Port Laredo Rises to Nation's Top Trade Gateway in April for Second Straight Month

Port Laredo has solidified its position as the nation's top gateway for U.S. merchandise trade, leading for the second consecutive month in April. According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data, Port Laredo recorded a total trade volume of $34.16 billion in April, signaling a significant return to stability in cross-border commerce.

The port had previously held the title of the nation's top port in both 2023 and 2024. However, its ranking saw a temporary dip in 2025, falling behind Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and New York's JFK International Airport. This shift was attributed to exceptional surges in specific commodities: O'Hare benefited from a spike in AI-related computer equipment and GLP-1 drug imports, while JFK saw a substantial increase in gold exports and imports. These factors propelled O'Hare's trade to grow by 31.52% and JFK's by 53.52% in 2025, marking the first year two airports topped the national ranking of all U.S. ports.

In April 2026, Port Laredo demonstrated robust performance, with both its exports and imports increasing by over 20% compared to April of the previous year. O'Hare International Airport followed in second place with $33.92 billion in trade, while JFK International Airport dropped to third with $29.10 billion, experiencing a 17.14% decline in its trade volume. On a year-to-date basis, JFK still leads slightly with $126.85 billion in total trade, marginally ahead of Port Laredo's $126.42 billion. A remarkable 97.62% of Port Laredo's total trade was conducted with Mexico, and its computer part exports saw a surge of over 800%.

This development holds significant implications for the broader U.S. trade landscape and supply chains. In 2025, Port Laredo maintained its standing as the number one port among all U.S. border crossings and the third largest among over 450 airports, seaports, and border crossings nationwide, facilitating $354 billion in total trade. The port continues to be a leader in land-based trade and commerce under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Notably, increased shipments of AI hardware, including data processing units and servers, from companies like Foxconn, Inventec, Wiwynn, and Quanta Computer, which assemble advanced systems using Nvidia chips in Mexico, are predominantly routed through Laredo.

Analysts and market observers suggest that Port Laredo's resurgence to the top spot signals a rebalancing towards the fundamental dynamics of U.S. trade, following a year (2025) where extraordinary factors, such as AI-driven demand and geopolitical shocks, temporarily reshaped trade rankings. This indicates an expectation for a more predictable and stable trajectory in cross-border commerce in the upcoming period.