Embedded Dataset Excel:

Dataset Excel:

Description:

KEY: N = data do not exist; R = revised; U = data are not available.

^a Carrier groups are categorized based on their annual operating revenues as major, national, large regional, and medium regional. The thresholds were last adjusted July 1, 1999, and the threshold for Major air carriers is currently $1 billion. The Other air carrier category contains all national, large regional, and medium regional air carriers. Beginning in 2003, regional air carriers are not required to report financial data which may result in under reporting of Other carriers in this table.

^b 1960-2005 figures are for the fiscal year, October through September. 2006-09 figures are snapshots dated Dec. 22, 2006; Dec. 21, 2007; Dec. 19, 2008, and Dec. 18, 2009. 2010 figure is the U.S. DOT number of active interstate motor carriers as of the end of December 2010.  The numbers of Interstate motor carriers are based on 'active' U.S. DOT Numbers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration deletes motor carriers from the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) when they receive an official notice of a change in status. However, some companies may go out of business without de-activating their U.S. DOT Number. As a result, inactive carriers may be included in the MCMIS. 2011-22 figures are snapshots dated Dec. 16, 2011; Dec. 14, 2012; Dec. 27, 2013; Dec. 19, 2014; Dec. 28, 2015; Dec. 30, 2016; Dec. 29, 2017; Mar. 30, 2018, Dec. 27, 2019, Dec. 18, 2020, Dec. 31, 2021, and Dec. 30, 2022.

^c Marine operators are counted if they have at least one vessel listed on a Vessel Operating Report submitted to USACE for that year.

^d There is some overlap among the operators for the pipeline modes. Therefore the total number of Pipeline operators is lower than the sum for the three pipeline modes.

^e The value given for 1985 is actually for 1986. The number of Hazardous liquid pipeline operators is not available for prior years.

^f Natural gas transmission numbers also include gas gathering counts as well.

^g In 1975 and 1980, Natural gas distribution includes master meter and mobile home park natural gas distribution operators.  A master meter system is a pipeline system for distributing gas within, but not limited to, a definable area, such as a mobile home park, housing project, or apartment complex, where the operator purchases metered gas from an outside source for resale through a gas distribution pipeline system. The gas distribution pipeline system supplies the ultimate consumer who either purchases the gas directly through a meter or by other means, such as by rents. 

^h AAR did not have enough people in the department to conduct the survey necessary to have data for the non-Class I railroads for 2013 to 2016 and 2018 and 2019. 

Source:

Air carriers: 

1960-2002: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Financial Statistics Quarterly (Washington, DC: Fourth quarter issues), "Alphabetical List of Air Carriers by Carrier Group".

2003-24: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Accounting and Reporting Directives, Air Carrier Groupings (Washington, DC), available at https://www.bts.gov/topics/airlines-and-airports/accounting-and-reporting-directives as of Jul. 5, 2024.

Railroads: 

1960-85: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Ten-Year Trends, Vol. 2 (Washington, DC), table I-2.

1990-98: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Ten-Year Trends, Vol. 16 (Washington, DC: 1999), p. 10.

1999-2020: Association of American Railroads, Railroad Facts (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), p. 3.

2021: Association of American Railroads, Freight Rail Facts & Figures, available at https://www.aar.org/facts-figures as of Jul. 13, 2023.

Interstate motor carriers:  

1990-2001: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Motor Carrier Management Information System, and personal communication, Nov. 6, 2001.

2002-12: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Analysis and Information Online, available at https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/registrationstatistics/CustomReports (previously: http://ai.volpe.dot.gov/mcspa.asp) as of June 4, 2004, and personal communication, January 2007, January 2010, January 2011, January 2012, and November 2013.

2013-23: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, available at https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/registrationstatistics/CustomReports as of Jul. 5, 2024.

Marine vessel operators: 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Transportation Lines of the United States, Volume 1, National Summaries (New Orleans, LA: Annual Issues), table 13, available at https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16021coll2/id/7441 as of Jul. 9, 2024.

Pipeline operators:  

U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Pipeline Safety Office, Gas Distribution Systems, Gas Transmission & Gathering Systems and Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Systems Annual Reporting, personal communication, Sept. 2009, Jan. 2011, Jan. 2012, Nov. 2013, Sept. 2016, Sept. 19, 2017, Aug. 21, 2018, Sept. 25, 2019, Oct. 2, 2020, Jul. 28, 2021, Jul. 7, 2022, Jul. 13, 2023, and Jul. 9, 2024.