Freight demand in the United States reached an estimated 12,169,793 thousand tons and $17,996,782 million in 2022 among establishments covered by the Commodity Flow Survey (CFS). These estimates describe shipper-originated goods flows, not every carrier movement in the economy.
Key Freight Demand Statistics
The following highlights summarize the most useful 2022 U.S. measures:
- 12,169,793 thousand tons of goods were shipped by CFS in-scope U.S. establishments in 2022.
- $17,996,782 million was the value of U.S. goods shipments from CFS in-scope establishments in 2022, measured in current dollars.
- Shipment value increased $3.5 trillion, or 24.0%, between 2017 and 2022 for CFS in-scope U.S. establishments.
- About 12.2 billion tons were shipped in 2022, virtually unchanged from 2017 among CFS-covered establishments.
- The South originated 40.4% of U.S. goods tonnage, equal to 1.9 billion tons, in 2022.
- Trucks carried 8,293,501 thousand tons, or 68.1% of total U.S. CFS tonnage, in 2022.
- For-hire trucks carried 3,909,476 thousand tons, or 32.1% of total U.S. tonnage, in 2022.
- Shipments traveling less than 50 miles represented 56.4% of tonnage, but 33.3% of shipment value, in the United States in 2022.
- Shipments weighing 10,000–49,999 pounds represented 38.1% of tonnage, and 29.9% of value, in the United States in 2022.
- Shipments weighing at least 100,000 pounds represented 33.6% of tonnage, and 9.9% of value, in the United States in 2022.
- Manufacturing establishments shipped 4,949,955 thousand tons valued at $7,073,495 million in the United States in 2022.
- Mining establishments shipped 2,523,861 thousand tons valued at $100,456 million in the United States in 2022, excluding oil and gas mining.
- Temperature-controlled shipments totaled 1,237,954 thousand tons, valued at $2,992,166 million, in the United States in 2022.
- Hazardous materials accounted for 2,590,077 thousand tons, or 21.3% of all U.S. CFS tonnage, in 2022.
- Hazardous material moved by pipeline totaled 777,815 thousand tons, or 97.3% of pipeline tonnage, in the United States in 2022.
Contents
- Total U.S. freight demand: value and tonnage
- Freight demand by transportation mode and trucking segment
- Freight demand trends by shipment distance
- Freight demand statistics by shipment weight
- Freight demand by industry and commodity
- Temperature-controlled and hazardous freight demand
Total U.S. Freight Demand: Value and Tonnage
The 2022 CFS estimated 12,169,793 thousand tons of goods shipments and a total shipment value of $17,996,782 million. The survey covers in-scope establishments in the United States and reports the value in current 2022 dollars, so the value should not be treated as inflation-adjusted.
The official source is the United States 2022 Economic Census: Transportation—Commodity Flow Survey United States (Table A1a, p. 14).
The national trend between the two CFS cycles shows a sharp nominal increase in value but little change in tonnage:
| Measure | 2017–2022 result | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Shipment value | +$3.5 trillion, or +24.0% | Nominal CFS estimate |
| Shipment tonnage | Virtually unchanged at about 12.2 billion tons | Rounded CFS estimate |
The Census Bureau press release, “Census Bureau Reports Shipment of U.S. Goods Reached 12.2 Billion Tons and $18.0 Trillion,” cautions that the comparison uses CFS estimates and that current-dollar values are not adjusted for inflation.
Regional origins also differed in scale. The South originated 40.4% of U.S. goods tonnage, or 1.9 billion tons, valued at $6.7 trillion in 2022, while the Midwest originated 28.1% of tonnage, or 3.4 billion tons, valued at $4.8 trillion; the published regional estimates should be read as reported, because rounded figures and regional definitions limit direct reconstruction.
The 2022 CFS surveyed approximately 165,000 establishments, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics release. It is a shipper-based survey conducted every five years, excludes imports and shipments originating in U.S. territories, and does not represent every freight movement or carrier shipment.
Freight Demand by Transportation Mode and Trucking Segment
Single-mode shipments accounted for 90.6% of tonnage and 81.7% of shipment value in 2022. Trucks were the dominant single domestic mode, carrying 8,293,501 thousand tons, or 68.1% of total tonnage, and representing $13,222,965 million, or 73.5% of total value.
| Mode or segment | Tonnage, 2022 | Share of total tonnage | Value or value share |
|---|---|---|---|
| For-hire truck | 3,909,476 thousand tons | 32.1% | $8,062,541 million; 44.8% |
| Company-owned truck | 2,994,372 thousand tons | 24.6% | Not supplied |
| Customer pickup | 1,389,653 thousand tons | 11.4% | Not supplied |
| Rail | 1,456,515 thousand tons | 12.0% | Not supplied |
| Water | 435,378 thousand tons | 3.6% | Not supplied |
| Pipeline | 799,759 thousand tons | 6.6% | Not supplied |
| Multiple-mode | 1,036,960 thousand tons | 8.5% | Includes more than one mode |
All mode figures in the table are 2022 U.S. CFS estimates from the official Census/BTS CFS report. The for-hire, company-owned, and customer-pickup categories are trucking subcategories, while multiple-mode is a separate category and may include more than one transport mode.
Parcel, U.S. Postal Service, or courier shipments represented $2,403,012 million, or 13.4% of total shipment value. That is a value measure, not a count of parcels.
Freight Demand Trends by Shipment Distance
Distance patterns show that freight demand is concentrated in shorter movements by tonnage, while longer movements account for larger shares of value relative to their tonnage. The CFS uses Great Circle Distance, not routed network miles.
| Great Circle Distance | Share of tonnage | Share of value |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 50 miles | 56.4% | 33.3% |
| 50–99 miles | 10.9% | 9.6% |
| 100–249 miles | 11.6% | 15.6% |
| 250–499 miles | 8.6% | 12.9% |
| 500–749 miles | 4.7% | 8.7% |
| 750–999 miles | 2.8% | 6.0% |
| 1,000–1,499 miles | 3.0% | 6.1% |
| 1,500–1,999 miles | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| At least 2,000 miles | 0.7% | 3.5% |
These are 2022 U.S. estimates from the 2022 Economic Census CFS report. Comparisons with the 2017 cycle require care because 2017 used estimated routed miles rather than the 2022 Great Circle Distance measure.
Freight Demand Statistics by Shipment Weight
Weight bands reveal a different balance between physical volume and shipment value. Very light shipments represented a small share of tonnage but a much larger share of value, while heavy shipments dominated tonnage.
| Shipment weight | Share of tonnage | Share of value |
|---|---|---|
| Under 50 pounds | 0.7% | 17.4% |
| 1,000–9,999 pounds | 7.0% | 20.5% |
| 10,000–49,999 pounds | 38.1% | 29.9% |
| 50,000–99,999 pounds | 18.5% | 5.8% |
| At least 100,000 pounds | 33.6% | 9.9% |
The full-weight distribution is reported for U.S. shipments in 2022 by the official CFS report. Across all weight bands, the average Great Circle Distance per shipment was 552 miles; the 10,000–49,999-pound band averaged 190 miles, and the 50,000–99,999-pound band averaged 80 miles.
These averages describe the survey’s distance measure rather than routed truck miles. The CFS weight and value shares are estimates, and the value figures are current dollars.
Freight Demand by Industry and Commodity
Manufacturing was the largest named industry measure in the supplied 2022 CFS data, with 4,949,955 thousand tons valued at $7,073,495 million. Mining establishments, excluding oil and gas mining, shipped 2,523,861 thousand tons valued at $100,456 million.
| Industry or commodity | Tonnage, 2022 | Shipment value, 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing establishments | 4,949,955 thousand tons | $7,073,495 million |
| Mining, excluding oil and gas | 2,523,861 thousand tons | $100,456 million |
| Food manufacturing | 614,172 thousand tons | $1,033,547 million |
| Petroleum and coal products manufacturing | 1,571,869 thousand tons | $880,293 million |
| Corn, excluding sweet corn | 376,699 thousand tons | $93,688 million |
| Soybeans | 156,663 thousand tons | $83,754 million |
| Wheat | 85,859 thousand tons | $27,653 million |
The figures are 2022 U.S. estimates from the United States 2022 Economic Census CFS report. Industry rows use CFS establishment categories, while the corn, soybean, and wheat rows use commodity classifications, so they are not interchangeable groupings.
Food manufacturing shipments totaled 614,172 thousand tons valued at $1,033,547 million. Petroleum and coal products manufacturing had a larger tonnage measure—1,571,869 thousand tons—but a lower reported value of $880,293 million, illustrating why tonnage and current-dollar value answer different questions about freight demand.
Temperature-Controlled and Hazardous Freight Demand
Temperature-controlled freight totaled 1,237,954 thousand tons valued at $2,992,166 million in the United States in 2022. In the CFS definition, temperature-controlled means the vehicle or container regulates or maintains temperature en route.
Within this category, shipments weighing 10,000–49,999 pounds represented 58.6% of temperature-controlled tonnage and 46.6% of its value. Shipments weighing 1,000–9,999 pounds represented 16.7% of temperature-controlled tonnage and 26.9% of its value.
Hazardous materials accounted for 2,590,077 thousand tons, or 21.3% of all CFS tonnage, while nonhazardous materials accounted for 9,579,716 thousand tons, or 78.7%. These classifications are 2022 U.S. estimates and may not be additive because of rounding.
| Mode | Hazardous material tonnage | Share of that mode’s tonnage |
|---|---|---|
| Truck | 1,307,926 thousand tons | 15.8% |
| Pipeline | 777,815 thousand tons | 97.3% |
| Water | 137,550 thousand tons | 31.6% |
| Rail | 247,046 thousand tons | 17.0% |
| Deep sea | 82,715 thousand tons | 53.1% |
The mode-specific hazardous-material measures come from the 2022 Economic Census CFS report. Each percentage is within the named mode’s tonnage, not a share of all freight, and deep sea is reported separately from the broader water category.
Because the CFS is conducted every five years, these figures establish a detailed 2022 baseline rather than a monthly or quarterly demand index. Its coverage of selected mining, manufacturing, wholesale, retail, services, and auxiliary establishments also means that interpretation should remain tied to the survey population and its stated exclusions.