TABLE 2. Top 50 U.S. Freight Gateways, Ranked by Value of Shipments: 2008
(Current $, billions)
| Rank | Port name | Mode | Total U.S. trade | Exports | Imports | Exports as % of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port of Los Angeles, CA | Water | 243.9 | 34.8 | 209.1 | 14.3 |
| 2 | Port of New York/New Jersey, NY/NJ | Water | 185.4 | 50.6 | 134.8 | 27.3 |
| 3 | JFK International Airport, NY | Air | 168.0 | 85.5 | 82.5 | 50.9 |
| 4 | Port of Houston, TX | Water | 147.7 | 68.8 | 78.9 | 46.6 |
| 5 | Detroit, MI | Land | 120.2 | 66.5 | 53.7 | 55.3 |
| 6 | Laredo, TX | Land | 115.8 | 53.9 | 61.8 | 46.6 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | Air | 97.2 | 35.8 | 61.4 | 36.9 |
| 8 | Port of Long Beach, CA | Water | 91.5 | 31.6 | 59.9 | 34.5 |
| 9 | Port Huron, MI | Land | 81.2 | 35.2 | 46.0 | 43.4 |
| 10 | Buffalo–Niagara Falls, NY | Land | 80.8 | 40.3 | 40.5 | 49.9 |
| 11 | Los Angeles International Airport, CA | Air | 78.3 | 41.3 | 37.0 | 52.8 |
| 12 | Port of Charleston, SC | Water | 62.3 | 22.3 | 40.1 | 35.7 |
| 13 | Port of Savannah, GA | Water | 59.0 | 22.8 | 36.1 | 38.7 |
| 14 | Port of Norfolk, VA | Water | 54.0 | 23.9 | 30.0 | 44.4 |
| 15 | San Francisco International Airport, CA | Air | 52.8 | 26.6 | 26.2 | 50.4 |
| 16 | Port of New Orleans, LA | Water | 49.8 | 25.3 | 24.4 | 50.9 |
| 17 | New Orleans Customs District, LA | Air | 49.6 | 22.3 | 27.3 | 44.9 |
| 18 | El Paso, TX | Land | 48.2 | 20.2 | 28.0 | 41.8 |
| 19 | Port of Baltimore, MD | Water | 45.3 | 16.1 | 29.2 | 35.6 |
| 20 | Port of Philadelphia, PA | Water | 43.2 | 5.0 | 38.1 | 11.7 |
| 21 | Anchorage International Airport, AK | Air | 41.4 | 10.2 | 31.2 | 24.6 |
| 22 | Miami International Airport, FL | Air | 40.0 | 29.2 | 10.8 | 73.0 |
| 23 | Port of Seattle, WA | Water | 40.0 | 9.9 | 30.0 | 24.9 |
| 24 | Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, TX | Air | 39.5 | 16.4 | 23.1 | 41.5 |
| 25 | Port of Oakland, CA | Water | 38.7 | 12.4 | 26.3 | 32.0 |
| 26 | Port of Morgan City, LA | Water | 39 | 0.2 | 38 | 0.6 |
| 27 | Port of Tacoma, WA | Water | 35 | 8 | 27 | 23.3 |
| 28 | Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, GA | Air | 32 | 12 | 20 | 38.1 |
| 29 | Otay Mesa Station, CA | Land | 32 | 11 | 21 | 33.2 |
| 30 | Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, OH | Air | 31 | 18 | 13 | 57.0 |
| 31 | Port of Corpus Christi, TX | Water | 30 | 5 | 25 | 16.7 |
| 32 | Port of Gramercy, LA | Water | 24 | 9 | 15 | 36.2 |
| 33 | Champlain–Rouses Point, NY | Land | 24 | 9 | 14 | 39.9 |
| 34 | Port of Jacksonville, FL | Water | 23 | 11 | 12 | 48.6 |
| 35 | Port of Texas City, TX | Water | 23 | 3 | 19 | 14.4 |
| 36 | Port Everglades, FL | Water | 23 | 12 | 11 | 53.2 |
| 37 | Port of Miami, FL | Water | 22 | 11 | 11 | 50.0 |
| 38 | Hidalgo, TX | Land | 22 | 10 | 12 | 44.5 |
| 39 | Port of Beaumont, TX | Water | 21 | 3 | 18 | 13.3 |
| 40 | San Juan International Airport, PR | Air | 21 | 12 | 9 | 58.0 |
| 41 | Pembina, ND | Land | 20 | 11 | 9 | 56.7 |
| 42 | Nogales, AZ | Land | 19 | 7 | 12 | 36.1 |
| 43 | Christiansted, VI | Water | 19 | 3 | 17 | 13.5 |
| 44 | Blaine, WA | Land | 18 | 11 | 7 | 59.9 |
| 45 | Washington, DC | Air | 17 | 6 | 12 | 32.1 |
| 46 | Port Arthur, TX | Water | 17 | 2 | 15 | 14.1 |
| 47 | Port of Portland, OR | Water | 17 | 5 | 12 | 30.6 |
| 48 | Portal, ND | Land | 17 | 10 | 7 | 58.4 |
| 49 | Sweetgrass, MT | Land | 16 | 8 | 8 | 49.6 |
| 50 | Freeport, TX | Water | 16 | 2 | 14 | 12.6 |
| Top 50 gateways | 2,651 | 1,006 | 1,645 | 37.9 | ||
| Total U.S. merchandise trade by all modes | 3,401 | 1,301 | 2,100 | 38.2 | ||
| Top 50 gateways as share of U.S. total (percent) | 78.0 | 77.4 | 78.3 | NA | ||
NOTES: All data-Trade levels reflect the mode of transportation as a shipment enters or exits a U.S. Customs port. Flows through individual ports are based on reported data collected from U.S. trade documents. Low-value shipments (imports less than $1,250 and exports less than $2,500) and intransit shipments are not included in trade data. NA = Not Applicable.
Air-Data for all airports are based on U.S. port classifications and include a low level (generally less than 2 percent to 3 percent of the total value) of small user-fee airports located in the same region. Air gateways not identified by airport name include major airports in that geographic area in addition to small regional airports. Because of U.S. Census Bureau nondisclosure regulations, data for some of the air gateways include courier operations. For example, data for New Orleans International Airport include FedEx air cargo activity in Memphis, TN.
SOURCES: Air and water-U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division, special tabulation, April 2009. Land-U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Transborder Freight Data, as of April 2009.