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: FreeportImpact 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, 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.

Economic Contribution of Trade

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).

Exhibit 1
Estimated Contribution of Trade Through Port Freeport to the Texas Economy, 2024
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 Trade

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).

Exhibit 2 Export and Import Values, Port Freeport, 2003-2024 (in billions)

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

Exhibit 3
Top Five Export Commodities, Port Freeport, 2024
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
Top Five Import Commodities, Port Freeport, 2024
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).

Exhibit 4 Share of Exports from Port Freeport to Destination Country, 2024
Data for Exhibit 4
Share of Exports to Port Freeport to Destination Country, 2024
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).

Exhibit 5 Share of Imports to Port Freeport by Country of Origin, 2024
Data for Exhibit 5
Share of Imports to Port Freeport by Country of Origin, 2024
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 – Capital Improvement Projects

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

Exhibit 6
Current Major Construction Projects and Costs, Port Freeport, 2024
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.

Endnotes

  1. U.S. Census Bureau: USA Trade Online – U.S. Import and Export Merchandise trade statistics.
  2. Data received from Port Freeport.
  3. Port Authority Advisory Committee, “Texas Port Mission Plan” (PDF), (Last visited June 30, 2025).