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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

GTFS Methodology

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

The online version of Government Transportation Financial Statistics (GTFS) has been replaced by the new Transportation Public Finance Statistics (TPFS) pages. This page is being reserved for historical purposes. In addition, please visit Rosa P for earlier additions of the Government Transportation Financial Statistics.


Government at all levels—federal, state, and local—plays an important role in the U.S. transportation system, both as a provider of transportation infrastructure and services and as an administrator and regulator of the system. Government expends a large amount of funds on building, rehabilitating, maintaining, operating, and administering the transportation system. Government revenue generated from several sources—including user fees, taxes from transportation and non-transportation-related activities, borrowing and innovative financing, and grants—supports these activities.

Government Transportation Financial Statistics (GTFS) by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) provides information on transportation-related revenue and expenditures for all levels of government and for all modes of transportation. GTFS aggregates data from a variety of sources, including the Office of Management and Budget’s Public Budget Database, the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Statistics Report, the National Transit Database, the FAA’s Airport Financial Report, tax data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of State and Local Government Finances. Links to these sources appear at the end of this document.

This document outlines key concepts important to understanding GTFS, an explanation of inflation adjustment in GTFS, a glossary of terms and commonly used acronyms, and an inventory of data sources.

DOT is committed to ensuring that information is available in appropriate alternative formats to meet the requirements of persons who have a disability. If you require an alternative version of files provided on this page, please contact answers@dot.gov.