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The Bridge · Data Story

The Computer
Passed the Car.

For years, Port Laredo ran on vehicles and their parts. Then computer hardware went from the fourth-largest import to the largest, passing passenger vehicles in 2024 and auto parts in 2025. This is what nearshoring actually moves.

The desk's read

Computers were a $6 billion afterthought at Laredo as recently as 2023, fourth behind auto parts, passenger vehicles, and electrical machinery. Two years later they cleared $30.8 billion and led every category. The line doesn't bend, it launches: 106% growth in a single year. When people ask what nearshoring looks like in the data, this is the clearest picture I have. The corridor didn't just move more; it moved something different.

Imports by commodity · Port Laredo · $B

The crossover

Computers (HS 8471)Auto parts (HS 8708)Passenger vehicles (HS 8703)
20212022202320242025
2025$30.8B$25.9B$16.5B
2025 full year

Where it ended up

Computers$30.8B
Auto parts$25.9B
Passenger vehicles$16.5B

Read the full dispatch on The Bridge →  ·  Related: The Corridor dashboard

Data provenance
Imports by commodity, Port LaredoCurrent
Source
U.S. Census Bureau, USA Trade Online (imports/porths, HS4, PORT=2304)
Geography
Port Laredo (Laredo Customs District, code 2304)
Frequency
Monthly, aggregated to annual
Last updated
Full-year 2021–2025
Revision
Census revises recent months; figures pulled Aug 22, 2026

Commodity codes at the HS4 level: computers 8471, auto parts 8708, passenger vehicles 8703. Full customs value of general imports, all countries of origin, at the Laredo Customs District.

Cite this dashboard

Covarrubias, D. (2026). The Computer Passed the Car at America's Busiest Land Port. Border Intelligence Desk, Daniel Covarrubias Labs. https://labs.drdanielcovarrubias.com/charts/computer-vs-car.