United States Fast Facts  

Transportation System Extent

All public roads: 3.97 million miles
Interstate: 46,483 miles
Road bridges: 589,111
Class I railroad trackage: 97,631 miles¹
Inland waterways: 29,627 miles
Public use airports: 5,286 (633 certificated for air carrier operations)

Vehicles and Conveyances¹

Automobiles registered: 137.6 million
Light trucks registered: 84.2 million
Heavy trucks registered: 7.9 million
Buses registered: 2.9 million
Motorcycles registered: 4.9 million
Rail transit systems: 21 commuter rail, 14 heavy rail (subway), 26 light rail
Numbered boats: 12.8 million

Geographic

Land area: 3.5 million sq. miles²
Percent of land area owned by federal government: 28.0²
Persons per square mile: 79.6²
Highest point: Mt. McKinley, AK (20,320 ft.)
Lowest point: Death Valley, CA (–282 ft.)

Government Subdivisions

County governments: 3,034
Municipal governments: 19,431
Town governments: 16,506
Congressional districts: 435

Demographic

Population: 288.4 million
Percent urban population: 79²

Socioeconomic

Gross domestic product: $10.4 trillion
Civilian labor force: 144.9 million
Median household income: $42,409

Commuting (percent of workers)²

Car, truck, or van—drove alone: 75.7
Car, truck, or van—carpooled: 12.2
Public transportation (including taxi): 4.7
Walked: 2.9
Other means: 1.2
Worked at home: 3.3

U.S. Department of Transportation

Bureau of Transportation Statistics
400 7^th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590
(202) 366-DATA (3282)
http://www.bts.gov

¹2001

²2000

NOTE:  Data are for 2002 unless otherwise  noted.