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Freight Facts and Figures 2013

Table 1-2. Population and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by Region: 1990, 2000, and 2010-2012

Although freight moves throughout the United States, the demand for freight transportation is driven primarily by the geographic distribution of population and economic activity.  Both population and economic activity have grown faster in the West and South than in the Northeast and Midwest, but the Northeast has the highest economic activity per capita.

Table in Excel format | Historical data

Empty cell. 1990 2000 (R) 2010 2011 2012 Percent change,
1990 to 2012
Resident Population (thousands) 248,789 282,172 309,326 311,588 313,914 26.2
Northeast 50,828 53,668 55,377 55,598 55,761 9.7
Midwest 59,670 64,494 66,972 67,145 67,316 12.8
South 85,454 100,560 114,854 116,022 117,257 37.2
West 52,837 63,451 72,123 72,823 73,579 39.3
Blank cell.
GDP (millions of chained 2005 $)1 7,883,332 11,223,130 12,897,088 13,108,318 13,430,576 70.4
Northeast 1,808,010 2,344,250 2,643,262 2,627,595 2,709,385 49.9
Midwest 1,766,102 2,490,900 2,617,099 2,676,825 2,739,673 55.1
South 2,503,020 3,763,080 4,524,803 4,601,219 4,728,538 88.9
West 1,806,199 2,622,605 3,109,710 3,156,139 3,252,097 80.1
Blank cell.
GDP per capita (chained 2005 $)1 31,687 39,774 41,694 42,069 42,784 35.0
Northeast 35,571 43,681 47,732 48,070 48,598 36.6
Midwest 29,598 38,622 39,077 39,866 40,699 37.5
South 29,291 37,421 39,396 39,658 40,326 37.7
West 34,184 41,333 43,117 43,340 44,198 29.3

1As of October 26, 2006, the Bureau of Economic Analysis renamed the gross state product (GSP) series to gross domestic product (GDP) by state.

Notes: Chained dollars are not additive, especially for periods farther away from the base year of 2005. Thus, GDP for all regions is not equal to total GDP. Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding.

Sources:

Population: 1990: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2004-2005 (Washington, DC: 2005). 2000-2012: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Population Division, Annual Population Estimates, table 8, available at www.census.gov/popest/data/index.html as of October 18, 2013.

Gross Domestic Product: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts, available at www.bea.gov/regional/ as of October 18, 2013.

 


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