Skip navigation
Top navigation skipped
Exhibit 1
Exhibit 2
Export and Import Values, DFW Airport, 2003-2024 (in billions)
Exhibit 3
Exhibit 4
Share of Exports from DFW Airport to Destination Country, 2024
Exhibit 5
Share of Imports to DFW Airport by Country of Origin, 2024
Exhibit 6
Port of Entry: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW Airport)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 DFW Airport accounting for 72.1 percent of the airport and intermodal trade, or about $62.6 billion (Exhibit 1).
Economic Contribution of Trade
Based on the Comptroller’s estimate, trade through DFW Airport in 2024 resulted in 89,000 net jobs and contributed $8.3 billion to Texas’ gross domestic product (GDP) (Exhibit 1).
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Total direct trade value | $62.6 billion |
| Gross domestic product | $8.3 billion |
| Total employment | 89,380 |
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.
DFW Airport Trade
Shipping activity through DFW Airport accounted for $62.6 billion in trade in 2024 — an increase of 148 percent, or $37.4 billion, since 2003 (Exhibit 2).
Data for Exhibit 2
| Year | Exports | Imports | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | $12.8 | $12.4 | $25.2 |
| 2004 | $15.9 | $17.0 | $33.0 |
| 2005 | $17.1 | $20.3 | $37.4 |
| 2006 | $19.5 | $25.4 | $44.9 |
| 2007 | $19.9 | $24.9 | $44.8 |
| 2008 | $18.1 | $25.2 | $43.2 |
| 2009 | $16.3 | $21.7 | $38.0 |
| 2010 | $17.2 | $25.7 | $42.9 |
| 2011 | $17.2 | $29.7 | $46.9 |
| 2012 | $18.1 | $31.4 | $49.4 |
| 2013 | $17.5 | $33.8 | $51.3 |
| 2014 | $19.6 | $35.6 | $55.2 |
| 2015 | $20.9 | $33.6 | $54.4 |
| 2016 | $21.8 | $30.7 | $52.5 |
| 2017 | $23.5 | $32.1 | $55.6 |
| 2018 | $23.6 | $31.3 | $54.9 |
| 2019 | $24.3 | $34.9 | $59.2 |
| 2020 | $22.3 | $27.8 | $50.1 |
| 2021 | $26.0 | $35.5 | $61.5 |
| 2022 | $28.5 | $37.8 | $66.2 |
| 2023 | $27.6 | $37.1 | $64.7 |
| 2024 | $28.1 | $34.5 | $62.6 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
The top export commodities by value from DFW Airport in 2024 were electric machinery and equipment ($10 billion), followed by machinery and mechanical appliances ($9.1 billion) and aircraft and spacecraft equipment ($4.1 billion). These commodities accounted for 47 percent of the port’s total exports. Top imports to the port included electrical machinery and equipment ($11.4 billion), machinery and mechanical appliances ($10.6 billion) and special classification provisions ($3 billion) (Exhibit 3).
| Commodity | Value (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Electric Machinery and Equipment | $10,012.3 |
| Machinery and Mechanical Appliances | $9,069.5 |
| Aircraft and Spacecraft Equipment | $4,144.6 |
| Optical and Photographic Instruments | $1,851.4 |
| Pharmaceutical Products | $674.9 |
| Total All Commodities | $28,118.1 |
| Commodity | Import Value (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Electric Machinery and Equipment | $11,441.2 |
| Machinery and Mechanical Appliances | $10,646.7 |
| Special Classification Provisions | $2,950.5 |
| Optical and Photographic Instruments | $,1846.1 |
| Precious and Semiprecious Stones | $1,639.4 |
| Total All Commodities | $34,479.8 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
The value of exports from DFW Airport to its top five recipient countries was $13.7 billion in 2024, or 47.2 percent of its total. South Korea was the leading destination for exported goods, receiving 15 percent of all exported commodities from the port (Exhibit 4).
Share of Exports from DFW Airport to Destination Country, 2024
Data for Exhibit 4
| Country | Exports Value (in billions) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Korea, South | $4.3 | 15% |
| Taiwan | $2.8 | 10% |
| China | $2.8 | 10% |
| Japan | $1.8 | 6% |
| Netherlands | $1.5 | 5% |
| Other | $14.9 | 53% |
| Total | $28.1 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
DFW Airport’s top five import trading partners accounted for 50 percent of its $35.5 billion in imports in 2024, with China and Taiwan comprising nearly a quarter of all imports (Exhibit 5).
Share of Imports to DFW Airport by Country of Origin, 2024
Data for Exhibit 5
| Country | Imports Value (in billions) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| China | $4.8 | 14% |
| Taiwan | $4.6 | 13% |
| Korea, South | $3.3 | 10% |
| Vietnam | $2.5 | 7% |
| United Kingdom | $2.0 | 6% |
| Other | $17.2 | 50% |
| Total | $34.5 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
Passenger and Cargo Trends
DFW Airport has seen a steady increase in both total aircraft movements and number of passengers between 2022 and 2024, with increases of 13.2 and 19.7 percent,2 respectively (Exhibit 6).
| Year | Total Cargo (metric tons) | Aircraft Movements (landing and takeoff) | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 71,051 | 656,676 | 73,354,440 |
| 2023 | 65,267 | 689,569 | 81,755,538 |
| 2024 | 68,761 | 743,203 | 87,817,864 |
Note: Arriving and departing passengers, as well as direct transit passengers, are each counted once.
Source: DFW Airport — Traffic Statistics.