Benefits of Texas Ports

Helping Texas

The facts are staggering. Texas ports move an average of 317 million metric tons of cargo annually. This is about 17% of the total U.S. port tonnage and over 50% of U.S. Foreign imports and exports. This wealth of commerce means

  • Nearly 1 million jobs to Texans,
  • Over $30 billion in personal income for Texans, and
  • Business sales of over $178 billion.

Marine and intermodal transportation alone accounts for nearly $65 billion, or 10%, of the Texas gross state product. Annually, ports bring in almost $5 billion in local and state tax revenue.

Ports have far-reaching effects even on inland regions of Texas.

  • Ships carry agricultural products, such as wheat, corn, rice, peas, vegetable oils, and sorghum, from Texas farms and ranches for international export.
  • The U.S. petroleum and chemical industries import and export their products via tankers at Texas ports.
  • Manufactured machinery is both imported and exported.
  • Wood products and fertilizers make their way from areas in Texas to be exported to countries like Japan and Taiwan that don’t have our natural resources.
  • Fish, shrimp, and other seafood reach Texas consumers through ports.
  • The U.S. military uses Texas ports to transport equipment, materials, supplies, and people. Fort Hood and other military complexes in Texas make up 40 percent of the U.S.’s combat power, and also have an economic influence on their surrounding communities.
  • Even the cruise industry depends on Texas ports for their livelihood.

Helping the U.S.

Texas ports also significantly impact the national economy. The ports of Beaumont, Corpus Christi, Freeport, Houston, and Texas City are among the top 25 U.S. ports in tonnage handled. The Port of Houston is the largest container port on the Gulf Coast. In addition, Texas ports bring in over $9 billion in federal tax revenues each year. As a conduit and catalyst for global trade and economic development, Texas ports serve the state and nation as important trade centers.

Bringing it All Together

Texas ports are connected to one another and to the rest of the U.S. inland waterway system by the Gulf Intracostal Waterway (GIWW). The GIWW allows ocean-going shipping to connect with barge traffic. The Texas portion of the GIWW transports more than 73 million tons of cargo annually, moving in 40,000 barges each year. In comparison, the same cargo volume would take over 3 million semi-trailers or over 570,000 rail cars to move.

Keeping Texas Ports Competitive

Ports in Texas compete with ports in states all along the Gulf of Mexico, as well as ports in other parts of the U.S. and Mexico. Costs related to environmental regulations and mandates, and the potential federal reductions in maintaining the deep- and shallow- draft channels of Texas and the GIWW, could increase port expenses and decrease the ports’ abilities to compete for future trade growth.

Texas Ports Association ports, as custodians of the coastal environment, support a balance between economic development and environmental concerns. Already, projects spearheaded by Texas ports have benefited the Texas Coastal environment: reusing dredged materials, managing stormwater discharge, filtering runoff water, donating conservation easements, creating freshwater marshes, and separating/recycling oil and oil products from vessel bilges.