News Updates

CMAP begins regional freight assessment with release of The Freight Landscape

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is undertaking a four-part assessment of the region’s freight system — including the trucks, ships, planes, railroads, and delivery vans we see every day. The assessment will introduce “goods movement” as a key topic of concern for the region’s economy, environment, and highway performance, including traffic safety. CMAP has released the assessment’s first report, The Freight Landscape, to provide key introductory facts about the region’s freight system and to explain fundamental freight concepts.  

Freight plays a vital role in the region’s economy. In 2023, nearly 700 million tons of goods were moved to, from, or within the region. These goods were valued at more than $1 trillion. In 2024, the freight industry employed more than 210,000 of the region’s residents at more than 14,000 establishments. The industry provides the region’s 8.5 million residents with access to the goods they need and want while connecting the region’s many businesses across northeastern Illinois to national and international markets. 

The next report in the freight assessment — reviewing the system’s performance — will be released in Spring 2026.