National Transportation Week, observed May 12–18 this year, recognizes those who build and operate our Nation's transportation systems. Nationwide in 2023, employment in transportation and warehousing averaged 6.6 million. Employment in 2023 was up from 3.5 million in 1990, an 89-percent increase over this 33-year period.
Chart Data: Employment in transportation and warehousing, 1990–2023
| Year | Transportation and warehousing, total | Scenic and sightseeing transportation | Pipeline transportation | Water transportation | Rail transportation | Transit and ground passenger transportation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3,477,900 | 15,700 | 59,800 | 56,800 | 270,400 | 271,900 |
| 1991 | 3,463,900 | 16,500 | 60,700 | 57,400 | 251,800 | 282,200 |
| 1992 | 3,461,600 | 17,700 | 60,100 | 56,700 | 241,800 | 287,100 |
| 1993 | 3,552,400 | 19,300 | 58,700 | 52,800 | 233,400 | 299,700 |
| 1994 | 3,698,500 | 21,300 | 57,000 | 52,300 | 223,300 | 317,000 |
| 1995 | 3,834,000 | 22,000 | 53,600 | 50,800 | 218,800 | 328,900 |
| 1996 | 3,930,400 | 23,200 | 51,400 | 51,000 | 209,000 | 340,700 |
| 1997 | 4,020,500 | 24,500 | 49,700 | 50,700 | 202,200 | 351,900 |
| 1998 | 4,160,800 | 25,400 | 48,100 | 50,500 | 203,800 | 365,600 |
| 1999 | 4,291,900 | 26,100 | 46,900 | 51,700 | 205,100 | 374,500 |
| 2000 | 4,400,700 | 27,500 | 46,000 | 56,000 | 205,600 | 376,300 |
| 2001 | 4,361,200 | 29,100 | 45,400 | 54,000 | 198,100 | 379,800 |
| 2002 | 4,211,700 | 25,600 | 41,700 | 52,600 | 186,700 | 386,400 |
| 2003 | 4,172,700 | 26,600 | 40,200 | 54,500 | 184,200 | 388,800 |
| 2004 | 4,235,600 | 27,200 | 38,400 | 56,400 | 190,900 | 391,900 |
| 2005 | 4,348,000 | 28,800 | 37,800 | 60,600 | 192,600 | 396,400 |
| 2006 | 4,457,000 | 27,500 | 38,700 | 62,700 | 192,400 | 406,500 |
| 2007 | 4,528,000 | 28,600 | 39,900 | 65,500 | 197,600 | 419,400 |
| 2008 | 4,495,900 | 28,000 | 41,700 | 67,100 | 195,400 | 430,400 |
| 2009 | 4,224,800 | 27,600 | 42,600 | 63,400 | 184,600 | 428,300 |
| 2010 | 4,179,200 | 27,300 | 42,300 | 62,300 | 183,000 | 436,200 |
| 2011 | 4,289,300 | 27,500 | 42,900 | 61,300 | 192,900 | 446,900 |
| 2012 | 4,403,700 | 28,000 | 43,600 | 63,900 | 195,100 | 447,500 |
| 2013 | 4,486,000 | 29,100 | 44,500 | 65,300 | 195,600 | 455,600 |
| 2014 | 4,648,600 | 30,600 | 47,000 | 67,300 | 199,700 | 473,700 |
| 2015 | 4,858,600 | 32,900 | 49,700 | 65,800 | 203,700 | 485,000 |
| 2016 | 5,003,500 | 34,500 | 49,800 | 65,600 | 183,600 | 490,200 |
| 2017 | 5,178,200 | 35,200 | 48,800 | 65,000 | 181,900 | 494,900 |
| 2018 | 5,426,400 | 34,600 | 49,700 | 65,100 | 181,700 | 494,700 |
| 2019 | 5,664,900 | 35,500 | 51,500 | 66,600 | 174,300 | 493,900 |
| 2020 | 5,639,600 | 21,300 | 51,100 | 60,000 | 150,400 | 370,300 |
| 2021 | 6,145,100 | 23,300 | 50,200 | 57,500 | 146,200 | 377,400 |
| 2022 | 6,605,900 | 29,800 | 50,900 | 64,700 | 147,400 | 410,900 |
| 2023 | 6,565,300 | 30,100 | 51,800 | 69,900 | 152,500 | 427,800 |
| Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | ||||||
Chart Data: Employment in transportation and warehousing, 1990–2023, continued
| Year | Air transportation | Support activities for transportation | Couriers and messengers | Truck transportation | Warehousing and storage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 529,200 | 367,200 | 375,000 | 1,122,600 | 409,400 | |
| 1991 | 525,400 | 380,200 | 378,900 | 1,104,900 | 405,900 | |
| 1992 | 519,600 | 374,000 | 388,800 | 1,107,700 | 408,300 | |
| 1993 | 516,600 | 386,400 | 414,300 | 1,155,000 | 416,100 | |
| 1994 | 511,200 | 410,100 | 466,200 | 1,206,400 | 433,800 | |
| 1995 | 510,900 | 436,400 | 516,800 | 1,249,300 | 446,600 | |
| 1996 | 525,700 | 452,400 | 539,900 | 1,282,600 | 454,600 | |
| 1997 | 542,000 | 480,600 | 546,000 | 1,308,500 | 464,400 | |
| 1998 | 562,700 | 504,700 | 568,200 | 1,354,700 | 477,200 | |
| 1999 | 586,300 | 526,500 | 585,900 | 1,391,800 | 497,200 | |
| 2000 | 614,400 | 546,400 | 605,000 | 1,406,100 | 517,500 | |
| 2001 | 615,300 | 548,700 | 587,000 | 1,387,100 | 516,900 | |
| 2002 | 563,500 | 534,700 | 560,900 | 1,339,600 | 519,900 | |
| 2003 | 528,300 | 530,600 | 561,700 | 1,325,900 | 531,900 | |
| 2004 | 514,500 | 545,600 | 556,600 | 1,352,100 | 562,000 | |
| 2005 | 500,800 | 562,800 | 571,400 | 1,397,900 | 598,900 | |
| 2006 | 487,000 | 581,200 | 582,400 | 1,436,200 | 642,500 | |
| 2007 | 491,800 | 595,000 | 580,700 | 1,439,600 | 669,800 | |
| 2008 | 490,700 | 602,900 | 573,400 | 1,389,400 | 676,900 | |
| 2009 | 462,800 | 558,900 | 546,300 | 1,268,600 | 641,700 | |
| 2010 | 458,300 | 552,900 | 528,100 | 1,250,800 | 638,100 | |
| 2011 | 456,900 | 572,900 | 529,200 | 1,301,000 | 657,900 | |
| 2012 | 459,200 | 590,700 | 534,100 | 1,349,800 | 691,900 | |
| 2013 | 444,300 | 609,200 | 543,900 | 1,382,600 | 716,000 | |
| 2014 | 444,200 | 636,900 | 576,500 | 1,417,700 | 754,800 | |
| 2015 | 458,600 | 663,100 | 612,800 | 1,452,700 | 834,300 | |
| 2016 | 477,500 | 677,900 | 644,800 | 1,448,100 | 931,600 | |
| 2017 | 491,500 | 700,600 | 676,100 | 1,457,000 | 1,027,300 | |
| 2018 | 496,900 | 729,300 | 739,500 | 1,496,200 | 1,138,800 | |
| 2019 | 504,900 | 753,800 | 826,900 | 1,528,800 | 1,228,700 | |
| 2020 | 441,200 | 701,300 | 967,300 | 1,471,300 | 1,405,400 | |
| 2021 | 459,500 | 725,900 | 1,089,400 | 1,515,200 | 1,700,500 | |
| 2022 | 506,200 | 793,400 | 1,118,300 | 1,576,900 | 1,907,600 | |
| 2023 | 552,000 | 823,300 | 1,083,000 | 1,566,500 | 1,808,400 | |
| Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | ||||||
Within transportation and warehousing, employment was 1.8 million in warehousing and storage, 1.6 million in truck transportation, and 1.1 million in the couriers and messengers industry. Employment was below 70,000 in three industries: scenic and sightseeing transportation, pipeline transportation, and water transportation industries.
From 1990 to 2023, employment in support activities for transportation increased 124 percent, while couriers and messengers employment grew 189 percent. Employment in warehousing and storage more than quadrupled, increasing from about 409,000 in 1990 to over 1.8 million in 2023, an increase of 342 percent.
In contrast, employment decreased in pipeline transportation (−13 percent) and rail transportation (−44 percent) from 1990 to 2023.
These data are from the Current Employment Statistics program. See more BLS data about these industries: Industries at a Glance: Transportation and Warehousing: NAICS 48-49.
Article Courtesy: US Bureau of Labor and Statistics