Table 1-1: Economic and Social Characteristics of the United States
Freight transportation has grown dramatically with the growth and spread of population and economic activity within the United States, and with the increasing interdependence of economies across the globe. The U.S. population grew by 27 percent between 1980 and 2002, while the economy, measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), nearly doubled in real terms. Other indicators of economic growth such as employment and household income have also risen, by 37 and 16 percent respectively. Foreign trade has grown faster than the overall economy, more than doubling between 1980 and 2002, reflecting unprecedented global interconnectivity.
| Characteristic | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2002 | Percent change 1980 to 2002 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resident population (thousands) | 227,225 | 249,623 | 282,224 | 288,369 | 26.9 |
| Households (thousands) | 80,776 | 93,347 | 104,705 | 109,927 | 36.1 |
| Median household income ($2000) | 35,057 | 38,256 | 41,990 | 40,612 | 15.8 |
| Civilian labor force(thousands) | 106,940 | 125,840 | 142,583 | 144,863 | 35.5 |
| Employed (thousands) | 99,303 | 118,793 | 136,891 | 136,485 | 37.4 |
| Employed Agriculture (percent) |
3.4 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.4 | -0.7 |
| Employed Mining (percent) |
1.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | -47.3 |
| Employed Construction (percent) |
6.3 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 55.6 |
| Employed Manufacturing (percent) |
22.1 | 18.0 | 14.8 | 13.3 | -17.3 |
| Employed Transportation, communication, and other public utilities (percent) |
6.6 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 48.4 |
| Employed Wholesale and retail trade (percent) | 20.3 | 20.7 | 20.6 | 20.6 | 39.2 |
| Employed Finance, insurance, and real estate (percent) | 6.0 | 6.8 | 6.4 | 6.7 | 52.3 |
| Employed Services (percent) | 29.0 | 33.1 | 36.7 | 37.9 | 79.9 |
| Employed Public administration (percent) | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 15.8 |
| Business establishments (thousands) | NA | 6,176 | 7,070 | NA | NA |
| Governments | 181,831 | 285,006 | NA | 87,576 | 7.0 |
| Gross domestic product ($2000 millions) | 5,161,664 | 7,112,492 | 9,816,969 | 10,083,009 | 95.3 |
| Foreign trade ($2000 millions) | 1,041,907 | 1,411,117 | 2,515,491 | 2,276,438 | 118.5 |
| Foreign trade Goods (percent) | 84.2 | 76.9 | 79.4 | 78.0 | 102.5 |
| Foreign trade Services (percent) | 15.8 | 23.1 | 20.6 | 22.0 | 203.3 |
Key: NA = not available.
Sources: Unless otherwise stated all data from: U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003 (Washington, 2003), available at http://www.census.gov/statab/www/ as of June 10, 2004.
Median Household Income: U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Historical Income Tables, table H-6, available at www.census.gov/hhes/income/histinc/h0601.html as of August 23, 2004.
Gross Domestic Product: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts, Gross Domestic Product, available at www.bea.doc.gov as of June 10, 2004.
Foreign trade: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts, U.S. International Transactions, available at www.bea.doc.gov as of June 10, 2004.
