TRANSPORTATION SATELLITE ACCOUNTS: A NEW WAY OF MEASURING TRANSPORTATION SERVICES IN AMERICA

Abstract

A new accounting tool, called the Transportation Satellite Accounts (TSAs), provides a way to measure both in-house and for-hire transportation services. Developed jointly by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the TSAs reveal important features concerning the relationship between transportation and the U.S. economy that have not been known before. Although the TSAs demonstrate that transportation services command a much larger role in the economy than previously understood, the picture is still incomplete. Some in-house transportation services, such as the use of corporate aircraft and automobiles and private railcars and barges, have not yet been measured. Also, the TSAs do not fully reflect the economic role of personal transportation in getting people to work or school, in bringing goods home from retail outlets, and in supporting social and recreational activities. This report provides an overview of the background, framework, and methodology of the TSAs, including their relationship to the U.S. Input-Output Accounts. It also describes the major components of the TSAs and discusses the contribution of transportation to gross domestic product (GDP) and the relationship between transportation and other industries of the economy. Finally, the report provides detailed tables of TSAs estimates.