Official data, computed here
Ports and trade: where imports land, and what that means for drayage
Chicago, IL led U.S. ports with $317.9B of imports in the 12 months to August 2026. The top 15 ports handled 59% of the $3.51 trillion total.
SnapshotCensus imports by port (general imports, all commodities)Data period: September 2025 to August 2026, monthlyRetrieved Oct 9, 2026, 17:31 UTCretrieved Oct 9, 2026
Open data, retrieved Oct 9, 2026
Top 15 ports by import value
Customs value of general imports, September 2025 to August 2026. Value is not volume: a port with high-value cargo ranks above a port with more boxes of cheaper goods.
| Port | Imports, 12 months | Share of all U.S. imports | By vessel | Containerized | By air | Land and other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | $317.9B | 9.1% | 0% | 0% | 89% | 10% |
| Laredo, TX | $259.1B | 7.4% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| Los Angeles, CA | $250.5B | 7.1% | 100% | 91% | 0% | 0% |
| Newark, NJ | $197.2B | 5.6% | 84% | 71% | 15% | 0% |
| Los Angeles International Airport, CA | $134.2B | 3.8% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% |
| San Francisco International Airport, CA | $121.1B | 3.5% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0% |
| Jfk International Airport, NY | $117.4B | 3.3% | 0% | 0% | 97% | 3% |
| Ysleta, TX | $99.2B | 2.8% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| New Orleans, LA | $92.2B | 2.6% | 33% | 9% | 67% | 0% |
| Savannah, GA | $89.2B | 2.5% | 100% | 97% | 0% | 0% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | $85.2B | 2.4% | 0% | 0% | 97% | 3% |
| Houston, TX | $81.4B | 2.3% | 98% | 77% | 0% | 2% |
| Long Beach, CA | $81.2B | 2.3% | 100% | 87% | 0% | 0% |
| Anchorage, AK | $79.1B | 2.3% | 2% | 0% | 98% | 0% |
| Detroit, MI | $70.6B | 2.0% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 99% |
Vessel, containerized and air are shares of the port's import value; land and other is what remains (truck, rail, pipeline and other modes). Airports are separate ports in Census data.
Containerized imports: the drayage ports
Containerized cargo is what a drayage truck pulls out of a terminal. Los Angeles, CA led with $228.5B containerized, 24.0% of the U.S. total of $951.4B.
| Port | Containerized imports, 12 months | Share of this port's imports | Share of all U.S. containerized imports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | $228.5B | 91% | 24.0% |
| Newark, NJ | $140.5B | 71% | 14.8% |
| Savannah, GA | $86.5B | 97% | 9.1% |
| Long Beach, CA | $70.3B | 87% | 7.4% |
| Norfolk-Newport News, VA | $64.5B | 97% | 6.8% |
| Houston, TX | $62.6B | 77% | 6.6% |
| Charleston, SC | $54.4B | 91% | 5.7% |
| Tacoma, WA | $27.5B | 82% | 2.9% |
| Oakland, CA | $26.6B | 97% | 2.8% |
| Baltimore, MD | $24.6B | 49% | 2.6% |
Containerized value is the Census containerized vessel measure. Value, not container counts.
Month by month
All-port general imports ran $253.6B to $336.2B a month; August 2026 was $336.2B.
What this number means
- Import value is concentrated: the top 15 ports are 59% of the total, so a handful of terminals set drayage demand.
- A port with a large vessel and container share feeds drayage trucks. A port with a large land share is mostly a truck and rail gateway; air ports feed local delivery work.
- These figures count dollars, not containers, trucks or miles. They do not show dray rates or wait times.
What to do about it
- If you run short hauls from a terminal, check that the port you serve is on the container table and how large it is against the others.
- Compare the monthly line with your own load counts: a drop in imports often shows up in dray volume with a lag.
- Use the port list to choose where to look for work, then ask shippers and brokers for the terminal wait and rate you will actually face.
Questions
Is this container counts?
No. The Census data gives customs value in dollars. It does not give container counts.
Why does an airport rank among the top ports?
Census reports each air and sea port separately, ranked by value. High-value air cargo can outrank large sea ports.
Which trade flow is this?
General imports, all commodities, for the 12 months shown. Exports are not included.
Where the numbers come from
Related: border truck crossings, drayage fleets.
See what your last 20 loads show.
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