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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Chapter 1: A Nation Driven by Travel

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Excel

The Nation’s transportation systems are accessed daily by over 300 million residents and foreign visitors. Although people travel and goods are transported throughout the United States, the demand for transportation is driven primarily by the geographic population distribution and economic activity. Both population and economic activity have grown faster in the West and South than in the Northeast and Midwest, but the Northeast has the highest economic activity, as measured by the Gross Domestic Product, per capita.