WASHINGTON — In February 2025, the transportation sector unemployment rate fell 1.2 percentage points from 5.9% in February 2024.
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), numbers are still above the pre-pandemic February 2019 level of 4.3%. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May 2020 and July 2020.
Higher than Overall Unemployment
Unemployment in the transportation sector was higher than overall unemployment. BLS reports that the U.S. unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, in February 2025 was 4.5% or 0.2 percentage points below the transportation sector rate. Seasonally adjusted, the U.S. unemployment rate in February 2025 was 4.1%.
Seasonally Adjusted Numbers by Mode
Seasonally adjusted, employment in the transportation and warehousing sector rose to 6,759,700 in February 2025 — up 0.3% from the previous month and up 2.2% from February 2024. Employment in transportation and warehousing grew 21.3% in February 2025 from the pre-pandemic February 2019 level of 5,571,900. By mode (seasonally adjusted):
- Air transportation rose to 574,600 in February 2025 — up 0.6% from the previous month and up 2.0% from February 2024.
- Truck transportation fell to 1,515,100 in February 2025 — down 0.1% from the previous month and down 1.0% from February 2024.
- Transit and ground passenger transportation fell to 485,700 in February 2025 — down 0.8% from the previous month but up 5.3% from February 2024.
- Rail transportation fell to 154,000 in February 2025 — down 0.4% from the previous month and down 2.3% from February 2024.
- Water transportation rose to 70,400 in February 2025 — up 0.4% from the previous month and up 3.2% from February 2024.
- Pipeline transportation fell to 58,400 in February 2025 — down 0.5% from the previous month but up 7.2% from February 2024.
- Warehousing and storage fell to 1,837,400 in February 2025 — down 0.2% from the previous month and down 0.1% from February 2024.
U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Transportation Economic Trends, are available at https://data.bts.gov/stories/s/28tb-cpjy.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
