Illinois transports $15.8 billion worth of freight each year, along more than 1,000 miles of inland waterway, and ships over 110 million tons of cargo and commodities to, from and within the state. With Illinois docks shipping commodities by barge to 19 states and receiving commodities from 19 states, the state’s waterways are a significant source of regional economical growth.
| Illinois 2005 Tonnage by Commodity Groups Shipped To, From and Within the State (values in millions of dollars) | |||||
| Commodity | Shipped | Received | Within | Total | Value |
| Coal | 38,043,752 | 587,988 | 4,879,395 | 43,511,135 | $1,666 |
| Petroleum | 4,324,429 | 2,795,773 | 2,331,396 | 9,451,598 | $1,505 |
| Aggregates | 4,053,477 | 620,867 | 6,950,334 | 11,624,678 | $438 |
| Grain | 26,499,581 | 379,496 | 192,371 | 27,071,448 | $4,097 |
| Chemicals | 829,566 | 4,632,916 | 230,596 | 5,693,078 | $2,301 |
| Ores/Minerals | 56,764 | 1,590,410 | 0 | 1,647,174 | $302 |
| Iron/Steel | 1,755,332 | 4,064,176 | 98,601 | 5,918,109 | $3,928 |
| Other | 1,940,800 | 3,169,495 | 161,485 | 5,271,780 | $1,596 |
| TOTAL | 77,503,701 | 17,841,121 | 14,844,178 | 110,189,000 | $15,833 |
** Insufficient barge operators to release this tonnage – included in “Other Commodities”
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics
| Illinois 2005 Commodities Shipped by Barge to and from Other States
(tonnage in thousands of tons; values in millions of dollars) |
|||||||
| Shipments To | Ktons | Value | Top Commodity | Shipments From | Ktons | Value | Top Commodity |
| Louisiana | 38,568 | $4,750 | Grain | Louisiana | 11,229 | $3,636 | Chemicals |
| Indiana | 12,609 | $552 | Coal | Texas | 1,420 | $371 | Chemical |
| Tennessee | 8,219 | $855 | Coal | Indiana | 1,236 | $831 | Iron/Steel |
| Kentucky | 4,323 | $476 | Coal | Missouri | 1,005 | $158 | Others |
| Ohio | 2,532 | $236 | Coal | Tennessee | 482 | $284 | Petroleum |
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterborne Commerce Statistics
