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1993 Commodity Flow Survey
Commodity Movements Summary
South Carolina
In South Carolina, the CFS measured $84
billion of goods shipments weighing 117 million tons. South
Carolina accounted for approximately 1 percent of the value and
1 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 South Carolina by value were: textile mill products;
chemicals or allied products; machinery, including computers;
food or kindred products; and apparel or other finished textile
products. The main commodities by weight were: lumber or wood
products, excluding furniture; nonmetallic minerals; petroleum
or coal products; clay, concrete, glass, or stone products; and
chemical or allied products.
Local transportation of freight is important
to South Carolina's commerce. The CFS shows that in 1993, about
31 percent of the value and 64 percent of the weight of total
shipments from South Carolina were shipped to destinations within
the state. About 19 percent of the value and about 53
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 South Carolina, about 32
percent of the value of shipments and 72 percent of the weight
of shipments were between places less than 100 miles apart.
Approximately 69 percent of the value
and 36 percent of the weight of all shipments from South Carolina
went to other states. The two most important destinations by
value and weight were North Carolina and Georgia. Other important
destination states by value of shipments were: Florida, Virginia,
and Michigan. Other important destinations by weight of shipments
were: Virginia, Florida, and Ohio.
Most commodities were moved by trucks,
about 87 percent of the value and 89 percent of the weight. Rail
accounted for about 5 percent of the value and 8 percent of the
weight of shipments. The CFS data confirm the rising importance
of parcel, U.S. postal, and courier services that have emerged
in recent years. In 1993, this mode of transport was used to
ship $5 billion or 6 percent of the value of all shipments in
South Carolina. In comparison, about 9 percent of the value of
total U.S. shipments were moved by this mode.
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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