Transportation Economic Trends
Value of Transportation Infrastructure and Other Assets:
Transportation Capital Stock
Transportation infrastructure and other assets constitute some of the most important economic resources of the United States. This page discusses the value of existing transportation infrastructure and equipment (known as transportation capital stock). Data and discussion about investment in transportation infrastructure and equipment also available.
2021 Year-in-Review
- The net value of transportation infrastructure and other assets (vehicles and equipment)—known as transportation capital stock—was $10.0 trillion in 2021. The public sector owned $5.6 trillion (56.2 percent), while the private sector owned $4.4 trillion (43.8 percent).
- Unadjusted for inflation, the value of transportation infrastructure and other assets increased by 12.1 percent from 2020 to 2021. The publicly owned capital stock grew faster than privately owned capital stock in 2021 at 13.1 percent and 11.0 percent, respectively.
Transportation Capital Stock
Transportation capital stock is the value of transportation infrastructure
(e.g., roadways, bridges, and stations) and equipment (e.g., automobiles,
aircraft, and ships) in existence as of a specific date. It includes a deduction for wear and
tear, obsolescence, accidental damage, and aging of the assets.
Transportation capital stock owned by the public sector includes highways and streets and other transportation structures.
Transportation capital
stock owned by the private transportation sector includes the transportation structures and vehicles owned by:
- households (personal motor vehicles),
- non-transportation industries to carry out their own transportation operations (known as in-house transportation), and
- for-hire transportation industries.
The value of total
transportation capital stock grew steadily from its initial measurement in 1947. Publicly owned
transportation capital stock surpassed privately owned transportation capital
stock in 2006.
Recommended citation
U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Transportation Economic Trends, available at www.bts.gov/product/transportation-economic-trends.
