Highway Funding Data by Source and Type
In November 2009, Subsidyscope analyzed the various sources of highway funding and found that user fees, which include revenue from fuel and vehicle taxes, are paying for an increasingly smaller share of America’s road costs. Using Federal Highway Administration data, Subsidyscope calculated that in 2007, user fees accounted for 51 percent of all road funding—a 10 percent decline over the previous decade and the lowest level since the creation of the Federal Highway Trust Fund in 1957.
While useful in understanding the national trends of transportation funding, these figures do not capture the significant variation in highway funding across the country. In 2007, a total of $194 billion in revenue was collected to pay for activities such as road construction, maintenance and operation. Of this total, federal funds,1 which can be applied toward “federal-aid eligible” roads such as interstates, U.S. highways and major state and local routes, accounted for only $36 billion (19 percent).2 The remaining portion came from a combination of state and local sources, varying substantially between states due to budgetary and organizational differences.3
Subsidyscope provides an interactive database (below), allowing users to explore and visualize highway funding and organizational structures by geographic region.4 The data that drive this interface are also available for download.
| Funding Source | Funding (2007 dollars) | Share of State's Total Highway Funding (%) |
|---|---|---|
| State Funding: | ||
| User Revenues | ||
| Non-user Revenues | ||
| Bonds | ||
| State Subtotal | ||
| Local Funding: | ||
| User Revenues | ||
| Non-user Revenues | ||
| Bonds | ||
| Local Subtotal | ||
| Federal Funding5 | ||
| Total |
Public Road Length by Jurisdiction, as of 2007
| Jurisdiction | State's Public Road Length (Miles) | Share of State's Total Public Road Length (%) |
|---|---|---|
| State | ||
| County | ||
| City | ||
| Federal | ||
| Other | ||
| Total (All Jurisdictions) | ||
| Federal-aid Eligible |
Source: Subsidyscope analysis of data from the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Highway Statistics Publications. See Tables Tables SF-1, LGF-1, HM-10 and HM-15. All dollar estimates are adjusted to 2007 dollars using the ENR Construction Cost Index. Users of this data should be aware that FHWA’s summary tables may be created using data that is calculated at different times. In addition, some tables are updated by FHWA in the years after their release. For these reasons, summary tables may not always reflect the estimates available in other tables on the FHWA web site.
- Estimates of federal highway funding include federal receipts transferred to state and local governments. They may not include federal receipts drawn from or placed in reserves, or federal receipts and disbursements for highways that are not attributable to a single state. For more information about federal highway funding, see Table FA-5 compiled yearly by the Federal Highway Administration.
- Subsidyscope analysis of data from the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Statistics Publications. See Tables SF-1 and LGF-1. All dollar estimates are adjusted to 2007 dollars using the ENR Construction Cost Index.
- In addition to the management and budgetary differences between the states, a 2004 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlights some of the other factors that impact highway spending.
- In this analysis, Subsidyscope considered revenue raised from bond issuances as a separate category from user and non-user revenues. Bonds (excluding refunding issuances) finance a relatively small portion; for the period 1995 through 2007, bonds made up roughly 10 percent of all road-related funding; however their use varies substantially between states.
- Estimates of federal highway funding include federal receipts transferred to state and local governments. They may not include federal receipts drawn from or placed in reserves, or federal receipts and disbursements for highways that are not attributable to a single state. For more information about federal highway funding, see Table FA-5 compiled yearly by the FHWA.