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Freight Facts and Figures 2012

Table 1-1. Economic and Social Characteristics of the United States: 1990, 2000, and 2008-2010

Freight transportation has grown over time with the expansion 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 24 percent between 1990 and 2010, climbing to 309.3 million in 2010. The U.S. economy, measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), increased by 60 percent in real terms, while household income, another indicator of economic growth, rose by two percent between 1990 and 2010. Foreign trade grew faster than the overall economy, doubling in real value over the same period, reflecting unprecedented global interconnectivity.

Table in Excel format | Historical data

Empty cell. 1990 2000 2008 2009 2010 Percent change,
1990 to 2010
Resident population (thousands) 248,791 282,172 304,375 307,007 309,330 24.3
Households (thousands) 93,347 104,705 116,783 117,181 117,538 25.9
Median household income (2005 $) (R) 44,790 (R) 47,624 (R) 45,665 (R) 45,325 44,303 -1.1
Civilian labor force (thousands) 125,840 142,583 (R) 154,626 (R) 153,091 153,613 22.1
Employed1 (thousands) 118,793 136,891 145,362 139,877 139,064 17.1
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting (percent) 1.9 1.8 1.5 1.5 1.6 -16.8
Mining 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.5 0.5 -3.0
Construction 6.9 7.3 7.5 6.9 6.5 -4.9
Manufacturing 16.8 14.4 10.9 10.2 10.1 -39.7
Wholesale and retail trade 14.7 14.6 14.2 14.1 14.2 -3.5
Transportation and utilities 5.1 5.4 5.3 5.2 5.1 -0.3
Information 2.9 3.0 2.4 2.3 2.3 -22.3
Financial activities 7.1 6.8 7.0 6.9 6.7 -5.1
Professional and business services 9.4 10.0 10.7 10.7 11.0 16.4
Education and health services 17.5 19.1 21.6 22.7 23.1 31.6
Leisure and hospitality 8.0 8.2 8.8 9.1 9.0 12.0
Other services 4.3 4.7 4.8 5.0 4.9 13.1
Public administration 4.7 4.5 4.7 4.9 5.0 5.9
Business establishments (thousands) 6,176 7,070 7,601 7,433 7,397 19.8
Governmental units2 385,006 487,576 589,527 NA NA NA
Gross domestic product (millions of 2005 $) (R) 8,027,100 (R) 11,216,400 (R) 13,161,900 (R) 12,757,900 13,063,000 62.7
Foreign trade (millions of 2005 $) (R) 1,973,122 (R) 3,251,266 (R) 4,461,196 (R) 3,621,545 4,200,500 112.9
Goods (percent) NA (R) 78.2 (R) 77.5 (R) 75.3 77.1 NA
Services (percent) NA (R) 21.8 (R) 22.5 (R) 24.7 22.9 NA

Key: NA = not available; R = revised

1Based on the 2002 Census Industry Classification system. Data for 1990 do not appear in the source document; they are estimated using the Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalk from the 1990 Census Industry Classification system to the 2002 Census Industry Classification system.

2Data for governmental units come from the Census of Governments, which is collected every five years.

31992

42002

52007

Sources:

Population: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Population Profile of the United States, available at www.census.gov/population/www/pop-profile/profile.html as of August 16, 2012.

Households: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements, table HH-1, available at www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam.html as of August 16, 2012.

Civilian Labor Force: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, available at www.bls.gov/data as of August 6, 2012.

Employment: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, available at www.bls.gov/ces as of August 16, 2012.

Median household income: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Historical Income Tables, table H-6, available at www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/historical/household/index.html as of August 16, 2012.

Business establishments: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, available at www.census.gov/econ/cbp/ as of August 16, 2012.

Governmental units: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Census of Governments, available at www.census.gov/govs as of August 6, 2012.

Gross domestic product and foreign trade: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts Tables, table 1.1.5, available at www.bea.gov/national/FA2004/index.asp as of August 16, 2012.

 


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