Sources of Transportation Statistics

  Sources of Transportation Statistics (DOT and non-DOT):

Bureau of Transportation Statistics Air Carrier Data:

Certificated air carriers are required under 14 CFR 234 and 14 CFR 241 to report statistics to BTS (some data monthly, some quarterly or semiannually). This data includes traffic, financial and on-time performance.

You can find a list of the airline databases in TranStats.

Information on different ways to access air carrier traffic statistics (including through TranStats) can be found here.

Information on accessing US air carrier financial statistics is available here.

Information on accessing air carrier on-time performance data (US carriers with at least 1% of domestic, scheduled-service passenger revenue) is available here.

Information on accessing air carrier fare data can be found here.

For information on accessing air carrier employment data, click here

General/aggregated transportation statistics sources:

Pocket Guide to Transportation

National Transportation Statistics

State Transportation Statistics

Transportation Statistics Annual Report

Statistical Abstract of the United States (Census Bureau): Historical transportation statistics from 1878 to 2012.

Multimodal Statistics:

Border Crossing/Entry Data: Persons, vehicles and containers entering the US from Canada and Mexico (monthly)

North American Transborder Freight Data: Freight imports and exports by mode and origin/destination for trade with Canada and Mexico (monthly)

Commodity Flow Survey: Transport of freight within the US by value, tons, and ton-miles for the US, states and metropolitan areas and by commodity. Years available 1993, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB): Reports and statistics on accidents involving aviation and other modes

Statistics on Travel to/from the US (DOC Office of Travel and Tourism Industries): Number of US citizens traveling abroad and foreign citizens traveling to the US, including tourism and spending data

National Safety Council: Injury and death statistics, including odds of dying from various causes

You can find a list of some sources of non-US transportation statistics here.

Click here for a guide to commuting statistics.

Economic Statistics:

Transportation Services Index: Seasonally adjusted index that measure the movement of passengers and freight in the US (monthly)

Air Fare Statistics: Quarterly airline prices since the first quarter of 1995

Consumer Air Fare Report: Includes quarterly airfares by origin and destination pair

Government Transportation Financial Statistics: Federal, state and local revenue and expenditure data for 2001, 2003, 2007, 2012, and 2014.

Aviation Data:

FAA Administrator's Fact Book: Overview of traffic, financial, infrastructure data

FAA Aerospace Forecasts

Air Traffic Activity Data System: Airport take-offs and landings, both local and itinerant, including general aviation and air taxis, military flights, by day/month/year

General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Surveys: Traffic, conditions and equipment

Air Travel Consumer Report: Monthly and 12-month totals for delays, complaints, mishandled baggage, etc.

Highway Data:

Highway Statistics (FHWA): Vehicles, drivers, miles of roadway, fuel, finance, and vehicle miles (annual)

Traffic Volume Trends (FHWA): Monthly vehicle miles traveled

Fatality Analysis Reporting System (NHTSA): Search fatal accident records. See also "Traffic Safety Facts" reports

Motor Carrier Analysis & Information: Motor carrier data (FMCSA)

National Household Travel Survey: 2009 Survey of daily travel behavior, including trip purpose, mode, trip length, household data, etc.

Annual Energy Outlook (DOE) Projections to 2035: Includes vehicle miles traveled, alternative fuel vehicle data

Transportation Energy Data Book (DOE): Statistics on transportation activity and energy use

Urban Mobility Report: Congestion study showing time, fuel and money wasted while stuck in traffic. Covers 439 urban areas across the US, from the Texas Transportation Institute

Transit/Rail Data:

National Transit Database (FTA): Ridership, infrastructure & finance statistics at the national and transit agency level (annual)

American Public Transit Association (APTA): Another source of easy-to-use transit statistics

Amtrak: Passenger statistics by state and station (last 2 years)

Railroad Financial and Statistical Reports (Surface Transportation Board): Traffic, financial, employment reports on freight railroads (annual and quarterly)

Maritime Data:

Maritime Administration (MARAD): http://www.marad.dot.gov/library_landing_page/data_and_statistics/Data_and_Statistics.htm

· US Waterborne Foreign Trade & US Foreign Container Trade: by US port and trading partner

· Vessel Calls at US Ports: by vessel type and port

· Merchant Fleet Statistics: by vessel type and flag/ownership country

· Surveys of Great Lakes operators and barge operators

· Cruise ship statistics

National Census of Ferry Operators: Includes information on routes, terminals and facilities, vessels, etc. 2010 data is available in a new interface.

Marine Transportation System Data Inventory (index of maritime sources produced or used by the Federal Government)

US Army Corps of Engineers Navigation Data Center: data on ports and locks, domestic waterborne freight

Recreational Boating Accident Data (US Coast Guard): Reports of accidents involving recreational boating for 1999-present

Investigations and Reports (US Coast Guard)

Search and Rescue Statistics (US Coast Guard)

Note: Some BTS statistical publications are available in print in the BTS book store.

You can view the slides of a BTS webinar on finding sources of transportation statistics here.
[Please note: The above URL is not a government web site]

Commuting Statistics

The following DOT sources include statistics on commuting, such as mode of transportation used, carpooling, and average commute distance and time.

National Transportation Statistics, Table 1-38 Principal Means of Transportation to Work

BTS Special Report: Opinions on Cell Phone Use on Airplanes, Congestion, and Telecommuting - from the 2006 and 2007 Omnibus Household Survey:

OmniStats, Volume 3, Issue 4, October 2003: From Home to Work, the Average Commute is 26.4 Minutes (includes data on commute distance)

Highlights of the 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS, includes length of commute by minutes and miles)

NHTS "Stretch Commute" Quick Facts (2001)

NHTS Summary of Travel Trends (includes data on commute distance)

Census Transportation Planning Package(CTPP)

You may also want to consult the following sources from the Census Bureau:

Census Journey to Work data

American Community Survey

American Housing Survey

Data on traffic congestion in the 439 U.S. urban areas, including time and fuel wasted due to congestion can be found in the Urban Mobility Report, from the Texas Transportation Institute

Transportation Safety Course Schedules and Registration

The Transportation Safety Institute (TSI), part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), offers premier transit, aviation, pipeline, motor carrier, highway safety, hazardous material, and risk management training nationally and internationally.

You can access the Course Catalog on the TSI web site

For more information, contact TSI at 800-858-2107 or tsi@dot.gov.

Contact information for TSI divisions is available here.

Federal Register Online

The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.

You can search or browse past issues of the Federal Register online for the years 1994-present on the US GPO web site.

Individual US DOT operating administrations also post proposed and final rules on their web sites.

Federal Register issues from before 1994 are available in print and microform, and via commercial vendors such as LexisNexis and Westlaw back to around 1980.

You can also check the "Current CFR Parts Affected" site for a list of the parts of title 49 that have been changed during the current year (or month or day).

US DOT Special Collections Online

Department of Transportation's Online Digital Special Collections

The DOT Special Collections includes the following resources:

Civil Aeronautic Manuals
Civil Air Regulations
Superseded Advisory Circulars
I.C.C. Historical Railroad Investigation Reports (1911-1966)
National Conferences on Street and Highway Safety
Historical Aircraft Accident Reports (1934-1965)
FAA and CAA Research Reports
US Coast Guard Navigation and Inspection Circulars
Historic Civil Aeronautics Board/DOT Orders
Historical Fatality Analysis Reporting System data (FARS)

Visit the US DOT headquarters library's home page for more information.

Information about the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA)

The Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) coordinates the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) research programs and is charged with advancing the deployment of cross-cutting technologies to improve our Nation's transportation system.

RITA was created under the Norman Y. Mineta Research and Special Programs Improvement Act (Public Law 108-426)

RITA's establishment was effective February 20, 2005. Click here for more information.

RITA programs include:

Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)
National Transportation Library (NTL)
Research, Development and Technology (RD&T)
Transportation Safety Institute (TSI)
University Transportation Centers (UTCs)
Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe)

For more information about OST-RRITA, please click here.

RITA contact information is available here.

Access the RITA home page here.