Mexico was the United States’ top trading partner in March, with two-way trade totaling $68.5 billion, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau.
It was the third consecutive month and 13th of the past 14 months Mexico has been No. 1 in trade with the U.S. While Mexico retained the top spot in March, year-over-year trade with the U.S. declined 5% in the month compared to the same period in 2023.
Canada was the second-ranked U.S. trade partner in March at $65.1 billion, followed by China at No. 3 with $42.7 billion.
In the first quarter of 2024, trade between Mexico and the U.S. totaled $200.1 billion, a 1.7% y/y increase.
During March, U.S. imports from Mexico rose 3.8% y/y, while U.S. exports decreased 1.2% y/y. The U.S. trade deficit with Mexico was $39.7 billion in the month.
The top five imports from Mexico to the U.S. in March were passenger vehicles ($4.2 billion), auto parts ($3.2 billion), computers ($2.8 billion), commercial vehicles ($2.7 billion) and insulated wires/cables ($1.4 billion), according to Census Bureau data analyzed by WorldCity.
The top five exports from the U.S. to Mexico were gasoline ($3 billion), auto parts ($1.7 billion), computer parts ($932 million), computer chips ($837 million) and low-value shipments ($774 million).
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Port Laredo, Texas, was the No. 1-ranked U.S. trade gateway in March among the nation’s 450 airports, seaports and border crossings. It was the 12th consecutive month the Laredo border crossing was the country’s top-ranked international commercial trade port.
Laredo recorded $27.8 billion in two-way trade in the month. The Port of Los Angeles ranked No. 2 at $25.1 billion, followed by Chicago O’Hare International Airport at $22.4 billion.
In March, Laredo handled 255,874 commercial truck crossings between Mexico and the U.S., a 2.4% y/y decline.
Other top U.S.-Mexico ports of entry in March included the Ysleta-Zaragoza International Bridge in El Paso, Texas, at $6.4 billion; the Port of Otay Mesa, California, at $4.9 billion; the Port of Eagle Pass, Texas, at $3.9 billion; the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in Pharr, Texas, at $3.7 billion; and the Nogales, Arizona, port of entry at $3 billion.
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The Laredo and El Paso border crossings, along with Tucson, Arizona, which includes the Nogales port of entry, have been some of the fastest-growing freight markets in the U.S. over the past five years.
Laredo tender volumes (OTVI.LRD) are up 117% versus May 2019, Tucson’s (OTVI.TUS) are up 111% and El Paso’s (OTVI.ELP) are up 41%, according to FreightWaves SONAR platform.
