Geographic Divisions.

Year.

Population.*

Total number of fare passengers carried.

Average number of rides per inhabitant.

United States

1902

75,994,575

4,809,554,438

63

1890

62,622,250

2,023,010,202

32

Increase.............................

13,372,325

2,786,544,236

31

North Atlantic..........................

1902

21,046,695

2,618,528,979

124

1890

17,401,545

1,141,187,460

66

Increase.............................

3,645,150

1,477,341,519

58

South Atlantic

1902

10,443,480

332,541,075

32

1890

8,857,920

101,647,174

11

Increase.............................

1,585,560

230,893,901

21

North Central

1902

26,333,004

1,344,000,951

51

1890

22,362,279

538,309,887

24

Increase.............................

3,970,725

805,691,064

27

South Central...........................

1902

14,080,047

210,103,861

15

1890

10,972,893

98,005,026

9

Increase.............................

3,107,154

112,098,835

6

Western

1902

4,091,349

304,379.572

74

1890

3,027,613

143,860.655

48

Increase.............................

1,063,736

160,518,917

26

* Population shown for 1902 is that reported at the census of 1900.

pany in 1902 controlled almost three times the length of line that was controlled by the average company in 1800. In 1890 there were only 8 companies operating more than 50 miles of line, and in 1902 the number of such companies had increased to 69. Of the total number of companies reported for 1890, 94.9 per cent operated less than 20 miles of line each, and their combined length of line amounted to 71.5 per cent of the total in the United States; in 1902 corresponding percentages were 75 and 30.7, respectively. Thus, while there are still a large number of companies that operate less than 20 miles of track, the portion of the total length of line operated by them is not half as great as in 1890.

The extent to which street and electric railways are used, and the increase in their use as measured by the average number of rides per inhabitant, are shown below.

From this table it appears that the most extensive use of street and electric railways is in the North Atlantic states, where the average number of rides per inhabitant in 1902 was 124; the Western states come next with an average of 74. The greatest increase in this respect is shown for the South Atlantic states, where the average was almost three times as great in 1902 as it was in 1890.