BTS | Introduction

Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) - Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) - United States Department of Transportation (USDOT, US DOT or DOT)

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BTS Home > Publications > Pocket Guide to Transportation > 2007

Introduction

America’s transportation system continues to change along with the population, work force, and economy. The following table puts those changes in perspective:

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Context	1980	2005
Resident population (thous.)	226,542	296,410
Total area (thous. sq. mi.)^a	3,619	3,794 (2000)
Total civilian labor force (thous.)	106,940	146,320
Real gross domestic product^b	$5.2 trillion	$11.0 trillion
Median household income^b,d	$34,007	$41,475
Average household income^b,d	$40,445	$56,108
Average household expenditures^b,c	$33,915 (1984)	$41,625
Number of households (thous.)	80,776	111,091
Life expectancy at birth (years)	73.7	77.5 (2003)

^a 1980 data include inland water only. Data for 2000 include inland water, coastal water, Great Lakes, and territorial water. The Census Bureau tabulates area data for the decennial census years only.

^b 2000 chained dollars (see Glossary for definition).

^c Earliest year available is 1984.

^d BTS computations, November 2006.

Sources: Area-U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC), U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2006, available at www.census.gov, as of Nov. 2004. GDP-USDOC, Bureau of Economic Analysis, available at www.bea.gov, as of Oct. 2006. Population, number of households, median and average household income-USDOC, Census, available at www.census.gov, as of Oct. 2006. Average household expenditures, labor force-U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, available at www.bls.gov, as of Nov. 2006. Life expectancy-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, available at www.cdc.gov, as of Oct. 2006.