The U.S.-Mexico Border
$872.8 billion in trade. 1,954 miles. 26 ports of entry. Four states north, six states south. The largest bilateral trade relationship on earth.
Data current as of 2025 · BTS / U.S. Census Bureau / INEGI
Land Port Trade
$0.0B
Truck + rail at 26 ports (rolling 12 mo)
Total bilateral incl. pipeline, air, vessel: $872.8B
#1 Partner
Mexico
Largest U.S. trade partner since 2023
Truck Crossings
~0.0M
Inbound from Mexico (rolling 12 months)
Jobs
0M+
U.S. jobs dependent on Mexico trade
U.S. Border States
Four States, One Border
Texas
TX$548B
63% of U.S.-Mexico trade
California
CA$88B
10% of U.S.-Mexico trade
Arizona
AZ$30B
3.4% of U.S.-Mexico trade
New Mexico
NM$20B
2.3% of U.S.-Mexico trade
Share of U.S.-Mexico Land Border Trade
Texas handles more border trade than California, Arizona, and New Mexico combined.
Port Rankings
Top 10 Ports of Entry
Ranked by trade value. Texas ports handle 63% of all U.S.-Mexico land border trade. Laredo alone handles 40%.
Source: BTS Transborder Freight Data, U.S. Census Bureau, Texas Comptroller (2024/2025). Truck crossings are northbound inbound from Mexico.
Mexico's Manufacturing Border
Six States Power Mexico's Export Machine
The border economy runs on Mexico's manufacturing base. Components are built in these six states and shipped north through the ports above.
Tamaulipas
Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, Matamoros, Miguel Alemán
Chihuahua
Ciudad Juárez, Ojinaga
Coahuila
Piedras Negras, Ciudad Acuña
Baja California
Tijuana, Mexicali, Tecate
Sonora
Nogales, San Luis Río Colorado, Agua Prieta, Naco
Nuevo León
Colombia (via bridge to Laredo area)
Monterrey (150 miles inland) is Mexico's industrial capital. Connected to the border via Colombia Solidarity Bridge.
Source: INEGI Censo 2020, IMSS, IMMEX program data. Population figures are state-level estimates.
Continental Commerce
What Crosses the Border
Mode of transport (all U.S.-Mexico trade)
Source: BTS Transborder Freight Report 2025.
Top commodity categories (U.S.-Mexico bilateral, $B)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau / BTS. Approximate bilateral values, 2024.
Mexico is not just a trade partner. It is the other half of a continental factory. $872.8 billion worth of evidence, crossing 26 ports of entry, every single day.
Geopolitical Context
Why This Border Matters
#1
U.S. Trade Partner
Mexico surpassed China in 2023 and held the position in 2024 and 2025.
232%
Trade Growth Since NAFTA
From $263B at NAFTA launch (1994) to $872.8B in 2025.
7-8x
Border Crossings Per Auto Part
A single auto part crosses the border 7-8 times before final assembly.
42
U.S. States Linked
42 U.S. states count Canada or Mexico as their top export destination.
Nearshoring is accelerating. Chinese exports to Latin America grew 13% from 2023 to 2024 as North America works to onshore critical supply chains. The USMCA joint review, scheduled for July 1, 2026, will determine the future of this trade relationship through 2036.
The numbers are not abstract. A single auto part crosses the border 7-8 times before final assembly. 42 U.S. states count Canada or Mexico as their top export destination. Five million American jobs depend on what happens at these 26 ports of entry.
Intelligence Tiers
Explore the Border
Three levels of detail. Continental, state, corridor.
U.S.-Mexico Border
$872.8B in trade. 26 ports. The full continental picture.
Sources and Methodology
Sections marked with a green “LIVE DATA” badge pull directly from federal APIs and refresh every 24 hours. Trade values come from the U.S. Census Bureau International Trade API (rolling 12-month port-level imports + exports). Truck crossings come from the BTS Border Crossing/Entry Data SODA API (rolling 12-month inbound truck counts). Both use a 14-month fetch window to handle the ~6 week Census release lag.
- U.S. Census Bureau International Trade API (port-level imports/exports)
- BTS Border Crossing/Entry Data, SODA API (dataset keg4-3bc2)
- BTS Transborder Freight Data Annual Report 2025
- Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Port Profiles (2024)
- California Governor's Office (border trade data)
- Arizona-Mexico Economic Indicators (University of Arizona, Eller College)
- UTEP Hunt Institute / Border Region Modeling Project (El Paso-Juárez)
- INEGI (Censo 2020, IMMEX, CONAPO projections)
- IMSS datos abiertos (formal employment)
- Wilson Center (jobs estimate)
- City of Laredo / WorldCity (Laredo-specific data)
The $872.8B bilateral trade figure includes all transport modes (truck, rail, pipeline, air, vessel) per BTS. The live port-level data on this page tracks land port trade via the Census Bureau's porths API, which covers truck and rail crossings at land ports of entry. Pipeline (~$57B), air freight, and vessel cargo are not captured at land ports. Truck crossing figures are northbound inbound from BTS. Mexican state IMMEX worker counts are approximations from INEGI IMMEX program data. The border has 26 CBP master ports of entry, grouping ~50 individual physical crossings. El Paso Area combines Ysleta (2401), El Paso (2402), and Tornillo/Fabens (2404) per Texas Comptroller methodology.
