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Table 3-20a: Employment in Transportation Occupations

(Thousands)

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  1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total workers, 16 years and over 107,150 118,793 117,718 118,492 120,259 123,060 124,900 126,708 129,558 131,463 133,488 135,208 135,073
Total workers in transportation occupations 3,681 4,039 4,101 4,098 4,250 4,287 4,308 4,451 4,534 4,499 4,643 4,684 4,824
Transportation occupation as percent of total workers, 16 years and over 3.4% 3.4% 3.5% 3.5% 3.5% 3.5% 3.4% 3.5% 3.5% 3.4% 3.5% 3.5% 3.6%
Motor vehicle operators, total 3,298 3,618 3,704 3,726 3,850 3,879 3,900 4,024 4,090 4,069 4,202 4,222 4,356
Supervisors 51 76 80 87 84 94 87 85 95 88 86 77 88
Truck drivers 2,412 2,627 2,684 2,712 2,804 2,815 2,860 3,018 3,075 3,012 3,116 3,088 3,156
Drivers-sales workers 214 201 215 184 178 164 158 156 150 159 160 167 166
Bus drivers 394 443 469 477 506 511 526 512 472 471 490 539 571
Taxicab drivers and chauffeurs 180 213 197 217 230 238 211 203 248 273 271 280 305
Parking lot attendants 45 53 53 44 41 49 50 46 46 62 68 60 61
Motor transportation occupations, NEC 2 5 6 5 7 8 8 4 4 3 11 11 9
Rail transportation, total 148 118 115 108 108 108 104 116 121 104 106 127 112
Railroad conductors and yardmasters 36 36 38 39 38 38 33 45 48 50 45 48 42
Locomotive operating occupations 59 46 44 44 45 47 51 49 53 41 45 63 61
Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators 46 28 27 20 21 19 17 15 14 7 9 11 7
Rail vehicle operators, NEC 7 8 6 5 4 4 3 7 6 6 7 5 2
Water transportation, total 59 53 61 54 61 68 66 70 52 63 57 56 59
Ship captains and mates, except fishing boats 32 27 32 26 26 30 33 32 24 22 31 38 34
Sailors and deckhands 18 18 18 16 24 27 26 25 21 30 16 14 20
Marine engineers 1 2 4 5 3 6 3 8 2 3 5 2 4
Bridge, lock, and lighthouse tenders 8 6 7 7 8 5 4 5 5 8 5 3 1
Air transportation, total 111 150 134 119 126 128 144 146 156 139 167 152 164
Airplane pilots and navigators 77 114 100 96 101 104 114 114 120 113 143 129 136
Air traffic controllers 34 36 34 23 25 24 30 32 36 26 24 23 28
Public transportation attendants 65 100 86 91 105 104 94 95 115 124 111 127 133

KEY: NEC = not elsewhere classified.

NOTES

Beginning in January 2000, data are not comparable with data for earlier years due to new composite estimation procedures and revised controls used in the household survey for population. See source for additional information.

The employment totals in tables 3-19 and 3-20 differ. Table 3-19 shows employment in transportation and related industries; table 3-20 shows employment by transportation occupation. Some employees of transportation industries have nontransportation jobs (e.g., a bookkeeper in a trucking firm), and some people in transportation occupations do not work in the transportation industry (e.g., a truck driver for a construction firm).

SOURCES

All data except total workers, 16 years and over:

1985, 1990-99: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings (Washington, DC: Annual January issues), table 11 of the Household Data Annual Averages Tables, Internet site http://stats.bls.gov/pdf/cpsaatab.htm as of May 31, 2000.

2000: Ibid., personal communication, Aug. 6, 2001.

2001: Ibid., personal communication, Aug. 23, 2002.

Total workers, 16 years and over:

1985, 1990-2000: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings (Washington, DC: January 2001), revised totals, table 1, Internet site http://stats.bls.gov/pdf/cpsaat1.pdf as of Aug. 3, 2001.

2001: Ibid., personal communication, Aug. 23, 2002.