How many passenger vehicles are on the road in the United States? Has vehicle-miles traveled increased since the Great Recession? What were the top US Ports of Entry in 2016?
These are just a few of the questions that are answered in the Bureau of Transportation Statistic’s Pocket Guide to Transportation. For more than 20 years, this handy reference provides details and information on countless topics ranging from major trends, health of infrastructure, moving goods and people, safety, performance, economy and the environment.
Most recently, an app has been developed that allows users to easily search statistics and zoom in on specific data points found on graphs. In reviewing the new app, we found – and pulled – some interesting info, noted below.
In 2015, a total of 242,917,192 passenger vehicles (including cars, light trucks, and SUVs) were on the road. That figure compares to only 231,904,922 in 2005, which over the 10-year period represents a 4.7% increase.
Since the reduction in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) experienced after the Great Recession, there has been a relatively steady increase beginning in the year 2011, when in August there was 244.6 billion miles traveled on US roadways compared to August 2017 when the total increased to 267.6 billion miles traveled, which corresponds to a 9.4% increase over the six-year period.
San Ysidro, CA experienced the most border crossings of any port of entry in 2016, with 31.6 million people. Along the U.S. Border with Canada, Buffalo-Niagara Falls was the busiest with 11.1 million entries.
Some other interesting facts and figures to note:
- 76.3% of US commuters drove to work alone in 2016.
- A total of 4,154,727 miles of roads are paved in the US.
- There were 37,461 highway deaths with the US in 2016, including 5987 pedestrians.
- Transportation expenses account for 16% of all US household annual expenditures.
- 9% of the US workforce has transportation-related jobs including drivers, manufacturers, and support
Transportation plays a vital role in our daily lives and impacts everything we do from traveling to work, going on vacation, or ordering a package from Amazon. The information contained in the Pocket Guide to Transportation provides great insight into the magnitude of this impact and can be quickly accessed for countless additional information.