Transportation plays a vital role in the American economy: it makes economic activity possible, and serves as a major economic activity in its own right.

This report is BTS's first stand-alone volume on transportation and the economy, and uses a variety of data series to highlight relevant trends and explain related measurement concepts. The report has eight chapters:

• Chapter 1 introduces the Transportation Services Index, a monthly summary of freight and passenger movement.
• Chapter 2 explains what transportation contributes to the American economy.
• Chapter 3 examines the costs that households and businesses pay for transportation.
• Chapter 4 analyzes transportation-related employment.
• Chapter 5 explains and examines trends in transportation productivity.
• Chapter 6 analyzes household spending on transportation goods and services.
• Chapter 7 examines government transportation spending and revenue.
• Chapter 8 discusses the value of transportation.

Each chapter uses the latest data available at the time of publication.