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March 2010 Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Rose 37.0 Percent from March 2009
March 2010 Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Rose 37.0 Percent from March 2009
(State Rankings in Tables 5 and 7)
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Tuesday, June 1, 2010 - Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners Canada and Mexico was 37.0 percent higher in March 2010 than in March 2009, reaching $69.9 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (Table 1). The 37.0 percent increase from March 2009 to March 2010 is the largest year-over-year rise on record but freight value in March 2010 still remained 1.2 percent less than the value in March 2008, two years earlier (Table 2).
BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico rose 17.6 percent in March 2010 from February 2010 (Table 2). Month-to-month changes can be affected by seasonal variations and other factors.
Surface transportation consists largely of freight movements by truck, rail and pipeline. In March, 86.9 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico moved on land.
The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in March was up 17.7 percent compared to March 2005, and up 33.6 percent compared to March 2000, a period of 10 years (Table 3). Imports in March were up 31.8 percent compared to March 2000, while exports were up 35.8 percent.
U.S. Surface Transportation Trade with Canada
U.S.Canada surface transportation trade totaled $42.1 billion in March, up 35.6 percent compared to March 2009 (Table 4). The value of imports carried by truck was 19.4 percent higher in March 2010 compared to March 2009, while the value of exports carried by truck was 30.4 percent higher during this period.
Michigan led all states in surface trade with Canada in March with $ 5.8 billion (Table 5).
U.S. Surface Transportation Trade with Mexico
U.S.Mexico surface transportation trade totaled $27.8 billion in March, up 39.1 percent compared to March 2009 (Table 6). The value of imports carried by truck was 39.0 percent higher in March 2010 than March 2009 while the value of exports carried by truck was 31.6 percent higher.
Texas led all states in surface trade with Mexico in March with $9.6 billion, the largest amount of trade between Texas and Mexico on record, exceeding the previous high of $9.0 billion in October 2008 (Table 7).
The TransBorder Freight Data are a unique subset of official U.S. foreign trade statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau. New data are tabulated monthly and historical data are not adjusted for inflation. March TransBorder numbers include data received by BTS as of May 12.
The news release and summary tables can be found at www.bts.gov. More information on TransBorder Freight Data and data from previous months are posted on the BTS website at http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/. BTS will release April TransBorder numbers on June 29.
Table 1. Value of Monthly U.S. Surface Transportation Trade with Canada and Mexico
(millions of dollars)
| Month | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Percent Change 2008-2009 | Percent Change 2009-2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 65,160 | 47,459 | 56,697 | -27.2 | 19.5 |
| February | 69,406 | 47,938 | 59,492 | -30.9 | 24.1 |
| March | 70,787 | 51,055 | 69,943 | -27.9 | 37.0 |
| April | 74,317 | 49,729 | -33.1 | ||
| May | 74,128 | 47,881 | -35.4 | ||
| June | 74,139 | 50,753 | -31.5 | ||
| July | 71,628 | 51,545 | -28.0 | ||
| August | 72,254 | 54,254 | -24.9 | ||
| September | 71,801 | 57,294 | -20.2 | ||
| October | 72,683 | 61,400 | -15.5 | ||
| November | 60,661 | 58,922 | -2.9 | ||
| December | 52,910 | 58,465 | 10.5 | ||
| Year-to-date | 205,353 | 146,453 | 186,132 | -28.7 | 27.1 |
| Annual | 829,875 | 636,695 | -23.3 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/
Note: Numbers may 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 | March 2009 | February 2010 | March 2010 | Percent Change February-March 2010 | Percent Change March 2009-2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Surface Modes | Imports | 27,171 | 32,545 | 38,014 | 16.8 | 39.9 |
| Exports | 23,884 | 26,947 | 31,929 | 18.5 | 33.7 | |
| Total | 51,055 | 59,492 | 69,943 | 17.6 | 37.0 | |
| Truck | Imports | 18,707 | 19,865 | 24,177 | 21.7 | 29.2 |
| Exports | 18,931 | 20,894 | 24,772 | 18.6 | 30.9 | |
| Rail | Imports | 4,613 | 6,764 | 7,716 | 14.1 | 67.2 |
| Exports | 2,746 | 3,583 | 4,283 | 19.5 | 56.0 | |
| Pipeline | Imports | 2,907 | 4,979 | 5,219 | 4.8 | 79.5 |
| Exports | 285 | 341 | 603 | 77.0 | 111.2 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/
Notes: 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, and other transportation. For additional detail refer to the "Data Fields" Section of the TransBorder web page: http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/TBDR_DataFields.html
Table 3. March 2010 Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Compared with March of Prior Years
| Compared to March in… | Percent Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Imports | Exports | Total Surface Trade | |
| 2009 | 39.9 | 33.7 | 37.0 |
| 2008 | -5.2 | 4.0 | -1.2 |
| 2007 | -4.8 | 6.9 | 0.3 |
| 2006 | -1.1 | 7.2 | 2.5 |
| 2005 | 13.0 | 23.7 | 17.7 |
| 2004 | 18.7 | 31.7 | 24.3 |
| 2003 | 32.5 | 54.4 | 41.7 |
| 2002 | 45.1 | 64.5 | 53.4 |
| 2001 | 33.3 | 47.1 | 39.3 |
| 2000 | 31.8 | 35.8 | 33.6 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/
Table 4. U.S. Merchandise Trade with Canada by Surface Modes of Transportation
(millions of dollars)
| Mode | March 2009 | February 2010 | March 2010 | Percent Change February-March 2010 | Percent Change March 2009-2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Surface Modes | Imports | 15,942 | 19,226 | 22,007 | 14.5 | 38.0 |
| Exports | 15,106 | 17,047 | 20,098 | 17.9 | 33.0 | |
| Total | 31,048 | 36,273 | 42,105 | 16.1 | 35.6 | |
| Truck | Imports | 9,323 | 9,076 | 11,136 | 22.7 | 19.4 |
| Exports | 11,715 | 13,004 | 15,273 | 17.5 | 30.4 | |
| Rail | Imports | 3,020 | 4,563 | 5,073 | 11.2 | 68.0 |
| Exports | 1,609 | 2,067 | 2,608 | 26.1 | 62.1 | |
| Pipeline | Imports | 2,900 | 4,964 | 5,205 | 4.8 | 79.5 |
| Exports | 247 | 280 | 475 | 69.8 | 92.7 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/
Notes: 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, and other transportation. For additional detail refer to the "Data Fields" Section of the TransBorder web page: http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/TBDR_DataFields.html
Table 5. Top 10 States Trading with Canada by Surface Modes of Transportation
Ranked by March 2010 Surface Trade Value
(millions of dollars)
| Rank | State | March 2010 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 5,800 |
| 2 | Illinois | 3,860 |
| 3 | Ohio | 2,765 |
| 4 | New York | 2,548 |
| 5 | California | 2,548 |
| 6 | Texas | 2,275 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 1,660 |
| 8 | Washington | 1,601 |
| 9 | Indiana | 1,506 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 1,118 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/
Table 6. U.S. Merchandise Trade with Mexico by Surface Modes of Transportation
(millions of dollars)
| Mode | March 2009 | February 2010 | March 2010 | Percent Change February-March 2010 | Percent Change March 2009-2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Surface Modes | Imports | 11,230 | 13,319 | 16,007 | 20.2 | 42.5 |
| Exports | 8,778 | 9,900 | 11,831 | 19.5 | 34.8 | |
| Total | 20,007 | 23,219 | 27,838 | 19.9 | 39.1 | |
| Truck | Imports | 9,383 | 10,789 | 13,042 | 20.9 | 39.0 |
| Exports | 7,216 | 7,890 | 9,499 | 20.4 | 31.6 | |
| Rail | Imports | 1,593 | 2,201 | 2,643 | 20.1 | 65.9 |
| Exports | 1,137 | 1,515 | 1,675 | 10.5 | 47.4 | |
| Pipeline | Imports | 7 | 14 | 14 | -3.7 | 87.4 |
| Exports | 39 | 61 | 127 | 109.9 | 228.5 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/
Notes: 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, and other transportation. For additional detail refer to the "Data Fields" Section of the TransBorder web page: http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/TBDR_DataFields.html
Table 7. Top 10 States Trading with Mexico by Surface Modes of Transportation
Ranked by March 2010 Surface Trade Value
(millions of dollars)
| Rank | State | March 2010 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 9,633 |
| 2 | California | 4,287 |
| 3 | Michigan | 3,060 |
| 4 | Arizona | 1,027 |
| 5 | Illinois | 966 |
| 6 | Ohio | 728 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 545 |
| 8 | Indiana | 456 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 445 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 425 |
Source: BTS TransBorder Freight Data, http://www.bts.gov/programs/international/transborder/