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, 40.4 percent, or $429.4 billion, traveled across the state’s seaports, with Port Freeport accounting for 5.2 percent of seaport trade, or $22.5 billion. Each seaport facilitates the movement of goods between Texas and other nations. Each Texas seaport is unique, offering different capabilities and many shipping options, including bulk, roll-on/roll-off, container and liquid/gas shipping.
Based on the Comptroller’s estimate, trade through Port Freeport in 2024 affected 133,000 net jobs and contributed $17 billion to Texas’ gross domestic product (GDP) (Exhibit 1).
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Total direct trade value | $22.5 billion |
| Gross domestic product | $17.1 billion |
| Total employment | 133,108 |
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.
The estimated contributions offer a strong indicator of the economic importance of this port of entry to Texas; estimates as such are not precise quantifications of direct or indirect contributions to the Texas economy.
Port Freeport is one of 23 seaports along Texas’ 367-mile Gulf Coast. Total trade through Port Freeport was $22.5 billion in 2024, up 347.2 percent from 2003 levels. Port Freeport was a net exporter by trade value in 2024, seeing $13.1 billion in exports and $9.4 billion in imports (Exhibit 2).
| Year | Exports | Imports | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | $1.0 | $4.0 | $5.0 |
| 2004 | $1.2 | $5.7 | $6.9 |
| 2005 | $1.4 | $8.0 | $9.4 |
| 2006 | $1.6 | $8.7 | $10.3 |
| 2007 | $1.7 | $8.4 | $10.1 |
| 2008 | $2.0 | $13.8 | $15.8 |
| 2009 | $1.2 | $7.6 | $8.8 |
| 2010 | $1.4 | $9.0 | $10.4 |
| 2011 | $1.6 | $9.9 | $11.5 |
| 2012 | $1.6 | $9.0 | $10.6 |
| 2013 | $1.5 | $5.9 | $7.4 |
| 2014 | $2.7 | $6.5 | $9.2 |
| 2015 | $3.4 | $3.5 | $6.9 |
| 2016 | $3.4 | $2.9 | $6.3 |
| 2017 | $5.6 | $3.3 | $8.9 |
| 2018 | $7.9 | $3.7 | $11.6 |
| 2019 | $8.3 | $3.3 | $11.6 |
| 2020 | $8.4 | $2.5 | $10.9 |
| 2021 | $15.8 | $3.2 | $19.1 |
| 2022 | $13.8 | $4.9 | $18.7 |
| 2023 | $11.8 | $4.8 | $16.6 |
| 2024 | $13.1 | $9.4 | $22.5 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
The top export commodities by value from Port Freeport in 2024 were mineral fuels ($8.7 billion), followed by vehicle parts ($2.1 billion) and organic chemicals ($1.5 billion). These commodities accounted for 54.6 percent of the port’s total exports. Top imports to the port included vehicle parts ($4.6 billion), mineral fuels ($2.6 billion) and machinery and mechanical appliances ($1.1 billion) (Exhibit 3).
| Commodity | Value (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Mineral Fuels | $8,717.3 |
| Vehicle Parts | $2,082.8 |
| Organic Chemicals | $1,469.0 |
| Inorganic Chemicals | $259.1 |
| Plastics | $235.1 |
| Total All Commodities | $13,087.6 |
| Commodity | Import Value (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Vehicle Parts | $4,551.1 |
| Mineral Fuels | $2,587.6 |
| Machinery and Mechanical Appliances | $1,137.9 |
| Iron and Steel | $463.8 |
| Vegetable Products | $315.6 |
| Total All Commodities | $9,370.0 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
The value of exports from Port Freeport to its top five recipient countries was $5.5 billion in 2024, or 42 percent of its total. Japan was the leading destination for exported goods, receiving 13.7 percent of all exported commodities from the port (Exhibit 4).
| Country | Exports (in billions) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | $1.8 | 14% |
| Netherlands | $1.1 | 9% |
| Indonesia | $1.0 | 7% |
| United Arab Emirates | $0.9 | 7% |
| Korea, South | $0.7 | 53% |
| Other | $7.6 | 58% |
| Total | $13.1 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
Port Freeport’s top five import trading partners accounted for 60 percent of its $9.4 billion in imports in 2024, with Mexico comprising more than a fifth of all imports (Exhibit 5).
| Country | Imports (in billions) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | $2.0 | 21% |
| Germany | $1.7 | 18% |
| Slovakia | $0.7 | 8% |
| Venezuela | $0.7 | 7% |
| Japan | $0.5 | 6% |
| Other | $3.8 | 40% |
| Total | $9.4 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
Port Freeport underwent several capital improvement projects in 2023 and 2024, with several scheduled in 2025, with total project costs of $663.0 million (Exhibit 6).2 Projects included the Freeport Parcel 14 rail expansion project and expansion and improvements to the Velasco Terminal.3
| Project | Cost (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Port Freeport Berth 8 and RORO Platform (2023) | $144.0 |
| Port Freeport Parcel 14 Rail Expansion (2023) | $10.0 |
| VWGoA Vehicle Processing and Distribution Center (2024) | $120.0 |
| Del Monte Refrigerated Container Yard (2024) | $8.0 |
| Freeport Harbor Channel Improvement Project (2025) | $295.0 |
| Freeport Warehouse Refrigerated Cross-Dock (2025) | $26.0 |
| Velasco Termina Cranes 3&4 (2025) | $25.0 |
| Velasco Terminal Storage Area 5 (2025) | $19.0 |
| Velasco Terminal Access Project (2025) | $9.0 |
| Velasco Terminal Gate 12 (2025) | $3.0 |
| East 5th Street Reconstruction Project (2025) | $2.0 |
| Gate 4 Access Road Widening (2025) | $1.0 |
| Chiquita Reefer Yard Expansion (2025) | $1.0 |
| Total | $663.0 |
Source: Texas Port Mission Plan.