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Borderlands Mexico: US-Mexico trade rises to $67B in February

Top 3 ports in February were Laredo, Texas, Port of LA, JFK airport

Mexico was the top U.S. trade partner in February at $67 billion, followed by Canada ($62 billion) and China ($44 billion). (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

Mexico was the United States’ top trading partner in February, with two-way trade increasing 11% year over year (y/y) to $67 billion, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau.

It was the second consecutive month and 12th of the past 14 months Mexico has been No. 1. Canada was the second-ranked U.S. trade partner in February at $62 billion, followed by China at No. 3 with $44 billion in two-way commerce.

Mexico’s exports to the U.S. increased 13% y/y to $40.2 billion in February. The top three Mexican exports were passenger vehicles ($3.8 billion), auto parts ($3 billion) and commercial vehicles ($2.9 billion), according to data analyzed by World City.

U.S. exports to Mexico increased 7.3% y/y to $27 billion in February. The top exports to Mexico were gasoline ($2.5 billion), auto parts ($1.8 billion) and computer parts ($794 million).


The port of entry in Laredo, Texas, recorded a 10.3% y/y increase to $27 billion in trade during February.

The Laredo border crossing remained No. 1 among the nation’s 450 airports, seaports and border crossings during the month. It was the 11th consecutive month the Laredo port of entry was the country’s top-ranked international commercial trade port.

The Port of Los Angeles ranked No. 2 at $25 billion, followed by John F. Kennedy International Airport at $20 billion.

Other top U.S.-Mexico ports of entry in February included the Ysleta-Zaragoza International Bridge in El Paso, Texas, at $6.3 billion, the Port of Otay Mesa, California, at $4.5 billion, the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in Pharr, Texas, at $3.88 billion and Texas’ Port of Eagle Pass at $3.86 billion. 


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Noi Mahoney

Noi Mahoney is a Texas-based journalist who covers cross-border trade, logistics and supply chains for FreightWaves. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English in 1998. Mahoney has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working for newspapers in Maryland and Texas. Contact nmahoney@freightwaves.com