1993 Commodity Flow Survey
Commodity Movements Summary
West Virginia
In West Virginia, the CFS measured $35
billion of goods shipments weighing 234 million tons. West Virginia
accounted for approximately 1 percent of the value and 2 percent
of the weight of total U.S. shipments. See attached table. The
CFS data cover shipments by establishments in mining, manufacturing,
wholesale, and selected retail and service industries. The data
exclude most shipments of crude oil; therefore, the totals and
percentages do not fully reflect the contribution of pipeline
shipments.
The major commodities shipped by establishments
vary when measured by value and weight. The main commodities
originating in West Virginia by value were: chemicals or allied
products; coal; primary metal products; petroleum, or coal products;
and food or kindred products. The main commodities by weight
were: coal; petroleum or coal products; chemicals or allied products;
nonmetallic minerals; and lumber or wood products, excluding furniture.
Local transportation of freight is important
to West Virginia's commerce. The CFS shows that in 1993, about
one-quarter of the value and over one-third of the weight of total
shipments from West Virginia were shipped to destinations within
the state. About 25 percent of the value and about 41
percent of the weight of all shipments were between places less
than 50 miles apart. In comparison, about 30 percent of the value
and 56 percent of the weight of total U.S. shipments were between
places less than 50 miles apart. In West Virginia, about 39 percent
of the value of shipments and 49 percent of the weight of shipments
were between places less than 100 miles apart.
Approximately three-quarters of the value
and two-thirds of the weight of all shipments from West Virginia
went to other states. The most important destination state by
value of shipments was Ohio. Other important states by value
were: Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Kentucky. Some of
the most important destinations by weight of shipments were:
Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina.
A large proportion of commodities were
moved by trucks, about 65 percent of the value and 29 percent
of the weight. Rail was also important, accounting for 14 percent
of the value and 43 percent of the weight of shipments. Water
transportation moved 5 percent of the value of shipments and 20
percent of the weight.
The Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) is a comprehensive effort to
learn where and how goods are shipped in the U.S. The CFS measures
shipments of commodities by establishments with paid employees
and engaged in manufacturing, mining, wholesale trade, or selected
retail and services industries. Prior commodity surveys covered
shipments only by manufacturing firms. Commodity flows are estimated
for a universe of approximately 900,000 establishments.
Data collected on individual shipments include total value, total
weight, commodity type, modes of transport, domestic origin and
destination; data for export shipments include the city and country
of destination, mode and port of exit. Information is also be
obtained on whether shipments are containerized or a hazardous
material. Some firms provided data concerning on-site shipping
facilities and access to shipping facilities, plus data on ownership
and leasing of transportation equipment.
The CFS is conducted by the Bureau of the Census as part of the
Economic Census. Funding and technical guidance is provided by
the U.S. Department of Transportation. Initiated for 1993, the
CFS is scheduled for 1997 and every 5 years thereafter for years
ending in 2 and 7. Commodity surveys were conducted between 1963
and 1982, but data for 1982 were not published. No data were collected
for 1987. Participants will report for a sample of shipments during
a 2-week period each quarter during the reporting year.
The CFS is a mail-out/mail-back survey of 200,000 sampled employer
establishments in selected industries. Establishments were selected
by stratified sample, with strata based on geographic location
and industry. Geographic strata are the 89 National Transportation
Analysis Regions(NTARs), which provide nationwide coverage and
are aggregations of Bureau of Economic Analysis economic areas.
Within the strata, all establishments with annualized employment
above a specified cutoff were selected with certainty, and the
remaining smaller establishments were sampled with probability
proportional to annualized payroll.
For 1993, each sampled establishment reported on a sample of
individual shipments during a 2 week period in each calendar quarter.
In addition, about 20,000 establishments will provide information
on transportation facilities and arrangements in their final reporting
period.
For further information about survey design and printed products,
contact the Commodity Flow Survey Branch, Services Division, Bureau
of the Census, Washington, DC 20233, or by calling 301/457-2805
or 2114. For information on related data programs and studies,
contact the Bureau of Transportation Statistics at 202/366-DATA
for voice, 202/366-3640 for fax, or CFS@BTS.GOV for e-mail.
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