Freight by Waterway: United States

Report Overview

This report forecasts to 2028 US freight by waterway revenues for employer and nonemployer firms in nominal and real (inflation-adjusted) US dollars. Total revenues in nominal and real terms are segmented by establishment type in terms of: coastal and great lakes freight, deep sea freight, and inland waterway freight.

To illustrate historical trends, total revenues in nominal and real terms and the various segments are provided in annual series from 2013 to 2023.

Also forecast to 2028 are revenues for water transport support activities in nominal US dollars. Total revenues in nominal terms are segmented by establishment type in terms of: marine cargo handling, navigational services to shipping, port and harbor operations, and other support activities.

To illustrate historical trends, total revenues in nominal terms and the various segments are provided in annual series from 2013 to 2023.

The scope of this report includes the revenues of for-hire water transport firms, as well as for-hire fleets that are dedicated to a particular client. Captive water transport services (i.e., businesses that maintain their own boats, ships, or barges to transport company goods or employees) are excluded.

Key macroeconomic indicators are also provided with quantified trends. Other various topics, including profiles of pertinent leading companies, are covered in this report. A full outline of report items by page is available in the Table of Contents.

Related NAICS Codes

Table of Contents

• Historical Trends
• Key Economic Indicators
• US Goods Trade
• Waterborne Freight Overview
• Environmental & Regulatory Factors

• Coastal & Great Lakes Freight
• Deep Sea Freight
• Inland Waterway Freight

• Industry Characteristics
• Market Leaders

• Scope
• Sources
• Industry Codes
• Freedonia Methodology
• Resources

• Figure 1 | Key Trends in US Freight by Waterway Revenue, 2023 - 2028
• Figure 2 | US Freight by Waterway Nominal Revenue Trends, 2013 - 2023
• Figure 3 | US Freight by Waterway Real Revenue Trends, 2013 - 2023
• Table 1 | Key Indicators for US Freight by Waterway Revenues; 2013, 2018, 2023, 2028
• Figure 4 | US Goods Trade, 2013 - 2023 (US$ tril)
• Table 2 | US Goods Trade, 2013 - 2023 (US$ bil)
• Table 3 | US Goods Imports by Country, 2013 - 2023 (US$ bil)
• Table 4 | US Goods Exports by Country, 2013 - 2023 (US$ bil)
• Table 5 | US Domestic & Foreign Waterborne Freight, 2014 - 2022 (mil short tons)
• Table 6 | US Domestic Waterborne Freight by Product, 2014 - 2022 (mil short tons)
• Figure 5 | US Freight by Waterway Nominal Revenues by Establishment Type, 2013 - 2028 (US$ bil)
• Table 7 | US Freight by Waterway Nominal Historical Revenues by Establishment Type, 2013 - 2023 (US$ mil)
• Table 8 | US Freight by Waterway Nominal Forecast Revenues by Establishment Type, 2023 - 2028 (US$ mil)
• Figure 6 | US Freight by Waterway Real Revenues by Establishment Type, 2013 - 2028 (2017US$ bil)
• Table 9 | US Freight by Waterway Real Historical Revenues by Establishment Type, 2013 - 2023 (2017US$ mil)
• Table 10 | US Freight by Waterway Real Forecast Revenues by Establishment Type, 2023 - 2028 (2017US$ mil)
• Table 11 | Major US Coastal Routes, Great Lakes Ports, & Products Shipped
• Table 12 | Major US Inland Waterways, Ports, & Products Shipped
• Figure 7 | US Freight by Waterway Nominal Revenues by Establishment Type, 2013 - 2028 (%)
• Figure 8 | US Water Transport Support Activities Revenues by Establishment Type, 2013 - 2028 (US$ bil)
• Table 13 | US Water Transport Support Activities Historical Revenues by Establishment Type, 2013 - 2023 (US$ mil)
• Table 14 | US Water Transport Support Activities Forecast Revenues by Establishment Type, 2023 - 2028 (US$ mil)
• Figure 9 | US Water Transport Support Activities Revenues by Establishment Type, 2013 - 2028 (%)
• Figure 10 | US Freight by Waterway Firms, Establishments, & Employment, 2013 - 2023
• Table 15 | US Freight by Waterway Firms, Establishments, & Employment, 2013 - 2023
• Figure 11 | US Water Transport Support Activities Firms, Establishments, & Employment, 2013 - 2023
• Table 16 | US Water Transport Support Activities Firms, Establishments, & Employment, 2013 - 2023
• Table 17 | Leading Participants in the US Freight by Waterway Industry by Establishment Type
• Table 18 | NAICS & SIC Codes Related to US Freight by Waterway