economy

Port of Entry: LaredoImpact 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, $547.9 billion, or 51.5 percent, traveled across the state’s border crossings with Mexico, with Port Laredo accounting for 62 percent of land port trade, or about $339.7 billion. Each Texas land port is unique, facilitating the movement of people and goods between neighboring countries through rail, commercial and personal vehicles and pedestrian traffic.

Economic Contribution of Trade

Based on the Comptroller’s estimate, trade through Port Laredo in 2024 resulted in 1.1 million net jobs and contributed $135.2 billion to Texas’ gross domestic product (GDP) (Exhibit 1).

Estimated Contribution of Trade Through Port Laredo to the Texas Economy, 2024

Category	Value
Total direct trade value	$339.7 billion
Gross domestic product	$135.2 billion
Total employment	1,067,039

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: Regional Economic Models Inc. (REMI) model for Texas, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Port Laredo Trade

Laredo’s several border crossings form one of 11 land ports with international trade data along Texas’ 1,254-mile border with Mexico. Total trade through Port Laredo rose 324 percent from 2003 levels. Port Laredo was a net importer by trade value in 2024, with $211 billion in imports and $128.6 billion in exports (Exhibit 2).

Data for Exhibit 2

Export and Import Values, Port Laredo, 2003-2024 (in billions)

Year	Exports	Imports	Total
2003	$32.5	$47.6	$80.1
2004	$38.6	$52.7	$91.3
2005	$41.2	$54.4	$95.6
2006	$45.8	$59.8	$105.7
2007	$47.1	$65.4	$112.5
2008	$54.2	$64.6	$118.8
2009	$45.7	$52.7	$98.4
2010	$57.7	$67.6	$125.3
2011	$68.2	$81.6	$149.8
2012	$76.6	$92.0	$168.5
2013	$82.9	$97.1	$180.0
2014	$91.8	$107.8	$199.6
2015	$91.8	$113.3	$205.1
2016	$88.8	$110.9	$199.7
2017	$94.5	$119.6	$214.0
2018	$100.4	$133.2	$233.6
2019	$95.5	$135.8	$231.3
2020	$81.3	$125.2	$206.5
2021	$100.1	$148.5	$248.6
2022	$115.7	$182.3	$298.0
2023	$122.9	$195.8	$318.7
2024	$128.6	$211.0	$339.5

Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.

The top export commodities by value from Port Laredo in 2024 were machinery and mechanical appliances ($22.5 billion), followed by vehicle parts ($18.6 billion) and electrical machinery and equipment ($18.5 billion). These commodities accounted for 46.4 percent of the port’s total exports. Top imports to the port included vehicle parts ($64.4 billion), machinery and mechanical appliances ($48.1 billion) and electric machinery and equipment ($36.3 billion) (Exhibit 3).

Top Five Export Commodities, Port Laredo, 2024

Commodity	Value (in millions)
Machinery and Mechanical Appliances	$22,528.6
Vehicle Parts	$18,636.1
Electric Machinery and Equipment	$18,516.6
Plastic Products	$10,941.4
Mineral Fuels	$4,771.3
Total All Commodities	$128,584.6

Top Five Import Commodities, Port Laredo, 2024

Commodity	Value (in millions)
Vehicle Parts	$64,374.9
Machinery and Mechanical Appliances	$48,058.9
Electric Machinery and Equipment	$36,320.3
Misc. Manufactured Articles	$5,790.7
Beverages, Spirits and Vinegar	$4,584.4
Total All Commodities	$21,0950.3

Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.

The value of exports from Port Laredo to its top five recipient countries was $128.6 billion in 2024, or 99.9 percent of its total. Mexico was the leading destination for exported goods, receiving almost all exported commodities from the port (Exhibit 4).

Share of Exports from Port Laredo to Destination Country, 2024

Country	Exports Value (in millions)	Share
Mexico	$128,337.9	100%
Nicaragua	$129.9	01%
Honduras	$19.3	0%
Guatemala	$14.1	0%
Chile	$13.9	0%
Other	$69.5	0%
Total Export Value	$128,584.6

Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.

Port Laredo’s top five import trading partners accounted for 98 percent of its $211 billion in imports in 2024, with Mexico comprising 96.1 percent of all imports (Exhibit 5).

Share of Imports to Port Laredo by Country of Origin, 2024

Country	Imports Value (in millions)	Share
Mexico	$202,762.3	96.1%
China	$1,798.4	0.9%
France	$1,067.8	0.5%
Nicaragua	$687.9	0.3%
Japan	$669.3	0.3%
Other	$3,964.6	1.9%
Total Import Value	$210,950.3

Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.

Border Crossings

In 2024, the Laredo port of entry handled northbound border-crossing traffic of over 9.9 million personal vehicle passengers, an increase of 12.9 percent from 2022. Truck, automobile and pedestrian border crossings at Port Laredo all saw increases from 2022 to 2024 (Exhibit 6).²

Data for Exhibit 6

Border Crossings through Port Laredo, 2022-2024

Description	2022	2023	2024
Pedestrians	2,490,687	2,550,209	2,954,326
Vehicle Passengers	8,778,931	9,512,794	9,912,909
Personal Vehicles	4,552,930	4,908,368	5,088,431
Trucks	2,799,601	2,936,130	3,026,632

Source: U.S. Dept. of Transportation — Bureau of Transportation Statistics.