PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH
PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH
Labor Productivity Index: Output per Employee (annual data)

Productivity growth is the ultimate source for the increases of a nation's economic wealth and living standards. Transportation has been one of the leading sectors in productivity growth for the U.S. economy since 1955, when statistics on transportation productivity became available.
| Productivity Index (1955=100) | 1997 | 1998 | 
|---|---|---|
| Railroad (data are for 1996 and 1997) | 826 | 852 | 
| Railroad percent change from previous year | 6.17 | 3.15 | 
| Air | 617 | 599 | 
| Air percent change from previous year | 0.45 | -2.78 | 
| Pipelines | 658 | 677 | 
| Pipelines percent change from previous year | 1.51 | 2.77 | 
| Trucking | 307 | 302 | 
| Trucking percent change from previous year | 1.15 | -1.74 | 
| Business as a whole (1998-1999) | 222 | 229 | 
| Business as a whole percent change from previous year | 2.74 | 2.57 | 
| Bus | 109 | 94 | 
| Bus percent change from previous year | 17.23 | -14.00 | 
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Productivity and Technology, Index of Output per Employee, All Published Industries, Aug. 12, 2000.