TREND: Loaded container truck crossings continued to surge through the first six months of 2021. Commercial traffic at the top ten US border ports of entry increased on a year-over-year basis. Laredo Port of Entry (PoE) had the largest increase in commercial traffic. On the other hand, noncommercial traffic declined at the majority of the top ten ports of entry. Total passenger and pedestrian crossings dwindled in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. Laredo PoE had the largest decrease in noncommercial traffic.
COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC
•Loaded container truck crossings at the top ten US border ports of entry increased in the first half of the year on a year-over-year basis. Laredo PoE, Port Huron PoE, Otay Mesa PoE, and Detroit PoE exhibited the largest increases during the January to June 2021 period. These ports experienced gains of roughly 199,000 truck crossings (27.1%), 79,000 truck crossings (29.8%), 77,000 truck crossings (24.5%) and 66,000 truck crossings (13.8%), respectively.
•The next largest absolute increase, and second largest relative increase, took place at El Paso PoE (52,000 truck crossings or 28.0%).
•In total, loaded container truck crossings through the top ten ports increased by 603,000 (21.0%) on a year-over-year basis. The top five ports of entry on the southern border increased by roughly 378,000 truck crossings (23.6%) compared to 2020, while the top five ports of entry on the northern border increased by 225,000 truck crossings (17.7%).
•Compared to the same period in 2019, however, five of the top ten ports remained down in the first half of 2021. El Paso PoE exhibited the largest decrease, down approximately 65,000 loaded truck container crossings (-21.4%), followed by Blaine PoE (-14,000 or -9.1%) and Nogales PoE (-13,000 or -7.2%).
•Laredo PoE, Port Huron PoE, Otay Mesa PoE, and Detroit PoE exceeded their 2019 numbers by roughly 68,000 truck crossings (7.8%), 28,000 truck crossings (8.9%), 23,000 truck crossings (6.2%), and 1,800 truck crossings (0.3%), respectively.
•In total, loaded container truck crossings increased by 13,000 (0.4%) in the January to June 2021 period compared to the January to June 2019 period. The top five southern border ports of entry increased by about 14,000 truck crossings (0.7%) compared to 2019, while the top five northern border ports of entry decreased by just less than 1,000 truck crossings (-0.1%).
Table 1.- Change in Commercial Traffic at the Top Ten US Border Ports of Entry
NOTE: Top ten ports based on 2020 traffic. Numbers are for loaded container truck crossings. El Paso PoE includes Ysleta PoE.
SOURCE: Hunt Institute calculations using data from the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
NONCOMMERCIAL TRAFFIC
•In the January to June 2021 period, total passenger and pedestrian crossings decreased at the majority of the top ten US border ports of entry compared to the same period last year. The largest declines took place at Laredo PoE, El Paso PoE and Hidalgo PoE. These ports witnessed losses of about 842,000 noncommercial crossings (-18.4%), 405,000 crossings (-4.9%) and 281,000 crossings (-8.2%), respectively.
•Noncommercial traffic increased at four ports. Crossings increased at Otay Mesa PoE (1,033,000 or 22.9%), San Ysidro PoE (471,000 or 3.9%), San Luis PoE (217,000 or 7.8%) and Calexico PoE (122,000 or 2.9%).
•In total, passenger and pedestrian crossings through the top ten ports decreased by 305,000 (-0.6%) compared to 2020.
•The decline in noncommercial traffic at the top ten ports stretches back to 2019. Each of the top ten ports decreased in terms of passenger and pedestrian crossings during the first half of 2021 compared to the same period in 2019. El Paso PoE, San Ysidro PoE and Laredo PoE posted the largest drops in noncommercial traffic. Passenger and pedestrian crossings declined at these ports by 5,302,000 crossings (-40.5%), 4,795,000 crossings (-27.4%) and 3,766,000 crossings (-50.2%), respectively.
•In total, passenger and pedestrian crossings were down by 26,975,000 (-35.8%) in the January to June 2021 period compared to the first half of 2019.
TABLE 2.- Change in Noncommercial Traffic at the Top Ten US Border Ports of Entry
NOTE: Top ten ports based on 2020 traffic. Numbers are for total passengers and pedestrians. El Paso PoE includes Ysleta PoE.
SOURCE: Hunt Institute calculations using data from the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
TAKEAWAY: During the first half of 2021, commercial and noncommercial crossings continued to exhibit contrasting trends. While truck crossings continued to increase compared to 2020 and even (in some cases) to 2019, overall passenger and pedestrian crossings remain below 2019 numbers. Nevertheless, passenger and pedestrian crossings did show some isolated signs of improvement in 2021. Four top ports on the southwestern border saw increased noncommercial traffic during the first half of the year compared to 2020. So, while truck crossings rebounded quickly after the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger and pedestrian crossings continue to face the struggle of a much slower, gradual recovery.
* Since 2014, the Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness at The University of Texas at El Paso has provided economic analysis of the Paso del Norte Region that includes the binational communities of El Paso, Texas; Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. The mission of the Hunt Institute is to produce high-quality market analysis tools that can strengthen regional and binational cross-border economic and social development. Twitter: @HuntPasoDeNorte
