Transportation Economic Trends
Transportation Public Finance Statistics (TPFS)
Government Transportation Expenditures
Government spending on transportation funds activities like the building of highways and bridges. Most government spending on transportation takes place at the state and local levels, although federal funds often supplement state and local capital expenditures. Public-private partnerships are another method to finance, build, and operate transportation projects.
2022 Year-in-Review (latest available)
- As of June 2024, Transportation Public Finance Statistics (TPFS) replaces the previous Government Transportation Financial Statistics (GTFS). The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) will release preliminary estimates in June in addition to the final annual release in December. This new release increases the timeliness of the statistics by 6 months, reporting preliminary estimates 18 months after the one-year reference period (e.g., data for the 2022 reference period is published in June 2024). The final annual release of TPFS occurs 24 months after the one-year reference period (e.g., data for the 2022 reference period is published December 2024).
- In 2022, government spent $423.3 billion (in 2022 dollars) on transportation.
- The Federal Government spent $41.5 billion directly on transportation, and $100.4 billion on transfers to state and local governments, including things like Highway Trust Fund transfers to state and local governments, general funds to Amtrak, and Federal Aviation Administration grant programs.
- State and local governments, including Amtrak, spent $381.8 billion in 2022.
- The President signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) in November 2021 which dedicates $673.8 billion to transportation between 2022 and 2026. For more information on BIL, visit Statistics on Transportation Funding in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The BTS' TPFS aggregates data from a variety of sources to provide information on transportation-related expenditures for all levels of government and for all modes of transportation. Data are also available for government transportation revenues.
The estimated values include state and local highway revenues and expenditures. BTS estimates the lagging data using linear regression. More information on the estimation process can be found in the User Guide and Technical Documentation on the TPFS home page. Once all data are available, BTS will replace all estimated data elements with actual values. BTS will publish the final TPFS in December.
Total Government Transportation Expenditures | Types of Expenditure by Level of Government | Government Transportation Expenditures by Level of Government and Mode | Transportation Expenditures by State | Public-Private Partnerships
Total Government Transportation Expenditures
Federal, state, and local
governments play a major role in providing transportation services and
infrastructure in the United States.
Most government spending on transportation takes place at the state and local levels (roughly 90%), although federal funds often supplement state and local capital expenditures. Grants from the federal government to other levels of government are considered Transfers, not direct federal expenditure. Expenditure of these grant funds is included in state and local expenditure.
Total Government Transportation Expenditures | Types of Expenditure by Level of Government | Government Transportation Expenditures by Level of Government and Mode | Transportation Expenditures by State | Public-Private Partnerships
Types of Expenditure by Level of Government
Government expenditures can be classified into two categories:
(1) Capital Expenditure: outlays
for new equipment and structures and for improving or enhancing the capacity
and quality of the existing equipment and structures. The defining feature of
capital expenditure is the useful life; capital improvements are intended to
last more than one year.
(2) Non-Capital Expenditure: includes operation and maintenance costs, as well as research, administration, and other not capital investment costs that public sector agencies incur in managing transportation systems.
For additional information and examples of these expenditure types, visit our User Guide.
Total Government Transportation Expenditures | Types of Expenditure by Level of Government | Government Transportation Expenditures by Level of Government and Mode | Transportation Expenditures by State | Public-Private Partnerships
Government Transportation Expenditures by Level of Government and Mode
The graph below shows government spending on transportation by level of government, transportation mode, and expenditure type (capital and non-capital).
Total Government Transportation Expenditures | Types of Expenditure by Level of Government |Government Transportation Expenditures by Level of Government and Mode |Transportation Expenditures by State | Public-Private Partnerships
Transportation Expenditures by State
The Census Bureau's Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances shows a regional pattern in government transportation spending. Government transportation expenditures account for a large portion of total spending in resource-rich states in the northern Great Plains. Despite relatively low
population densities, these states have considerable demand for transportation to
support industries that rely on heavy, high bulk transportation-intensive
products, such as oil, coal, and minerals.
Public-Private Partnerships
Public-private partnerships (PPPs or P3s) are another method to finance, build, and operate transportation projects, such as highway toll lanes or airport terminals. A PPP is a contractual agreement formed between public and private sector partners usually involving a government agency contracting with a private company to renovate, construct, operate, maintain, or manage a facility or system. The agency usually retains ownership in the facility or system.
Recommended citation
U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Transportation Economic Trends, available at www.bts.gov/product/transportation-economic-trends.
