State Profile of Wyoming: 1998, 2010, 2020
Annually, the U.S. freight transportation network moves over 15 billion tons of goods, worth over $9 trillion. The movement of bulk goods, such as grains, coal, and ores, still comprises a large share of the tonnage moved on the U.S. freight network. However, lighter and more valuable goods, such as computers and office equipment, now make up an increasing proportion of what is moved. The Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) estimates that trucks carried about 71 percent of the total tonnage and 80 percent of the total value of U.S. shipments in 1998. By 2020, the U.S. transportation system is expected to handle about 23 billion tons of cargo valued at nearly $30 trillion.
To assess potential investment and operations strategies, it is important to understand future freight activity and infrastructure supply and demand. The U. S. Department of Transportation assists decision-makers by identifying areas in need of capacity improvements. FAF is a comprehensive national data and analysis tool, including county-to-county freight flows for the truck, rail, water, and air modes. FAF also forecasts freight activity in 2010 and 2020 for each of these modes. Learn more about the methodology used in developing Freight Analysis Framework (FAF).
Wyoming
Table 1 presents information on freight shipments that have either an origin or a destination in Wyoming. As shown in the table, rail moved the largest percentage of tonnage and the second largest percentage by value. Trucks moved the largest percentage of the value and the second largest percentage by tonnage. Figures 1 and 2 show freight flows on the highway and rail modes.
Truck traffic is expected to grow throughout the state over the next 20 years. Much of the growth will occur on the Interstate highway system (Figures 3 and 4). Truck traffic moving to and from Wyoming accounted for 14 percent of the average annual daily truck traffic (AADTT) on the FAF road network. Approximately 6 percent of truck traffic involved instate shipments, and nearly 71 percent involved trucks traveling across the state to other markets. About 9 percent of the AADTT were not identified with a route-specific origin or destination.
Table 2 shows the top five commodity groups shipped to, from, and within Wyoming by all modes. The top commodities by weight are coal and clay, concrete, glass or stone products. By value, the top commodities are chemicals or allied products and farm products.
Note: Modal numbers may not add to totals due to rounding.
a The "Other" category includes international shipments that moved via pipeline or by an unspecified mode.
Figure 1. Freight Flows To, From, and Within Wyoming by Truck: 1998 (tons)
High resolution version of map [PDF 579KB]
Figure 2. Freight Flows To, From, and Within Wyoming by Rail: 1998 (tons)
Figure 3. Interstate 80, average daily truck traffic in 1998 - about 5,000 trucks/day.
High resolution version of map [PDF 1.1MB]
Figure 4. Interstate 80, forecast daily truck traffic for 2020 - over 20,000 trucks/day
High resolution version of map [PDF 1.1MB]
Table 2. Top Five Commodities Shipped To, From, and Within Wyoming by All Modes: 1998 and 2020
| Commodity |
Tons
(millions) |
Commodity |
Value
(billions $) |
| 1998 |
2020 |
1998 |
2020 |
| Coal |
297 |
360 |
Chemicals/Allied Products |
15 |
58 |
| Clay/Concrete/Glass/Stone |
19 |
51 |
Farm Products |
7 |
12 |
| Chemicals/Allied Products |
19 |
48 |
Coal |
6 |
9 |
| Farm Products |
18 |
22 |
Food/Kindred Products |
4 |
17 |
| Nonmetallic Minerals |
4 |
6 |
Secondary Traffic [a] |
3 |
16 |
a Secondary traffic is defined as freight flows to and from distribution centers or through intermodal facilities. No commodities are assigned to this intermediate step in the transportation process.
More Information
A series of FAF products are available on the website noted below. FAF outputs include freight flow maps for states, modes, and gateways; detailed databases on traffic flows and commodity movements; information on the methodologies used to develop FAF; and forecast assumptions.
The U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) is also developing a series of state transportation profiles. For more information and to obtain a copy of the BTS reports, please call 202-366-DATA.
Rolf Schmitt
Office of Freight Management and Operations
Federal Highway Administration
(202) 366-9258
rolf.schmitt@fhwa.dot.gov
Credit for this information is at this website: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/state_info/wyoming/profile_wy.htm
