Container Volume at Port of Los Angeles Hits Two-Year Low

Port of Los Angeles

The Port of Los Angeles’ 10-month streak of container volume growth ended in May, as the impact of the Trump administration’s tariffs hit both imports and exports.

The Southern California gateway port handled 716,619 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in May, down 5% from the same month in 2024. After 10 straight months of year-over-year growth, total cargo volumes slowed as tariffs impacted both imports and exports.

“May marked our lowest monthly cargo output in over two years,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a press conference. “While May volume is typically stronger than April as we approach our traditional peak season, our imports dropped 19% compared to last month.”

“Unless long-term, comprehensive trade agreements are reached soon, we’ll likely see higher prices and less selection during the year-end holiday season,” Seroka said. “The uncertainty created by fast-changing tariff policies has caused hardships for consumers, businesses and labor.”

Ernie Tedeschi, director of economics at the Yale Budget Lab, said at a press conference that the tariffs would increase prices by an average of 1.5%, which equates to nearly $2,500 in lost purchasing power per household per year. “But that impact isn’t the same across all families or products: lower-income and working-class families see a bigger hit than higher-income families, and products more likely to be imported like shoes, apparel, and consumer electronics will see double-digit percent price increases.”

Import container throughput in May was 355,950 TEUs, down 9% from the same month a year ago. Export container throughput was 120,196 TEUs, down 5%. The port handled 240,472 empty container units, up 2% from a year ago.

Year-to-date, the Port of Los Angeles has handled 4,063,472 TEUs, up a modest 4% from the same period in 2024.

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Source: Phaata.com (According to Freight Waves)

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