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Exhibit 1
Exhibit 2
Exhibit 3
Export and Import Values, Port San Antonio, 2003-2024
Exhibit 4
Exhibit 5
Share of Exports from Port San Antonio to Destination Country, 2024
Exhibit 6
Share of Imports to Port San Antonio by Country of Origin, 2024
Port of Entry: Port San AntonioImpact 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 — plus two intermodal logistics facilities — 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.Port San Antonio, one of Texas’ two intermodal logistics facilities (along with Fort Worth’s AllianceTexas), offers air, ground and rail connections, allowing businesses to take advantage of trade via all three transportation modes. In addition to acting as a trade gateway, Port San Antonio also functions as a technology campus. Logistics are just a part of the port’s growing business activities, which include major aerospace, cybersecurity and applied technology employers as well as the U.S. Department of War.
Port San Antonio is a public entity created under Chapter 379B of the Texas Government Code. Port San Antonio is located inside the city of San Antonio, within a five-minute drive to downtown, and was created in multiple phases following the government’s 1995 decision to close and realign Kelly Air Force Base. The city of San Antonio created the port as an operationally independent entity to take ownership of and redevelop a large section of the former base, which included 15 million square feet of former U.S. Air Force facilities.
Port San Antonio includes:
- An integrated 1,900-acre Technology and Innovation Campus including an airport, rail-served site (East Kelly Railport) and ground transportation hub.
- Access to three interstate highways (IH-10, IH-35, IH-37).
- An 11,500-foot runway, the longest in the region, capable of handling the largest aircraft (a joint-use agreement between the Air Force and the port gives tenants and civilian aircraft access to Kelly Field’s runway) and operated by the Air Force’s JBSA-Lackland.
- A general-purpose foreign-trade zone (FTZ #80-10) designation covering the entire port.
- Onsite federal inspection services.
- Three hundred fifty acres of railyard (rail logistics operated by WATCO Companies with direct access to BNSF and Union Pacific).
- A net exporter of aerospace, manufacturing and electronic goods.
Economic Data
In 2024, Port San Antonio had a total employment of nearly 18,000 people. About 12,000 of these jobs were among the port’s more than 80 public- and private-sector tenant customers. The port also hosted almost 6,000 Department of War employees. An additional 128 employees worked in port operations and management.
About one-third of employment at Port San Antonio was related to national security or international affairs operations. The manufacturing of aerospace products and parts was the port’s next largest industry sector, comprising 23 percent of port employment, followed by professional, scientific and technical services jobs at 20 percent (Exhibit 1).
| Job Sector | Number of employees |
|---|---|
| National Security and International Affairs and Public Order (Public Administration) | 5,850 |
| Aerospace Products and Parts Manufacturing | 4,120 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3,590 |
| Administrative and Support Services | 1,650 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 1,430 |
| Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods | 390 |
| Manufacturing/Applied Technology | 400 |
| Educational Services and Health Care Assistance | 310 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation and Food Services | 140 |
| Other Services | 40 |
Source: Port San Antonio
Economic Contribution of Trade
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts staff utilized the port’s sector employment and trade values to generate estimates of Port San Antonio’s contributions to state-level employment, gross domestic product (GDP), output and disposable income. The Comptroller estimates that Port San Antonio contributed $10.6 billion to the Texas GDP and supported about 83,800 jobs (Exhibit 2).
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Total employment | 83,766 |
| Gross domestic product (in billions) | $10.6 |
| Output (in billions) | $20.0 |
| Disposable personal income (in billions) | $5.7 |
Notes: “Total employment” refers to both direct and indirect employment; “Gross domestic product” refers to the total value of all final goods and services produced in Texas; “Output” refers to the total value of all goods and services (both final and intermediate) produced in Texas; “Disposable personal income” refers to post-income-tax income. All monetary amounts are in billions of current dollars.
Sources: Port San Antonio; Regional Economic Models Inc. model for Texas; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Port San Antonio’s growth over the last decade can be attributed to the strategic framework for its large innovation campus, known as Tech Port That strategy focuses on leveraging real estate projects and the organization’s partnerships with educators and industry leaders to attract, retain and grow top advanced technologies.2
Port San Antonio Highlights
- Nearly 8,000 new jobs have been added to the aerospace, cybersecurity, national defense, space exploration, manufacturing, research and development and education sectors since 2017.
- In 2022, the Boeing Center, a 130,000 square feet multipurpose facility that includes a large arena, technology showroom and educational space (overseen by the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology), was launched in the heart of the Tech Port campus and has attracted more than half a million visitors since its opening.3
- More than 800,000 square feet of commercial and industrial facilities have been added since 2017.
- Construction is set to begin early next year on the Innovation Tower, a 300,000 square foot office facility.
Port San Antonio Trade
Port San Antonio’s trade activity was valued at more than $1.2 billion in 2024, an increase of more than 152 percent from 2021 or an increase of $774 million (Exhibit 3).
Export and Import Values, Port San Antonio, 2003-2024
Data for Exhibit 3
| Year | Export Value (in millions) | Imports Value (in millions) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | $296.5 | $11.5 | $308.0 |
| 2004 | $158.6 | $2.9 | $161.5 |
| 2005 | $321.8 | $3.0 | $324.8 |
| 2006 | $313.0 | $6.8 | $319.8 |
| 2007 | $310.6 | $4.7 | $315.3 |
| 2008 | $886.6 | $7.7 | $894.3 |
| 2009 | $431.0 | $11.6 | $442.6 |
| 2010 | $364.2 | $5.6 | $369.8 |
| 2011 | $366.8 | $20.8 | $387.6 |
| 2012 | $331.7 | $7.1 | $338.8 |
| 2013 | $592.8 | $37.4 | $630.1 |
| 2014 | $533.9 | $24.7 | $558.6 |
| 2015 | $467.2 | $54.7 | $522.0 |
| 2016 | $306.5 | $15.4 | $321.9 |
| 2017 | $308.4 | $5.6 | $314.1 |
| 2018 | $335.4 | $12.8 | $348.2 |
| 2019 | $479.3 | $18.8 | $498.1 |
| 2020 | $494.8 | $50.4 | $545.3 |
| 2021 | $473.9 | $33.2 | $507.2 |
| 2022 | $580.4 | $59.9 | $640.3 |
| 2023 | $880.1 | $46.3 | $926.4 |
| 2024 | $1,231.7 | $49.9 | $1,281.5 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
The top export commodities by value from Port San Antonio in 2024 were aircraft and spacecraft equipment ($863 million), electric machinery and equipment ($180.3 million) and machinery and mechanical appliances ($64.3 million). These commodities accounted for 89.9 percent of the port’s total exports. Top imports to the port included aircraft and spacecraft equipment ($12.8 million), electrical machinery and equipment ($9.8 million), machinery and mechanical appliances ($9.2 million), and special classification provisions ($9.2 million); these import commodities accounted for 82.2 percent of the port’s total imports (Exhibit 4).
| Commodity | Export Value (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Aircraft and Spacecraft Equipment | $863.0 |
| Electric Machinery and Equipment | $180.3 |
| Machinery and Mechanical Appliances | $64.3 |
| Plastic Products | $35.8 |
| Precious and Semiprecious stones | $26.6 |
| Total All Commodities | $1,231.7 |
| Commodity | Import Value (in millions) |
|---|---|
| Aircraft and Spacecraft Equipment | $12.8 |
| Electric Machinery and Equipment | $9.8 |
| Special Classification Provisions | $9.2 |
| Machinery and Mechanical Appliances | $9.2 |
| Beverages and Spirits | $2.6 |
| Total All Commodities | $49.9 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
The value of exports from Port San Antonio to its top five recipient countries was $1.2 billion in 2024, or 86.7 percent of its total. The United Kingdom was the leading destination for exported goods, receiving 34.3 percent of all exported commodities from the port (Exhibit 5).
Share of Exports from Port San Antonio to Destination Country, 2024
Data for Exhibit 5
| Country | Exports (in millions) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | $421.6 | 34% |
| Mexico | $299.3 | 24% |
| Hong Kong | $209.4 | 17% |
| Singapore | $106.6 | 9% |
| Thailand | $30.8 | 3% |
| Other | $163.2 | 13% |
| Total | $1,230.9 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
Port San Antonio’s top five import trading partners accounted for 82.5 percent of its $49.9 million in imports in 2024, with Mexico and Germany comprising 44.7 percent of all imports (Exhibit 6).
Share of Imports to Port San Antonio by Country of Origin, 2024
Data for Exhibit 6
| Country | Imports (in millions) | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | $11.2 | 22% |
| Germany | $11.1 | 22% |
| France | $9.0 | 18% |
| Taiwan | $5.8 | 12% |
| Italy | $4.1 | 8% |
| Other | $8.7 | 18% |
| Total | $49.9 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Indicators Division, USA Trade Online.
Each of Texas’ official ports of entry serve as critical gateways to global trade. Whether accessible via air, land or sea, the ports serve a variety of domestic and international economic activities across multiple industries. Texas’ ports have a significant impact internationally as well as across the state, from its largest cities to the most rural counties. Texas ports play an important role in the state’s transportation network, as each directly contributes to, and thus affects, the entire transportation system. Texas ports contribute to the overall strength and diversity of the Texas economy, which has an estimated GDP of $2.7 trillion,4 which would rank eighth globally in GDP if it were a nation.
Endnotes
- U.S. Census Bureau: USA Trade Online – U.S. Import and Export Merchandise trade statistics ↳
- Port San Antonio, Port San Antonio Economic Impact Study, by Zenith Economics, LLC, May 2025, (Last visited August 26, 2025). ↳
- Port San Antonio, Port San Antonio Economic Impact Study, by Zenith Economics, LLC, May 2025, (Last visited August 26, 2025). ↳
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, "SASUMMARY State annual summary statistics: personal income, GDP, consumer spending, price indexes, and employment" (accessed Tuesday, August 26, 2025). ↳