolitan levels may be obtained at http://www.bls.gov/sae/home.htm while nationwide data is available at http://www.bls.gov/ces/home.htm.

Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)

These monthly figures provide labor force estimates, the number of persons employed, the number of persons unemployed, and the unemployment rates for areas in the country. Information is available for states, metropolitan statistical areas, counties, and some cities, towns, and villages. The data from the LAUS are particularly useful if “high unemployment rates” (as a proxy for “economic distress”) are a selection criteria for evaluating the economic development component of a transportation project.

One very significant difference between the LAUS data series and the other employment sources (ES‑202 and Current Employment Statistics) discussed in this section is that it is based on a household survey rather than an employer survey. Because the LAUS is a household survey, it reflects where employed and unemployed people live, not where they work.

LAUS data are available from the Department of Labor’s web site at the following address: http://www.labor.state.ny.us/html/laus/search.htm.

The following definitions for civilian labor force and employment are used in the Local Area Unemployment Survey:

  • Civilian Labor Force – That portion of the population age 16 and older employed or unemployed. To be considered unemployed, a person has to be not working but willing and able to work and actively seeking work.
  • Employment (Total) – The estimated number of people in an area who were working for pay or profit during a period, or who had jobs from which they were temporarily absent, or who worked 15 hours or more as unpaid family workers.

Occupational Employment Statistics

Occupational Wage Data are produced by the BLS with cooperation with each state’s Department of Labor. The program produces employment and wage estimates for over 800 occupations. These are estimates of the number of people employed in certain occupations, and estimates of the wages paid to them. Self-employed persons are not included in the estimates. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan areas; national occupational estimates for specific industries also are available.

Data are generated through a voluntary survey of employers. From the responses, wage data for the regions is produced. The data are available at the following site: http://www.bls.gov/oes/.

U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns

County Business Patterns (CBP) is an annual series from the U.S. Census Bureau that provides subnational economic data by industry. [The County Business Patterns program defined industries under the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system through 1997. However, beginning with the 1998 CBP program (published in 2000) data were tabulated using the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS).] The series is useful for studying the economic activity of small areas and analyzing economic changes (employment, number of business establishments, and payroll by industry) over time.

CBP data for the United States, individual states, metropolitan areas, and zip code can be accessed using a menu-driven web site maintained by the Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/epcd/cbp/view/cbpview.html.

Economic Census Industry Data

The Census Bureau conducts the Economic Census every five years, in those years ending in “2” and “7,” to provide data on the national economy by major industry sector. The advantage of the Economic Census is that it is comprehensive and presents detailed industrial data at the state, metropolitan area, and community levels. A disadvantage of the Economic Census is that it is released only once every five years, with a lag time of several years between the time the data is gathered and the time it is published.

Industry reports for each state can be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat’s PDF format directly from the Census Bureau site at http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/. Each industry report contains data on establishments, sales, and payroll at the state, metropolitan area, county, and community levels.

The Economic Census of Manufactures, a subset of the Economic Census, provides data by NAICS code on manufacturing establishments that is unavailable from other public sources. [Beginning with the 1997 Census, all sectors are covered under the title Economic Census (with the exception of agriculture and government), and are no longer treated as if each sector had a separate census, such as the Census of Manufacturers.] Manufacturing data is included by industry and geographic location for total shipments, annual and first quarter payroll, number of employees, capital expenditures, cost of materials, and value added.

These data can illustrate several points about manufacturing in the local economy by providing a snapshot for comparing metropolitan areas, counties, and communities in a number of ways, including: 1) how much manufacturers invested in their facilities (new capital expenditures); 2) the dollar value of goods being shipped from the area’s manufacturing facilities (value of shipments); and 3) the value-added by manufacture for the area’s industries. The report also includes wage data such as total payroll and production worker wages at the state, county, metropolitan area, and community levels. Using the data provided for value-added by manufacture, the productivity of a region’s or area’s manufacturing industries can be determined by calculating value added per production worker wage dollar.

Productivity Measures

Productivity is a measure of the value added during the manufacturing process as it relates to the wages earned, the hours worked, and the number of people employed. It is a reflection of the education and skill level of the workforce, the application of advanced processes, and the efficient use of capital and equipment (such as production machinery and computers). Transportation infrastructure enhances productivity by allowing businesses to use their capital more efficiently. For example, the use of just-in-time (JIT) production processes, enabled by an efficient transportation system, abets productivity by reducing inventory and lowering costs.

Productivity is measured by showing the value added per unit of input (usually labor) in the production process. Using a motor vehicle plant as an example, the value added that is reported for a facility puts into dollar terms, the value of production that is actually taking place at the plant. Value added is the difference between the value of goods being shipped out of the plant (for example, finished pickup trucks) minus the materials (such as paint, plastics, metal parts, electronics, and glass) that were required to build the finished good.

9.3.2 Sources of Income Data

Bureau of Economic Analysis

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is the best source for income data. The BEA’s mission is “to produce and disseminate accurate, timely, relevant, and cost-effective economic accounts statistics that provide government, businesses, households, and individuals with a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of economic activity.” BEA data offer the opportunity to analyze trends going back to 1969. Income data can be downloaded from the BEA’s web site and is available at the state, metropolitan area, and county levels. Historic information on employment and population also is presented on the BEA web site.

Basic profiles, explaining the growth of per capita and personal income by county, are available from the BEA’s BEA Regional Facts at http://bea.gov/bea/regional/bearfacts/. This site allows users to select any state, county, or MSA for a short-profile chronicling the area’s personal income using current estimates, growth rates, and a breakdown of the sources of personal income. Users can compare their year of choice (1979–2004) with a year that falls 10 years prior, for example 2004 compared to 1994.

Personal income and per capita income data currently are available by county, metropolitan area, and state for the 1969-2004 period on the BEA web site at http://bea.gov/bea/regional/reis/. The data on this site can only be downloaded at predefined, geographic levels.

9.4 Performance Data

This section covers two publicly available data source that deal with highway performance: the FHWA’s Highway Performance Monitoring System and the Texas Transportation Institute’s Urban Mobility Report.

9.4.1 FHWA’s Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS)

The Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) provides data that show the extent, condition, performance, use, and operating characteristics of the nation’s highways. It was developed in 1978 as a national highway transportation system database. It includes limited data on all public roads, more detailed data for a sample of the arterial and collector functional systems, and certain statewide summary information. HPMS replaced numerous uncoordinated annual state data reports as well as biennial special studies conducted by each state. These special studies had been conducted to support a 1965 congressional requirement that a report on the condition of the nation’s highway needs be submitted to Congress every two years.

The HPMS data form the basis of the analyses that support the biennial Condition and Performance Reports to Congress. These reports provide a comprehensive, factual background to support development and evaluation of the Administration’s legislative, program, and budget options. They provide the rationale for requested Federal-aid Highway Program funding levels and are used for apportioning Federal-aid funds back to the states under TEA‑21; both of these activities ultimately affect every state that contributes data to the HPMS.

These data also are used for assessing highway system performance under FHWA’s strategic planning process. Pavement condition data, congestion-related data, and traffic data used to determine fatality and injury rates are used extensively by the Administration to measure FHWA’s and the state’s progress in meeting the objectives embodied in The Vital Few, FHWA’s Performance Plan, and other strategic goals.

In addition, the HPMS serves the needs of states, MPOs and local governments, and other customers in assessing highway condition, performance, air quality trends, and future investment requirements. Many states rely on traffic and travel data from the HPMS to conduct air quality analyses and make assessments related to determining air quality conformity, and they are now using the same analysis models used by FHWA to assess their own highway investment needs, HERS‑ST. As a result of these uses, states have an additional stake in ensuring the completeness and quality of these data.

Finally, these data are the source of a large portion of information included in FHWA’s annual Highway Statistics and other publications. They are widely used in both the national and international arenas by other governments, transportation professionals, and industry professionals to make decisions that impact national and local transportation systems and the transportation dependent economy.

Further information about the HPMS and its methodology can be obtained on‑line at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohpi/hpms/index.cfm.

9.4.2 Texas Transportation Institute’s Urban Mobility Report

The Urban Mobility Report, published on an annual basis, contains over 20 years of data which are used to identify trends and examine issues related to urban congestion. The 2007 study includes information for 85 U.S. urban areas from 1982 to 2005. The measures presented in the report provide a basis for discussion about the significance of the mobility problems and the need for solutions.

The TTI study ranks areas according to several measurements, including:

  • Annual delay per peak-period (rush hour) traveler, which has grown from 16 hours to 44 hours since 1982;
  • Number of urban areas with more than 20 hours of annual delay per peak traveler, which has grown from only 5 in 1982 to 57 in 2005;
  • Total amount of delay, reaching 4.2 billion hours in 2003; and
  • Wasted fuel, totaling 2.9 billion gallons lost to engines idling in traffic jams.

The 2007 study is available on‑line in PDF format at: http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/.

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