1993 Commodity Flow Survey Commodity Movements Summary Tennessee

In Tennessee, the CFS measured $170 billion of goods shipments weighing 175 million tons. Tennessee accounted for approximately 3 percent of the value and 2 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 Tennessee by value were: apparel or other finished textile products; food or kindred products; chemicals or allied products; transportation equipment; electrical machinery, equipment, or supplies. The main commodities by weight were: nonmetallic minerals; clay, concrete, glass, or stone products; food or kindred products; petroleum or coal products; and chemical or allied products.

Local transportation of freight is important to Tennessee's commerce. The CFS shows that in 1993, about 26 percent of the value and 61 percent of the weight of total shipments from Tennessee were shipped to destinations within the state. About 19 percent of the value and about 54 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 Tennessee, about 26 percent of the value of shipments and 63 percent of the weight of shipments were between places less than 100 miles apart.

Approximately 74 percent of the value and 39 percent of the weight of all shipments from Tennessee went to other states. Some of the most important by value of shipments were: Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Michigan, and California. Some of the most important destinations by weight of shipments were: Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Most commodities were moved by trucks, about 84 percent of the value and 89 percent of the weight. Rail accounted for about 3 percent of the value and 7 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 $11 billion or 7 percent of the value of all shipments in Tennessee. 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.