The Commodity Flow Survey (CFS), a component of the Economic Census, is conducted every five years by the U.S. Census Bureau in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The 2002 CFS is the third survey in the program that began in 1993. The CFS is a shipper survey of approximately 100,000 establishments from the industries of mining, manufacturing, wholesale trade, auxiliaries (i.e. warehouses and distribution centers), and select retail and service trade industries that ship commodities. Data requested by the CFS includes the type of commodities shipped, their origin and destination, their value and weight, and mode(s) of transport. The CFS provides a comprehensive multimodal picture of national freight flows and represents the only publicly available source of data for the highway mode. Results from the CFS are used to analyze trends in the movement of goods, mapping spatial patterns of commodity and vehicle flows, forecasting demands for the movement of goods, and for guiding management and investment decisions on transportation infrastructure.

The CFS covers 5 areas: the whole of the United States; individual states; exports; hazardous materials; and, metropolitan areas. The metropolitan areas covered in the survey are: Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL CSA, Remainder of Alabama, Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ MeSA, Tucson, AZ MeSA, Remainder of Arizona, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA CSA, San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA MeSA, Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Truckee, CA-NV CSA (CA Part), San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA CSA, Remainder of California, Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO CSA, Remainder of Colorado, New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA (CT Part), Remainder of Connecticut, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MeSA (DC Part), Jacksonville, FL MeSA, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL MeSA, Orlando-The Villages, FL CSA, Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater, FL MeSA, Remainder of Florida, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL CSA (GA Part), Remainder of Georgia, Honolulu, HI MeSA, Remainder of Hawaii, Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI CSA (IL Part), St Louis, MO-IL MeSA (IL Part), Remainder of Illinois, Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI CSA (IN Part), Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN CSA, Remainder of Indiana, Kansas City, MO-KS MeSA (KS Part), Remainder of Kansas, Louisville-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN CSA (KY Part), Remainder of Kentucky, New Orleans-Metairie-Bogalusa, LA CSA, Remainder of Louisiana, Baltimore-Towson, MD MeSA, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MeSA (MD Part), Remainder of Maryland, Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH CSA (MA Part), Remainder of Massachusetts, Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI CSA, Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Holland, MI CSA, Remainder of Michigan, Minneapolis-St Paul-St Cloud, MN-WI CSA (MN Part), Remainder of Minnesota, Kansas City, MO-KS MeSA (MO Part),St Louis-St Charles-Farmington, MO-IL CSA (MO Part), Remainder of Missouri, Las Vegas-Paradise-Pahrump, NV CSA, Remainder of Nevada, New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA (NJ Part), Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA (NJ Part), Remainder of New Jersey, Albany-Schenectady-Amsterdam, NY CSA, Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Tonawanda, NY MeSA, New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA CSA (NY Part), Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY CSA, Remainder of New York, Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC CSA (NC Part), Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, NC CSA, Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC CSA, Remainder of North Carolina, Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN CSA (OH Part), Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH CSA, Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH CSA, Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH CSA, Remainder of Ohio, Oklahoma City-Shawnee, OK CSA, Tulsa-Bartlesville, OK CSA, Remainder of Oklahoma, Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA MeSA (OR Part), Remainder of Oregon, Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA (PA Part), Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA CSA, Remainder of Pennsylvania, Greenville-Anderson-Seneca, SC CSA, Spartanburg-Gaffney-Union, SC CSA, Remainder of South Carolina, Memphis, TN-MS-AR MeSA (TN Part), Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Columbia, TN CSA, Remainder of Tennessee, Austin-Round Rock, TX MeSA, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX CSA, Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX CSA, San Antonio, TX MeSA, Remainder of Texas, Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, UT CSA, Remainder of Utah, Richmond, VA MeSA, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MeSA (VA Part), Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV CSA (VA Part), Remainder of Virginia, Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA CSA, Remainder of Washington, Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI CSA, Remainder of Wisconsin.