Mexico remained the United States’ largest trading partner in August, with two-way commerce totaling $94.3 billion and rising nearly 27% compared with the same month a year ago.
Trade between the United States and Mexico was $94.29 billion in August, up 26.75% from $74.4 billion in August 2025, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau analyzed by WorldCity.
The rise was backed by strong growth in both directions. The United States exported $33.66 billion to Mexico, up 15.1% from a year ago. It imported $60.64 billion from Mexico, up 34.3%. Mexico represented 17.4% of U.S. international trade in the month.
Canada was the second largest U.S. trading partner in August with $66.27 billion in two-way trade. China was third with $35.86 billion.
The latest figures further cement Mexico’s place at the top of the U.S. trade rankings. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $682.82 billion in the first eight months of 2026, up 17.5% from the same period in 2025.
Canada was second in the same eight months with $503.82 billion in trade, while China stayed third at $257.43 billion. U.S. trade with China was down 12% from the first eight months of 2025.
U.S. trade with all international markets was $540.92 billion in August. It included $204.75 billion in exports and $336.17 billion in imports.
Laredo continues to be the nation’s top U.S. trade gateway
Port Laredo also remained the busiest international trade gateway in the United States in August. Two-way trade through the Texas gateway totaled $38.56 billion, up 28.5 percent from $30.02 billion a year earlier.
Laredo had a 33.9% increase in imports to $26.23 billion, while exports rose 18.3% to $12.34 billion. For the month, the gateway alone accounted for 7.1% of total U.S. international trade.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport was second with $33.4 billion in total trade, and the Port of Los Angeles was third with $27.8 billion.
Mexico remains the overwhelming source of Laredo’s trade activity. Bilateral trade with Mexico was $37.62 billion in August, or roughly 97.6% of the entire gateway’s commerce.
That concentration reflects Laredo’s importance to the rapidly expanding U.S.-Mexico supply chain, particularly for finished vehicles and automotive components.
Motor vehicle parts were Laredo’s largest export commodity in August, with $1.33 billion in trade. Diesel engines followed with $441 million, and computer exports through the gateway more than doubled from a year earlier to $370 million.
Mexico’s August trade performance was also the strongest for the month in WorldCity’s historical data going back to 2013.
Why it’s important
The surge in U.S.-Mexico cross-border commerce serves as an illustration of the ongoing expansion of the two countries’ freight corridor, even as tariffs and broader trade uncertainty continue to drag down international supply chains.
