2009 Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Fell 23.3 Percent from 2008
(State Rankings in Tables 5 and 7)
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Thursday, March 18, 2010 - Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico decreased by 23.3 percent in 2009 compared to 2008, dropping to $637 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The 23.3 percent decline in trade was the largest year-to-year decline for the 15 years covered by these data. NAFTA went into effect in 1994 (Table 1).
BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), reported that the value of trade by surface transportation with Canada and Mexico decreased by 31.1 percent during the first six months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. It decreased by 14.9 percent in the final six months of the year but increased by 10.5 percent in December compared to December 2008. For 2009 data by month, see the BTS December 2009 North American Surface Freight press release.
Total North American surface transportation imports decreased by 26.5 percent in 2009 from 2008, and exports decreased by 19.2 percent during the same period (Table 2).
In 2009, 86.6 percent of U.S. merchandise trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved on land. Total North American surface transportation trade value in 2009 increased 0.5 percent compared to 2004, and was up 27.0 percent compared to 1999, a period of 10 years (Table 3).
U.S. Surface Transportation Trade with Canada
U.S. - Canada surface transportation trade totaled $386 billion in 2009, a decrease of 28.1 percent compared to 2008 (Table 4). The value of imports carried by truck was 25.7 percent lower in 2009 than 2008 while the value of exports carried by truck was 20.2 percent lower.
Michigan led all states in surface trade with Canada in 2009 with $42.5 billion (Table 5).
U.S. Surface Transportation Trade with Mexico
U.S.–Mexico surface transportation trade totaled $251.0 billion in 2009, a decrease of 14.4 percent compared to 2008 (Table 6). The value of imports carried by truck was 12.2 percent lower in 2009 than in 2008 while the value of exports carried by truck was 10.8 percent lower.
Texas led all states in surface trade with Mexico in 2009 with $86.0 billion (Table 7).
The TransBorder Freight Dataset is a special extract of the official U.S. foreign trade statistics. The data are obtained by BTS from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Division. TransBorder numbers include data received by BTS as of Feb. 16.
The news release and summary tables can be found at www.bts.gov. More information on Transborder freight data is posted on the BTS website at http://www.bts.gov/transborder/.
Table 1. Annual Value of U.S. Surface Transportation Trade with Canada and Mexico and Percent Change from Previous Year
(millions of dollars)
| Year | Amount | Percent Change from Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 370,265 | NA |
| 1996 | 410,382 | 10.8 |
| 1997 | 425,977 | 3.8 |
| 1998 | 451,736 | 6.0 |
| 1999 | 501,250 | 11.0 |
| 2000 | 575,713 | 14.9 |
| 2001 | 547,312 | -4.9 |
| 2002 | 540,795 | -1.2 |
| 2003 | 562,776 | 4.1 |
| 2004 | 633,563 | 12.6 |
| 2005 | 697,987 | 10.2 |
| 2006 | 760,127 | 8.9 |
| 2007 | 797,303 | 4.9 |
| 2008 | 829,875 | 4.1 |
| 2009 | 636,695 | -23.3 |
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, based on Transborder Freight Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/transborder/, as of February 22, 2010.
NOTE: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
Table 2. U.S. Merchandise Trade with Canada andMexico by Surface Modes of Transportation
(millions of dollars)
| Mode | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | Percent Change 2007-2008 | Percent Change 2008-2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Surface Modes | Imports | 452,486 | 464,606 | 341,665 | 2.7 | -26.5 |
| Exports | 344,817 | 365,269 | 295,031 | 5.9 | -19.2 | |
| Total | 797,303 | 829,875 | 636,695 | 4.1 | -23.3 | |
| Truck | Imports | 287,441 | 275,577 | 222,866 | -4.1 | -19.1 |
| Exports | 267,390 | 278,857 | 231,961 | 4.3 | -16.8 | |
| Rail | Imports | 93,022 | 89,022 | 60,361 | -4.3 | -32.2 |
| Exports | 44,837 | 51,403 | 35,263 | 14.6 | -31.4 | |
| Pipeline | Imports | 55,184 | 82,212 | 45,786 | 49.0 | -44.3 |
| Exports | 4,122 | 5,564 | 3,420 | 35.0 | -38.5 |
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, based on Transborder Freight Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/transborder/, as of February 22, 2010.
NOTE: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding. The value of trade for all surface modes is not equal to the sum of truck, rail and pipeline modes. It also includes shipments made by mail, foreign trade zones, other and unknown modes of transportation. For additional detail refer to the "Data Fields" Section of the Transborder web page: http://www.bts.gov/transborder/TBDR_DataFields.html.
Table 3. Prior Year Surface Trade with Canada andMexico Compared with 2009
| 2009 Compared to | Percent Change to 2009 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Imports | Exports | Total Surface Trade | |
| 2008 | -26.5 | -19.2 | -23.3 |
| 2007 | -24.5 | -14.4 | -20.1 |
| 2006 | -21.3 | -9.5 | -16.2 |
| 2005 | -14.8 | -0.7 | -8.8 |
| 2004 | -6.2 | 9.6 | 0.5 |
| 2003 | 6.0 | 22.7 | 13.1 |
| 2002 | 10.5 | 27.4 | 17.7 |
| 2001 | 9.3 | 25.8 | 16.3 |
| 2000 | 5.5 | 17.1 | 10.6 |
| 1999 | 22.6 | 32.6 | 27.0 |
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, based on Transborder Freight Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/transborder/, as of February 22, 2010.
Table 4. U.S. Merchandise Trade withCanada by Surface Modes of Transportation
(millions of dollars)
| Mode | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | Percent Change 2007-2008 | Percent Change 2008-2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Surface Modes | Imports | 284,773 | 301,128 | 201,089 | 5.7 | -33.2 |
| Exports | 226,058 | 235,681 | 184,653 | 4.3 | -21.7 | |
| Total | 510,831 | 536,809 | 385,742 | 5.1 | -28.1 | |
| Truck | Imports | 150,404 | 141,353 | 105,079 | -6.0 | -25.7 |
| Exports | 174,343 | 178,593 | 142,545 | 2.4 | -20.2 | |
| Rail | Imports | 65,962 | 63,757 | 41,058 | -3.3 | -35.6 |
| Exports | 25,497 | 29,438 | 19,973 | 15.5 | -32.2 | |
| Pipeline | Imports | 55,016 | 82,018 | 45,630 | 49.1 | -44.4 |
| Exports | 3,334 | 4,313 | 2,632 | 29.3 | -39.0 |
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, based on Transborder Freight Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/transborder/, as of February 22, 2010.
NOTE: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding. The value of trade for all surface modes is not equal to the sum of truck, rail and pipeline modes. It also includes shipments made by mail, foreign trade zones, other and unknown modes of transportation. For additional detail refer to the “Data Fields” Section of the Transborder web page: http://www.bts.gov/transborder/TBDR_DataFields.html.
Table 5. Top 10 States Trading with Canada by Surface Modes of Transportation in 2009
Ranked by 2009 Surface Trade Value
(millions of dollars)
| Rank | State | 2009 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 42,453 |
| 2 | Illinois | 34,707 |
| 3 | California | 26,170 |
| 4 | New York | 24,301 |
| 5 | Ohio | 23,746 |
| 6 | Texas | 19,848 |
| 7 | Washington | 15,945 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 15,871 |
| 9 | Indiana | 12,174 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 10,881 |
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, based on Transborder Freight Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/transborder/, as of February 22, 2010.
Table 6. U.S. Merchandise Trade withMexico by Surface Modes of Transportation
(millions of dollars)
| Mode | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | Percent Change 2007 - 2008 | Percent Change 2008-2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Surface Modes | Imports | 167,713 | 163,478 | 140,576 | -2.5 | -14.0 |
| Exports | 118,758 | 129,587 | 110,378 | 9.1 | -14.8 | |
| Total | 286,472 | 293,065 | 250,954 | 2.3 | -14.4 | |
| Truck | Imports | 137,037 | 134,224 | 117,787 | -2.1 | -12.2 |
| Exports | 93,047 | 100,264 | 89,417 | 7.8 | -10.8 | |
| Rail | Imports | 27,060 | 25,265 | 19,303 | -6.6 | -23.6 |
| Exports | 19,340 | 21,965 | 15,291 | 13.6 | -30.4 | |
| Pipeline | Imports | 169 | 193 | 155 | 14.6 | -19.6 |
| Exports | 787 | 1,250 | 788 | 58.8 | -37.0 |
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, based on Transborder Freight Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/transborder/, as of February 22, 2010.
NOTE: Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding. The value of trade for all surface modes is not equal to the sum of truck, rail and pipeline modes. It also includes shipments made by mail, foreign trade zones, other and unknown modes of transportation. For additional detail refer to the “Data Fields” Section of the Transborder web page: http://www.bts.gov/transborder/TBDR_DataFields.html.
Table 7. Top 10 States Trading with Mexico by Surface Modes of Transportation in 2009
Ranked by 2009 Surface Trade Value
(millions of dollars)
| Rank | State | 2009 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 86,043 |
| 2 | California | 42,822 |
| 3 | Michigan | 22,237 |
| 4 | Arizona | 8,952 |
| 5 | Illinois | 8,455 |
| 6 | Ohio | 6,557 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 5,081 |
| 8 | North Carolina | 4,391 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 4,191 |
| 10 | Indiana | 3,985 |
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, based on Transborder Freight Data, available at http://www.bts.gov/transborder/, as of February 22, 2010.