October 2011 Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Rose 12.0 Percent from October 2010
North American Surface Trade, November 2009 - October 2011
Thursday, January 5, 2012 - Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American neighbors, Canada and Mexico, was 12.0 percent higher in October 2011 than in October 2010, totaling $79.0 billion (Table 1), according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico, the United States North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, in October 2011 rose 28.7 percent in two years from October 2009, and 8.7 percent from October 2008 (Table 3).
The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in October increased by 18.2 percent when compared to October 2006, and also increased by 65.9 percent when compared to October 2001, a period of 10 years. Imports in October were up 57.8 percent since October 2001, while exports were up 76.4 percent (Table 3). See Transborder Press Releases for historic data. Values in this press release are not adjusted for inflation.
Surface transportation includes freight movements by truck, rail, pipeline, mail, Foreign Trade Zones, and other. In October , 86.1 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved via land, 9.6 percent moved by vessel, and 4.3 percent moved by air (Table 8).
The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico increased 1.7 percent in October 2011 from September 2011 (Table 2). Month-to-month changes can be affected by seasonal variations and other factors.
U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico surface transportation trade both increased compared to October 2010 with U.S.-Canada reaching $46.4 billion, a 14.1 percent increase, and U.S.-Mexico reaching $32.6 billion, a 9.1 percent increase. For trade numbers by mode, see Table 4 for Canada and Table 6 for Mexico.
In October trade by state, Michigan led all states in surface trade with Canada as it has in previous years, at $5.7 billion, an 8.3 percent increase from October 2010 (Table 5). Texas also continued to lead all states in surface trade with Mexico at $11.3 billion, a 3.8 percent increase from October 2010 (Table 7).
The news release and summary tables can be found at www.bts.gov. More information on TransBorder Freight Data, data from previous months, and individual state data are available online on the BTS website at North American Surface Trade, November 2009 - October 2011. BTS will release November TransBorder numbers on Jan. 31.
TABLE 1. VALUE OF MONTHLY U.S. SURFACE TRANSPORTATION TRADE WITH CANADA AND MEXICO
(millions of dollars)
| Month | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | Percent Change 2009-2010 | Percent Change 2010-2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47,459 | 56,697 | 67,734 | 19.5 | 19.5 |
| February | 47,938 | 59,492 | 66,534 | 24.1 | 11.8 |
| March | 51,055 | 69,943 | 80,822 | 37.0 | 15.6 |
| April | 49,729 | 65,831 | 73,767 | 32.4 | 12.1 |
| May | 47,881 | 66,805 | 77,318 | 39.5 | 15.7 |
| June | 50,753 | 69,859 | 77,521 | 37.6 | 11.0 |
| July | 51,545 | 61,260 | 72,363 | 18.8 | 18.1 |
| August | 54,254 | 67,964 | 80,406 | 25.3 | 18.3 |
| September | 57,294 | 68,324 | 77,725 | 19.3 | 13.8 |
| October | 61,400 | 70,565 | 79,040 | 14.9 | 12.0 |
| November | 58,922 | 68,060 | 15.5 | ||
| December | 58,465 | 66,530 | 13.8 | ||
| Year-to-date | 519,308 | 656,740 | 753,230 | 26.5 | 14.7 |
| Annual | 636,695 | 791,329 | 24.3 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, November 2009 - October 2011
Note: Numbers might not add to totals due to rounding. Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
TABLE 2. U.S. SURFACE TRADE WITH CANADA AND MEXICO BY MODE OF TRANSPORTATION
(millions of dollars)
| Mode | October 2010 | September 2011 | October 2011 | Percent Change September - October 2011 | Percent Change October 2010 - 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Surface Modes | Imports | 37,490 | 41,914 | 42,265 | 0.8 | 12.7 |
| Exports | 33,074 | 35,811 | 36,775 | 2.7 | 11.2 | |
| Total | 70,565 | 77,725 | 79,040 | 1.7 | 12.0 | |
| Truck | Imports | 24,603 | 26,250 | 26,746 | 1.9 | 8.7 |
| Exports | 25,607 | 27,824 | 28,345 | 1.9 | 10.7 | |
| Rail | Imports | 7,615 | 8,597 | 8,800 | 2.4 | 15.6 |
| Exports | 4,149 | 4,688 | 5,035 | 7.4 | 21.4 | |
| Pipeline | Imports | 4,104 | 5,917 | 5,363 | -9.4 | 30.7 |
| Exports | 861 | 767 | 740 | -3.4 | -14.0 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, November 2009 - October 2011
Notes: Numbers might 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, and other transportation. For additional detail refer to the TransBorder web page:North American Surface Trade, November 2009 - October 2011
TABLE 3. OCTOBER 2011 SURFACE TRADE WITH CANADA AND MEXICO COMPARED WITH OCTOBER OF PRIOR YEARS
| Compared to October in... | Percent Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Imports | Exports | Total Surface Trade | |
| 2010 | 12.7 | 11.2 | 12.0 |
| 2009 | 27.7 | 30.0 | 28.7 |
| 2008 | 5.9 | 12.2 | 8.7 |
| 2007 | 0.7 | 13.9 | 6.5 |
| 2006 | 11.4 | 27.2 | 18.2 |
| 2005 | 13.6 | 37.3 | 23.5 |
| 2004 | 29.7 | 51.4 | 39.0 |
| 2003 | 41.6 | 63.4 | 50.9 |
| 2002 | 50.0 | 71.4 | 59.2 |
| 2001 | 57.8 | 76.4 | 65.9 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, November 2009 - October 2011
TABLE 4. U.S. MERCHANDISE TRADE WITH CANADA BY SURFACE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
(millions of dollars)
| Mode | October 2010 | September 2011 | October 2011 | Percent Change September - October 2011 | Percent Change October 2010 - 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Surface Modes | Imports | 20,796 | 24,482 | 24,187 | -1.2 | 16.3 |
| Exports | 19,894 | 21,637 | 22,259 | 2.9 | 11.9 | |
| Total | 40,690 | 46,119 | 46,445 | 0.7 | 14.1 | |
| Truck | Imports | 11,014 | 11,965 | 11,943 | -0.2 | 8.4 |
| Exports | 15,543 | 16,712 | 16,949 | 1.4 | 9.0 | |
| Rail | Imports | 4,884 | 5,730 | 5,846 | 2.0 | 19.7 |
| Exports | 2,219 | 2,553 | 2,809 | 10.0 | 26.6 | |
| Pipeline | Imports | 4,085 | 5,884 | 5,341 | -9.2 | 30.7 |
| Exports | 208 | 432 | 494 | 14.2 | 137.7 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, November 2009 - October 2011
Notes: Numbers might 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, and other transportation. For additional detail refer to the TransBorder web page:North American Surface Trade, November 2009 - October 2011
TABLE 5. TOP 10 STATES TRADING WITH CANADA BY SURFACE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Ranked by October 2011 Surface Trade Value
(millions of dollars)
| State | October 2010 | October 2011 | Percent Change October 2010-2011 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Rank | Value | Rank | ||
| Michigan | 5,267 | 1 | 5,701 | 1 | 8.3 |
| Illinois | 3,356 | 2 | 4,390 | 2 | 30.8 |
| California | 2,912 | 3 | 3,266 | 3 | 12.2 |
| Ohio | 2,479 | 4 | 2,941 | 4 | 18.7 |
| Texas | 2,362 | 6 | 2,857 | 5 | 21.0 |
| New York | 2,384 | 5 | 2,462 | 6 | 3.3 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,606 | 7 | 1,878 | 7 | 16.9 |
| Washington | 1,502 | 8 | 1,600 | 8 | 6.6 |
| Minnesota | 1,279 | 10 | 1,517 | 9 | 18.6 |
| Indiana | 1,406 | 9 | 1,508 | 10 | 7.2 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, November 2009 - October 2011
Notes: Numbers might not add to totals due to rounding. Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
TABLE 6. U.S. MERCHANDISE TRADE WITH MEXICO BY SURFACE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
(millions of dollars)
| Mode | October 2010 | September 2011 | October 2011 | Percent Change September - October 2011 | Percent Change October 2010 - 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Surface Modes | Imports | 16,695 | 17,432 | 18,079 | 3.7 | 8.3 |
| Exports | 13,180 | 14,174 | 14,516 | 2.4 | 10.1 | |
| Total | 29,875 | 31,606 | 32,595 | 3.1 | 9.1 | |
| Truck | Imports | 13,589 | 14,284 | 14,803 | 3.6 | 8.9 |
| Exports | 10,064 | 11,113 | 11,396 | 2.6 | 13.2 | |
| Rail | Imports | 2,731 | 2,866 | 2,955 | 3.1 | 8.2 |
| Exports | 1,929 | 2,134 | 2,226 | 4.3 | 15.4 | |
| Pipeline | Imports | 19 | 33 | 23 | -30.7 | 19.3 |
| Exports | 653 | 334 | 246 | -26.3 | -62.3 |
Notes: Numbers might 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, and other transportation. For additional detail refer to the TransBorder web page:North American Surface Trade, November 2009 - October 2011
TABLE 7. TOP 10 STATES TRADING WITH MEXICO BY SURFACE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
Ranked by October 2011 Surface Trade Value
(millions of dollars)
| State | October 2010 | October 2011 | Percent Change October 2010-2011 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Rank | Value | Rank | ||
| Texas | 10,910 | 1 | 11,322 | 1 | 3.8 |
| California | 4,465 | 2 | 5,160 | 2 | 15.6 |
| Michigan | 3,430 | 3 | 3,770 | 3 | 9.9 |
| Illinois | 997 | 4 | 1,031 | 4 | 3.4 |
| Arizona | 783 | 6 | 878 | 5 | 12.1 |
| Ohio | 805 | 5 | 836 | 6 | 3.8 |
| Tennessee | 567 | 7 | 728 | 7 | 28.5 |
| Indiana | 516 | 8 | 584 | 8 | 13.3 |
| North Carolina | 435 | 10 | 524 | 9 | 20.5 |
| Pennsylvania | 428 | 11 | 442 | 10 | 3.3 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, November 2009 - October 2011
Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding
TABLE 8. PERCENT OF U.S. TRADE BY VALUE WITH CANADA AND MEXICO BY MAJOR MODES
October 2011 (Actual U.S. dollars)
| Mode | Total Trade Value | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| All Modes | 91,836,944,278 | 100.0 |
| All Land Modes | 79,040,142,447 | 86.1 |
| Air | 3,946,949,823 | 4.3 |
| Vessel | 8,849,852,008 | 9.6 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, November 2009 - October 2011
Note: Numbers might not add to totals due to rounding. Percent changes are based on actual numbers prior to rounding (if applicable).