2003 U.S. Freight Shipments with Canada and Mexico Approaching Pre-9/11 Levels, According to New Three-Country Database
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BTS 26-04
Roger Lotz
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Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - U.S. trade with Canada and Mexico in 2003 approached pre-Sept. 11, 2001 levels, according to figures released today on the new North American Transportation Statistics (NATS) database. The database is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) in cooperation with agencies in Canada and Mexico.
The United States traded $629 billion in goods with Canada and Mexico in 2003, a 4.2 percent rebound from 2002 when $604 billion was traded. The all-time high of $657 billion was reached in 2000, followed by drops of 6.8 percent in 2001 and an additional 1.4 percent in 2002. Growth in 2003 was fueled by a 6.0 percent rise in trade with Canada.
The value of freight shipments moving between the United States and Canada and Mexico has risen 170 percent since 1990, growing at an average rate of almost 8 percent per year. Since 1990, the total value of U.S. freight shipments with Mexico grew 11 percent annually, faster than the 6 percent annual growth rate in trade with Canada.
Trucks carried almost two-thirds of this freight measured by value – 64 percent in 2003. Rail carried 15 percent, followed by maritime with 6 percent, and air and pipeline with 5 percent each.
The NATS database is the result of a three-year effort by federal transportation and statistical agencies in the United States, Canada and Mexico, developed through the continuing efforts of the North American Transportation Statistics Interchange. This forum was created 11 years ago. In the United States, the database effort involves the work of BTS and the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of the Census. In Mexico, the work is supported by Ministry of Communications and Transport, the Mexican Institute of Transportation, and the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics. In Canada, Transport Canada and Statistics Canada supported the effort.
U.S. Goods Trade with Canada and Mexico by Freight Transportation Mode
(Billions of current U.S. dollars)
Excel | CSV
Total trade with Canada and Mexico |
233 |
380 |
657 |
612 |
604 |
629 |
-1.4 |
169.5 |
7.9 |
Air |
11 |
20 |
45 |
37 |
30 |
28 |
-14.6 |
160.4 |
7.6 |
Water transport |
18 |
16 |
33 |
29 |
33 |
38 |
4.8 |
108.4 |
5.8 |
Road |
N |
N |
429 |
395 |
398 |
404 |
-2.0 |
- |
- |
Rail |
N |
N |
94 |
93 |
92 |
96 |
0.7 |
- |
- |
Pipeline |
N |
N |
24 |
26 |
23 |
32 |
10.1 |
- |
- |
Total: percent change from previous year 2001-2003 |
- |
- |
- |
-6.8 |
-1.4 |
4.2 |
- |
- |
- |
Total trade with Canada |
175 |
272 |
410 |
380 |
371 |
394 |
-1.3 |
125.0 |
6.4 |
Air |
9 |
17 |
31 |
25 |
21 |
20 |
-13.5 |
127.8 |
6.5 |
Water transport |
11 |
7 |
9 |
9 |
9 |
11 |
6.6 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Road |
N |
N |
258 |
235 |
236 |
241 |
-2.2 |
- |
- |
Rail |
N |
N |
63 |
60 |
61 |
65 |
1.1 |
- |
- |
Pipeline |
N |
N |
23 |
26 |
22 |
32 |
11.4 |
- |
- |
Total: percent change from previous year 2001-2003 |
- |
- |
- |
-7.3 |
-2.2 |
6.0 |
- |
- |
- |
Total trade with Mexico |
58 |
108 |
247 |
233 |
232 |
236 |
-1.6 |
303.1 |
11.3 |
Air |
2 |
3 |
13 |
12 |
9 |
8 |
-16.0 |
309.8 |
11.5 |
Water transport |
7 |
10 |
24 |
20 |
23 |
27 |
4.7 |
271.5 |
10.6 |
Road |
N |
N |
171 |
161 |
162 |
163 |
-1.6 |
- |
- |
Rail |
N |
N |
32 |
32 |
31 |
31 |
-0.6 |
- |
- |
Pipeline |
N |
N |
0.3 |
0.3 |
0.6 |
0.2 |
-20.8 |
- |
- |
Total: percent change from previous year, 2001-2003 |
- |
- |
- |
-5.9 |
-0.2 |
1.4 |
- |
- |
- |
KEY: N = Data are not available for certain categories, but are included in all annual totals.
NOTE: Individual modes do not sum to total trade figures because the total excludes freight moved by "other modes" such as aircraft from manufacturer to customers, pedestrians carrying freight, and miscellaneous.
NOTE: Due to the rounding of certain numbers tabulated, sum totals of U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico trade vary slightly.
SOURCE: North American Transportation Statistics database. Available at http://nats.inegi.gob.mx/nats , September 2004.
The NATS database provides information on transportation activity and its impact across and between the three countries. The database contains information on 12 subject areas: transportation and the economy, country overviews of population, labor force and physical area, transportation impact on energy and the environment, domestic freight activity, North American merchandise trade, international merchandise trade, domestic passenger travel, North American passenger travel, international passenger travel, infrastructure, vehicles and transportation safety.
Available in English, French, and Spanish, the NATS database can be found at http://nats.inegi.gob.mx/nats.
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