WASHINGTON, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today announced the availability of results from the Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) for Michigan. The value and weight of commodities shipped by Michigan in 1993 are reported by type of commodity, means of transportation, state of destination, and other characteristics.
The CFS is the first comprehensive effort to determine where and how goods are shipped in the United States since 1977, and represents a major partnership between DOT and the Department of Commerce's Bureau of the Census. The data provide insight into the movement of goods from nearly 200,000 business establishments. The data are useful for transportation planners, economic developments agencies, and others interested in supporting domestic and foreign trade.
In Michigan, the CFS measured $256 billion of goods weighing 324 million tons. Michigan accounted for approximately 4 percent of the value and 3 percent of the weight of total U.S. shipments. The CFS data cover shipments by establishments in mining, manufacturing, wholesale, and selected retail and service industries. The data exclude most shipments of crude oil; therefore, the totals and percentages do not fully reflect the contribution of pipeline shipments.
The major commodities shipped by establishments in Michigan vary when ranked by value and by weight of the shipments. High-value commodities such as machinery, including computers account for a higher proportion of total value and a lower proportion of total weight of shipments. The top five commodities by value were: transportation equipment; food or kindred products; fabricated metal products; machinery, including computers; and chemicals or allied products. The top five commodities by weight were: nonmetallic minerals; petroleum or coal products; clay, concrete, glass, or stone products; food or kindred products; and primary metal products.
Local transportation of freight is important to Michigan's commerce. The distribution of commodities by domestic destination and distance of shipments reflects the importance of local transport. The CFS shows that in 1993, about 48 percent of the value and 74 percent of the weight of total shipments from Michigan were shipped to destinations within the state. About 34 percent of the value and about 58 percent of the weight of all shipments were between places less than 50 miles apart.
In comparison, about 30 percent of the value and 56 percent of the weight of total U.S. shipments were between places less than 50 miles apart. In Michigan, about 45 percent of the value of shipments and 68 percent of the weight of shipments were between places less than 100 miles apart.
More than half (52 percent) of the value and over one-quarter (26 percent) of the weight of all shipments from Michigan were to other states. The top five destinations by value of shipments were: Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, California, and Texas. The top five destinations by weight of shipments were: Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Most commodities (77 percent of the value and weight) were moved by trucks. Rail accounted for about 7 percent of the value and 9 percent of the weight of shipments. The CFS data confirm the rising importance of parcel, U.S. postal, and courier services that have emerged in recent years. In 1993, this mode of transport was used to ship 539 thousand tons of goods worth about $14 billion or 6 percent of the value of all shipments in Michigan. In comparison, about 9 percent of the value of total U.S. shipments were moved by this mode.
Reports for all the states are expected to be available by late July. Publication of national summaries, more detailed electronic files, and interpretive studies are expected by late fall.
Summaries of the data from each available state can be obtained from BTS through the Internet at www.bts.gov or through the Bureau's Fax-on-Demand Service at 800-671-8012. To access the data through the BTS website, select the "BTS Products" button, and then click on "Commodity Flow Survey" for CFS data and reports, announcements of future CFS products, and material related to plans for the next CFS in 1997.
Printed copies of the state reports are available by contacting the Commodity Flow Survey Branch, Services Division, Bureau of the Census, Washington DC 20233, or by calling 301-457-2788 or 2114.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics was established by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 and has been in existence since 1992. Its mandate is to compile, analyze and make accessible information on the Nation's transportation systems; to collect information on intermodal transportation and other areas as needed; and to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the Department of Transportation's statistical programs through research, the development of guidelines, and the promotion of improvements in data acquisition and use. General information about the BTS is available on the Internet at www.bts.gov or by writing BTS at 400 7th Street, SW, Washington DC 20590.
An electronic version of this press release can be obtained via the World Wide Web at: http://www.dot.gov/affairs/index.htm.
-0- 7/23/96
/CONTACT: Media, Carolee Bush, 202-366-6946, or Technical, Felix Ammah-Tagoe, 202-366-8926, both of the U.S. Department of Transportation/
CO: U.S. Department of Transportation ST: Michigan IN: TRN SU: EXE
JA-KL -- DCTU038 -- 3295 07/23/96 15:27 EDT
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