Study: Houston port activity supports $987B U.S. economic impact

A recent economic impact study illustrated marine cargo activity through the Port of Houston supported roughly $987 billion in U.S. annual economic value in 2025. 

The Port of Houston operates as one of the largest, most impactful economic corridors in America, acting as a lynchpin for Texas’ standing in domestic and global markets. In 2023, the port was ranked number one across the nation in cargo volume with 275.9 million waterborne tonnage. The port had a total tonnage of 309.5 million in 2023. 

Outside of its impact on the national economic Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the port’s annual marine cargo activity has contributed more than $538 billion in economic value for Texas alone. Of that amount, $473.6 billion of output is supported with related port users, $36.1 billion derives from direct business revenue, and the remaining $27.9 billion come from re-spending direct income and local consumption purchases. This accounts for roughly 18.5 percent of the state’s overall $2.9 trillion GDP. 

Since 2022, Port Houston has seen a $98.4 billion increase in total economic value to the state. This includes: 

• $84.2 billion attributed to output increases. 
• $7.6 billion attributed to re-spending of income and local consumption. 
• $6.6 billion attributed to direct revenue. 

Since that time, the port has increased total cargo handled at public and private terminals to 32.8 million tons. These largely consist of liquid and dry bulk cargo, including petroleum exports and petrochemical imports, exports and domestic waterborne shipments and receipts. 

The port’s overall economic impact is attributed to both public and private facilities. To date, the channel corridor’s activities support nearly 1.9 million jobs in Texas and more than 3.5 million jobs nationally. The port has also generated $15.6 billion in state and local tax revenue. 

The massive growth in Port Houston’s economic impact and operations highlights its importance to both the Texas and national GDPs, serving as an economic engine at most domestic and global levels. As its economic contribution continues to expand, the port will need to make additional investments in land-side and ship channel infrastructure to effectively manage more tonnage, vessels and demand for services. 

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