Transit Workforce Data Dashboard

Charts are grouped by topic in tabs. This dashboard is a work in progress and will evolve over time. Please email us at twc@transportcenter.org to suggest future analyses that would be helpful to your transit agency’s operations.

Please note that the dashboard is meant to be viewed in full-screen mode; re-sizing your browser window may adversely affect the interactive charts’ readability. The data dashboard is not yet mobile-device compatible; mobile-friendly updates will be available in future.

The dashboard is compatible with the accessibility widget (bottom right of the page) that is available across the TWC site. However, to enlarge charts and data labels we recommend using your browser’s zoom function rather than the widget.

Bureau of Labor Statistics Data

BLS releases multiple workforce datasets. Our dashboard features relevant demographic data about the composition of the U.S. transit workforce sourced from BLS’ Current Population Survey; summaries of BLS’ occupational projections; and data about wages and typical education and training levels in selected occupations sourced from several BLS databases. These data are accurate, up-to-date, and nationally representative, and allow analysis based on specific occupations. However, demographic data are not available for all occupations or for workers in occupations within specific industries. Therefore, the dashboard presents summaries for transit-related occupations across the entire U.S. economy, inclusive of both transit workers and those employed in other industries. Data reflect annual averages.

Lightcast Occupation Data

Data from Lightcast, a labor market information platform, are used to illustrate recent trends in employment in transit-related occupations. Lightcast combines multiple public data sources to create occupational datasets suited for time series analysis.

The transit-related occupations for which BLS and Lightcast data are presented were chosen from a list of transportation occupations created by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. That list is available here. The subset of occupations presented here were chosen based on relevance to transit specifically, and data availability, as certain types of data (e.g., demographics) are not provided for smaller occupations.

National Transit Database Data

NTD collects data on a variety of agency characteristics from transit systems across the U.S. Each year, NTD releases data on transit employment, some of which are used in this dashboard. All recipients of Urbanized Area Formula Program (5307) or Rural Formula Program (5311) funds are required to report to NTD. The reporting body includes 3,000 or more transit systems, but only Full Reporters (systems receiving Urbanized Area Formula Grants and operating more than 30 vehicles or either fixed guideway or high intensity busways) report employment data. NTD aggregates employees into broad categories (e.g., vehicle operations, vehicle maintenance), not by specific occupational classifications. Employment statistics reflect directly operated services only. Not all transit providers are required to report to NTD and thus these data do not reflect all transit employees in the U.S. For more information, please visit https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd.

NTD’s mode categories were grouped in this dashboard in the following ways: “bus” includes bus, bus rapid transit, commuter bus, and trolley bus; “light & streetcar rail” includes light rail and street car rail; and “other” includes Alaska Railroad, cable car, ferryboat, hybrid rail, inclined plane, monorail/automated guideway, and vanpool. This re-categorization simplifies the charts and makes them more straightforward to the viewer, particularly in light of the relatively small number of workers in many of the categories.

FTA requires full reporters to NTD to report labor into two categories: operating and capital. Operating labor is the personnel necessary to carry out the day-to-day requirements for providing transit service; it is made up of vehicle operations, vehicle maintenance, facility maintenance, and general administration. Capital labor is the personnel involved in the purchase of equipment and construction of facilities. The dashboard focuses primarily on the operating category, which encompasses most frontline transit workers. Several charts include total operating, which is the compilation of the 4 classifications under operating labor.

Mode: A system for carrying transit passengers described by specific right-of-way (ROW), technology and operational features.

Labor classification: The occupational categories FTA uses to distinguish between different types of transit work. FTA defines two categories: operating labor and capital labor.

Operating labor: One of two labor classifications, FTA defines operating labor as the personnel necessary to carry out the day-to-day requirements for providing transit service. Transit agencies report operating labor in four functions (referred to as “job functions” on the Dashboard): vehicle operations, vehicle maintenance, facility maintenance, and general administration.

Vehicle operations: All activities associated with vehicle operations, including: transportation administration and support; revenue vehicle movement control; scheduling of transportation operations; revenue vehicle operation; ticketing and fare collection; and system security.

Vehicle maintenance: All activities associated with revenue and non-revenue (service) vehicle maintenance, including: administration; inspection and maintenance; and servicing (cleaning, fueling, etc.) vehicles. In addition, vehicle maintenance includes repairs due to vandalism and accident repairs of revenue vehicles.

Facility maintenance: Component activities include: providing supervision and clerical support for the administration of transit way and structures maintenance and other buildings, grounds and equipment maintenance; preparing and updating records for transit way and structures maintenance and other buildings, grounds and equipment maintenance records; providing technical training to facilities maintenance personnel; and engineering maintenance of transit way and structures, and of other buildings, grounds and equipment.

General Administration: All activities associated with the general administration of the transit agency, including: transit service development; injuries and damages; safety; personnel administration; legal services; insurance; data processing; finance and accounting; purchasing and stores; engineering; real estate management; office management and services; customer services; promotion; market research; and planning.

Capital labor: One of two labor classifications, capital labor is the personnel involved in the purchase of equipment (e.g., buses, shelters) and construction of facilities (e.g., garages, guideway, stations). The work activities for capital labor are design and engineering, purchase, land acquisition/relocation, construction, rehabilitation, and management of capital grants and projects.

Directly Operated: Transportation service provided directly by a transit agency, using their employees to supply the necessary labor to operate the revenue vehicles. The Agency Explorer shows only directly operated statistics.

Full Reporter: Systems receiving Urbanized Area Formula Grants and operating more than 30 vehicles or either fixed guideway or high intensity busways.

Vehicles Operated in Annual Maximum Service (VOMS): The number of revenue vehicles operated to meet the annual maximum service requirement. This is the revenue vehicle count during the peak season of the year; on the week and day that maximum service is provided.

Unlinked Passenger Trips (UPT): The number of passengers who board public transportation vehicles. Passengers are counted each time they board vehicles no matter how many vehicles they use to travel from their origin to their destination.

Urbanized Area (UZA): An urbanized area is an incorporated area with a population of 50,000 or more that is designated as such by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

For more information, please see NTD’s Glossary or NTD’s Reporting Policy Manual.