Port Houston’s trade increased 17% during the first half of the year, boosted by exports of gasoline, liquefied natural gas and oil, according to WorldCity analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
Trade at Port Houston increased from $64 billion to $75 billion through the first six months of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020.
The port ranked sixth for total trade among the nation’s roughly 450 airports, seaports and border crossings and is the third-ranked seaport, behind Port of Los Angeles and Port of Newark.
The Port of Los Angeles ranked first overall in total trade with $146 billion during the first half of 2020. Total trade at the Port of Newark was $110 billion during the same period.
Through June, exports from Port Houston totaled $42.3 billion. The top five exports were gasoline ($7.6 billion), liquefied natural gas/petroleum ($5.8 billion), oil ($5.5 billion) plastics ($3 billion) and acyclic hydrocarbons ($1.6 billion).
Imports totaled $32.7 billion through June. The top five imports were gasoline ($3 billion), oil ($2.6 billion), passenger cars ($1.5 billion), furniture ($615 million), and seamless iron tubes and pipes ($571 million).
Total tonnage at Port Houston during the first half of 2021 was about 83.6 million tons.
Port Houston’s top international trade partners were China ($7.4 billion), Mexico ($5.4 billion), Brazil ($4.9 billion), Germany ($3.7 billion) and South Korea ($3.4 billion).
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