United States Fast Facts

Data are for 2006 unless otherwise noted.

Transportation System Extent

All public roads: 4.02 million miles
Interstate: 46,630 miles
Road bridges: 599,766 ¹
Class I railroad trackage: 94,801 miles
Inland waterways: 29,627 miles ¹
Public use airports: 5,233 (604 certificated for air carrier operations)

Vehicles and Conveyances

Automobiles registered: 135.4 million
Light trucks registered: 99.1 million
Heavy trucks registered: 8.8 million
Buses registered: 0.8 million
Motorcycles registered: 6.7 million
Rail transit systems ²: 22 commuter rail, 15 heavy rail (subway), 29 light rail
Recreational boats registered: 12.7 million

Geographic

Land area: 3.5 million sq. miles ³
Percent of land area owned by federal government: 28.8 ⁴
Persons per square mile: 84.6
Highest point: Mt. McKinley, AK (20,320 ft.)
Lowest point: Death Valley, CA (–282 ft.)

Government Subdivisions

County governments: 3,034 ⁵
Municipal governments: 19,429 ⁵
Town governments: 16,504 ⁵
Congressional districts: 435

Demographic

Population: 299.4 million
Percent urban population: 79 ³

Socioeconomic

Gross domestic product: $13.2 trillion ($13.8 trillion ¹)
Civilian labor force: 151.4 million (153.1 million ¹)
Median household income: $48,451

Commuting (percent of workers)

Car, truck, or van—drove alone: 76.0
Car, truck, or van—carpooled: 10.7
Public transportation: 4.8
Walked: 2.9
Taxicab, motorcycle, bicycled or other means: 1.7
Worked at home: 3.9

¹2007
²2005
³2000
⁴2004
⁵2002

U.S. Department of Transportation

Research and Innovative Technology Administration
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20590
1-800-853-1351
http://www.bts.gov

Sources

Transportation System Extent
All public roads, Interstate: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics 2006, Washington, DC: 2008, table HM-20;
Road bridges: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Bridge Technology, National Bridge Inventory: Highway Bridge by Owner, Washington, DC: 2008, available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/britab.htm as of Feb. 26, 2008;
Class I railroad trackage: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts, Washington, DC: annual issues;
Inland waterways: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Navigation Data Center, National Waterway Network, January 2008;
Public use airports: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Administrator’s Fact Book, Washington, DC:  2007, p.16., available at http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/aba/admin_factbook/ as of Feb. 26, 2008.

Vehicles and Conveyances
Automobiles, light trucks, heavy trucks, buses, motorcycles: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics 2006, Washington, DC: 2008, tables MV-1 and VM-1;
Rail transit systems: American Public Transportation Association, 2007 Public Transportation Fact Book, Washington, DC: 2007, available at http://www.apta.com/research/stats/factbook/index.cfm as of Feb. 26, 2008;
Recreational boats: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Boating Statistics, 2006, Washington, DC: 2007, available at http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/Boating_Statistics_2006.pdf as of Feb. 26, 2008.

Geographic
U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, Washington, DC: 2008, available at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ as of Feb. 26, 2008.
Government Subdivisions: Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, Washington, DC: 2008, available at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ as of Feb. 26, 2008.

Demographic
Population, Percent urban population: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, Washington, DC: 2008, available at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ as of Feb. 26, 2008.

Socioeconomic
Gross domestic product: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Current-Dollar and "Real" Gross Domestic Product, available at http://www.bea.gov/national/xls/gdplev.xls as of March 10, 2008;
Civilian labor force: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, available at ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/suppl/empsit.cpseea1.txt as of Feb. 28,  2008;
Median household income: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey, United States Fact Sheet, available at http://factfinder.census.gov as of Feb. 26, 2008.

Commuting
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, United States, Commuting Characteristics by Sex, available at http://factfinder.census.gov as of Feb. 26, 2008