Kelly Hancock
Acting Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Kelly Hancock
Acting Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
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Kelly Hancock
Acting Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
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economy

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).

Exhibit 1
Estimated Contribution of Trade Through DFW Airport to the Texas Economy, 2024
CategoryValue
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).

Exhibit 2 Export and Import Values, DFW Airport, 2003-2024 (in billions)

Data for Exhibit 2
Export and Import Values, DFW Airport, 2003-2024 (in billions)
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).

Exhibit 3
Top Five Export Commodities, DFW Airport, 2024
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
Top Five Import Commodities, DFW Airport, 2024
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).

Exhibit 4
Share of Exports from DFW Airport to Destination Country, 2024
Data for Exhibit 4
Share of Exports from DFW Airport to Destination Country, 2024
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).

Exhibit 5
Share of Imports to DFW Airport by Country of Origin, 2024
Data for Exhibit 5
Share of Imports to DFW Airport by Country of Origin, 2024
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).

Exhibit 6
DFW Airport Operations, 2022–2024
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.

  1. U.S. Census Bureau: USA Trade Online — U.S. Import and Export Merchandise trade statistics.
  2. DFW Airport — Traffic Statistics.