Port Laredo Is Nation’s Top Trade Gateway For 2nd Straight Month

BusinessPolicyPort Laredo Is Nation’s Top Trade Gateway For 2nd Straight MonthByKen Roberts,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Two decades analyzing U.S. trade data by port, country, export, importFollow AuthorJun 12, 2026, 05:00am EDTPort Laredo accounted for slightly more export-import trade than O'Hare International Airport in April, according to WorldCity analysis of the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, released this week.ustradenumbers.comPort Laredo was the nation’s top gateway for U.S. merchandise trade for the second consecutive month in April, suggesting stability might be returning to cross-border commerce, according to my analysis of data released this week.Port Laredo had been the nation’s top port in 2023 and 2024 but fell behind Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and New York’s JFK International Airport in 2025 despite record trade for a fifth consecutive year.Those two airports topped Port Laredo and all other U.S. airports, seaports and border crossings because of a surge of imports of AI-related computer equipment and GLP-1 drugs for O’Hare and gold exports and imports for JFK. Their 2025 growth was so exceptional – O’Hare’s trade increased 31.52% and JFK’s 53.52% – it was the first year that not just one but two U.S. airports topped the ranking of all U.S. airports, seaports and border crossings.Port Laredo set a record for total exports and total imports in the month of April, according to a WorldCity analysis of the lastest U.S. Census Bureau data available.ustradenumbers.comMORE FOR YOUBut in April, for the second consecutive month, Port Laredo again ranked first, its trade totaling $34.16 billion. Its exports and imports both increased more than 20 percent compared to last April. O’Hare was second at $33.92 billion on a 12.47% overall increase, while JFK was third at $29.10 billion, its trade down 17.14%. My company, WorldCity, conducts business with Port Laredo and conducts or has conducte...