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Exhibit 1
Exhibit 2
Export and Import Values, IAH, 2003-2024 (in billions)
Exhibit 3
Exhibit 4
Share of Exports from IAH to Destination Country, 2024
Exhibit 5
Share of Imports to IAH by Country of Origin, 2024
Exhibit 6
Port of Entry: George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)Impact to the Texas Economy, 2024
Texas ports of entry accounted for more than $1 trillion in international trade in 2024.1 Texas has 32 official ports of entry that serve as critical gateways to global trade. Each port — whether an airport, land port or seaport — serves many domestic and international economic activities across multiple industries. Each port also plays a distinctive role in the state’s transportation network and contributes to state and local economies.
Of Texas’ total international trade, $86.9 billion in goods, or 8.2 percent, traveled through airports or intermodal ports, with IAH accounting for 24.2 percent of the airport and intermodal trade, or about $21.1 billion (Exhibit 1).
Economic Contribution of Trade
Based on the Comptroller’s estimate, trade through IAH in 2024 resulted in 51,000 net jobs and contributed $5.8 billion to Texas’ gross domestic product (GDP) (Exhibit 1).
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Total direct trade value | $21.1 billion |
| Gross domestic product | $5.8 billion |
| Total employment | 50,952 |
Notes: “Gross domestic product” refers to the total value of all final goods and services produced in Texas; “Total employment” refers to both direct and indirect employment.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online; Regional Economic Models Inc. model for Texas; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts analysis.
IAH Trade
Shipping activity through IAH accounted for $21.1 billion in trade in 2024 — an increase of 191.6 percent, or $13.8 billion, since 2003 (Exhibit 2).
Data for Exhibit 2
| Year | Exports | Imports | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | $4.4 | $2.8 | $7.2 |
| 2004 | $4.5 | $3.3 | $7.8 |
| 2005 | $5.9 | $3.6 | $9.5 |
| 2006 | $7.5 | $3.9 | $11.4 |
| 2007 | $8.3 | $4.6 | $12.8 |
| 2008 | $8.5 | $5.3 | $13.8 |
| 2009 | $7.3 | $5.5 | $12.9 |
| 2010 | $8.6 | $7.8 | $16.4 |
| 2011 | $10.4 | $9.9 | $20.4 |
| 2012 | $10.0 | $8.5 | $18.5 |
| 2013 | $9.6 | $7.6 | $17.2 |
| 2014 | $10.1 | $8.7 | $18.8 |
| 2015 | $9.3 | $5.9 | $15.3 |
| 2016 | $8.8 | $5.6 | $14.4 |
| 2017 | $8.5 | $5.5 | $14.0 |
| 2018 | $8.6 | $5.6 | $14.2 |
| 2019 | $9.3 | $6.0 | $15.3 |
| 2020 | $6.5 | $3.6 | $10.1 |
| 2021 | $6.7 | $5.2 | $11.9 |
| 2022 | $8.7 | $5.7 | $14.4 |
| 2023 | $9.8 | $7.2 | $17.0 |
| 2024 | $11.4 | $9.6 | $21.1 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
The top export commodities by value from IAH in 2024 were machinery and mechanical appliances ($4.3 billion), followed by aircraft and spacecraft equipment ($2 billion) and electric machinery and equipment ($1.6 billion). These commodities accounted for 68.6 percent of the port’s total exports. Top imports to the port included machinery and mechanical appliances ($4.4 billion), electrical machinery and equipment ($1.7 billion), and special classification provisions ($1.1 billion) (Exhibit 3).
| Commodity | Value (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Machinery and Mechanical Appliances | $4,279.3 |
| Aircraft and Spacecraft Equipment | $2,007.5 |
| Electric Machinery and Equipment | $1,566.8 |
| Optical and Photographic Instruments | $1,236.2 |
| Pharmaceutical Products | $393.8 |
| Total All Commodities | $11,444.9 |
| Commodity | Import Value (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Machinery and Mechanical Appliances | $4,409.3 |
| Electric Machinery and Equipment | $1,695.7 |
| Special Classification Provisions | $1,094.6 |
| Optical and Photographic Instruments | $694.3 |
| Aircraft and Spacecraft Equipment | $305.5 |
| Total All Commodities | $9,609.3 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
The value of exports from IAH to its top five recipient countries was $5.1 billion in 2024, or 40.1 percent of its total. The United Kingdom was the leading destination for exported goods, receiving 10.6 percent of all exported commodities from the port (Exhibit 4).
Share of Exports from IAH to Destination Country, 2024
Data for Exhibit 4
| Country | Exports Value (in billions) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $1.2 | 11% |
| Brazil | $1.0 | 9% |
| Saudi Arabia | $0.8 | 7% |
| United Arab Emirates | $0.8 | 7% |
| Netherlands | %0.8 | 7% |
| Other | $6.8 | 60% |
| Total | $11.4 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
IAH ’s top five import trading partners accounted for 53.1 percent of its $9.6 billion in imports in 2024, with Taiwan comprising over a quarter of all imports (Exhibit 5).
Share of Imports to IAH by Country of Origin, 2024
Data for Exhibit 5
| Country | Imports Value (in billions) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Taiwan | $2.5 | 25.5% |
| Germany | $0.9 | 9.2% |
| United Kingdom | $0.9 | 9.0% |
| Vietnam | $0.5 | 5.3% |
| Japan | $0.4 | 4.2% |
| Other | $4.5 | 46.8% |
| Total | $9.6 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
Passenger and Cargo Trends
IAH has seen a steady increase in both total aircraft movements and number of passengers between 2022 and 2024, with increases of 11.8 and 18.2 percent, respectively (Exhibit 6).2
| Year | Total Cargo (metric tons) | Aircraft Movements (landing and takeoff) | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 542,071 | 399,805 | 40,979,422 |
| 2023 | 523,595 | 422,003 | 46,192,499 |
| 2024 | 541,834 | 447,092 | 48,448,545 |
Note: Arriving and departing passengers, as well as direct transit passengers, are each counted once.
Source: IAH — Traffic Statistics.