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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 2002
Resident population (thousands) 226,542 288,369
Total area (thousands of square miles)a 3,619 3,718 (2000)
Total civilian labor force (thousands) 106,940 144,863
Real gross domestic productb $4.9 trillion $9.4 trillion
Median household incomeb, d $32,661 (1984) $38,186
Average household incomeb, c, d $34,189 (1984) $44,507
Average household expendituresb, c, d $32,020 (1984) $36,626
Number of households (thousands) 80,776 109,297
Life expectancy at birth (years) 73.7 P77.2 (2001)

a 1980 data include inland water only. Since 1990, data reflect a new database and include inland water, coastal water, and Great Lakes, but exclude territorial water. The Census Bureau tabulates area data for the decennial census years only.
b Expressed in 1996 chained dollars (see Glossary for definition).
c Earliest year available is 1984.
d BTS computations, December 2003.
Key: P = preliminary data.

Sources: Population, area, number of households—U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC), U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2002, available at http://www.census.gov, as of Oct. 2003. GDP—USDOC, Bureau of Economic Analysis, available at http://www.bea.gov, as of Dec. 2003. Median household income—USDOC, Census, available at http://www.census.gov, as of Oct. 2003. Average household income, average household expenditures, labor force—U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, available at http://www.bls.gov, as of Dec. 2003. Life expectancy—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, available at http://www.cdc.gov, as of Oct. 2003.