January 2026

Released March 12, 2026


-$54.5B
Total trade balance
Jan 2026
-$81.8B
Goods trade balance
Jan 2026
$27.3B
Services trade balance
Jan 2026


Contents

Balance of payments

Census basis

Exports

Imports

Import duties

Prices and inflation


Balance of payments


In January 2026:


  • In January, the United States ran a total trade deficit of $54.46 billion.
    • The trade deficit is down $18.44 billion from December.
    • The trade deficit is 22 percent below the 12-month average.
    • In trade of goods, the U.S. ran a trade deficit of $81.79 billion, down $17.45 billion from December and 16 percent below the 12-month average.
    • In trade of services, the U.S. ran a trade surplus of $27.34 billion, up $989.00 million from December and 0 percent below the 12-month average.


  • Total exports was $302.15 billion, up $15.85 billion from December and 5 percent above the 12-month average.
    • Total exports of goods was $195.49 billion, up $14.63 billion from December.
    • Total exports of services was $106.66 billion, up $1.22 billion from December.


  • Total imports was $356.60 billion, down $2.60 billion from December and 0 percent below the 12-month average.
    • Total imports of goods was $277.28 billion, down $2.83 billion from December.
    • Total imports of services was $79.32 billion, up $231.00 million from December.


From January 2025 to January 2026:


  • Over the 12 months through January 2026, the U.S. ran a total trade deficit of $837.82 billion.
    • In trade of goods, the U.S. ran a trade deficit of $1.17 trillion.
    • In trade of services, the U.S. ran a trade surplus of $329.18 billion.


  • Total exports was $3.46 trillion.
    • Total exports of goods was $2.22 trillion.
    • Total exports of services was $1.24 trillion.


  • Total imports was $4.30 trillion.
    • Total imports of goods was $3.39 trillion.
    • Total imports of services was $909.56 billion.




Table 1. Trade balance

Jan 2026 Jan 2025 Y/Y difference 12-month average Past 12 months
Goods
Exports $195.49B $173.41B 12.73% $184.97B $2.22T
– Imports $277.28B $329.03B -15.73% $282.22B $3.39T
Goods trade balance -$81.79B -$155.62B -47.44% -$97.25B -$1.17T
Services
Exports $106.66B $100.33B 6.31% $103.23B $1.24T
– Imports $79.32B $73.04B 8.60% $75.80B $909.56B
Services trade balance $27.34B $27.29B 0.17% $27.43B $329.18B
Total
Exports $302.15B $273.74B 10.38% $288.19B $3.46T
– Imports $356.60B $402.07B -11.31% $358.01B $4.30T
Total trade balance -$54.46B -$128.33B -57.57% -$69.82B -$837.82B


Census basis


The Bureau of Economic Analysis adjusted the January 2026 Census basis figures for goods exports by about 0.00 percent, and for goods imports by about 0.01 percent. See the Notes section for more information about these adjustments. This section reports the trade figures for goods as collected by the U.S. Census Bureau without adjustment unless specified otherwise.








Table 2. Largest deficits by country

Trading partner Past 12 months Share of past 12 months Jan 2026 Jan 2025 Y/Y difference
Mexico -$194.09B 16.76% -$10.93B -$13.75B -20.50%
Vietnam -$184.41B 15.92% -$18.26B -$12.04B 51.68%
China -$183.06B 15.81% -$12.73B -$31.74B -59.89%
Taiwan -$155.83B 13.46% -$16.78B -$7.70B 117.81%
Ireland -$104.20B 9.00% -$2.39B -$12.39B -80.71%
Thailand -$75.51B 6.52% -$7.64B -$3.99B 91.55%
Germany -$70.04B 6.05% -$4.56B -$7.57B -39.78%
Japan -$62.08B 5.36% -$5.00B -$6.80B -26.47%
South Korea -$57.07B 4.93% -$6.07B -$5.41B 12.16%
India -$56.51B 4.88% -$3.24B -$4.95B -34.51%


Table 3. Largest surpluses by country

Trading partner Past 12 months Share of past 12 months Jan 2026 Jan 2025 Y/Y difference
Netherlands $62.82B -5.42% $6.41B $4.28B 49.56%
United Kingdom $40.33B -3.48% $8.11B $1.74M 466,288.75%
Hong Kong $31.70B -2.74% $2.65B -$513.60M -615.32%
United Arab Emirates $24.19B -2.09% $2.12B $1.74B 22.03%
Brazil $15.70B -1.36% $1.33B $85.00M 1,470.51%
Belgium $9.50B -0.82% $879.59M $527.28M 66.82%
Panama $8.18B -0.71% $548.24M $722.98M -24.17%
Australia $8.09B -0.70% $1.32B -$2.19B -160.22%
Egypt $6.56B -0.57% $507.20M $569.52M -10.94%
Singapore $6.29B -0.54% $1.48B -$1.25B -218.21%


Exports




Table 4. Top exports by good

Exported good Past 12 months Share of past 12 months Jan 2026 Jan 2025 Y/Y difference
Civilian aircraft, engines, equipment, and parts $154.32B 7.01% $12.39B $10.82B 14.49%
Pharmaceutical preparations $119.13B 5.41% $7.71B $8.34B -7.51%
Crude oil $98.01B 4.45% $7.51B $9.19B -18.26%
Nonmonetary gold $92.72B 4.21% $10.48B $1.66B 529.70%
Petroleum products, other $73.77B 3.35% $6.14B $6.21B -1.12%
Industrial machines, other $69.64B 3.16% $5.56B $5.92B -5.96%
Semiconductors $68.46B 3.11% $6.82B $6.29B 8.51%
Computer accessories $59.90B 2.72% $7.26B $3.39B 114.23%
Other parts and accessories of vehicles $56.44B 2.56% $4.14B $4.73B -12.43%
Electric apparatus $56.35B 2.56% $4.42B $4.91B -10.13%


  • Over the 12 months through January 2026, the U.S. exported the most to Mexico ($341.62 billion), Canada ($327.85 billion), and China ($104.74 billion).
  • Together, these countries accounted for 35.18 percent of the value of all U.S. exports over those 12 months.



Table 5. Top exports by destination country

Export destination Past 12 months Share of past 12 months Jan 2026 Jan 2025 Y/Y difference
Mexico $341.62B 15.52% $31.59B $27.93B 13.10%
Canada $327.85B 14.90% $24.51B $26.46B -7.36%
China $104.74B 4.76% $8.33B $9.90B -15.88%
United Kingdom $103.94B 4.72% $12.98B $6.05B 114.60%
Netherlands $96.14B 4.37% $7.83B $7.33B 6.81%
Germany $82.87B 3.77% $5.90B $6.09B -3.16%
Japan $82.10B 3.73% $6.04B $6.01B 0.49%
Switzerland $75.72B 3.44% $5.72B $1.69B 238.41%
South Korea $69.12B 3.14% $5.57B $5.26B 5.89%
Taiwan $56.21B 2.55% $4.91B $3.37B 45.97%


  • Over the 12 months through January 2026, the port districts with the highest exports were New York City, NY ($252.14 billion), Houston-Galveston, TX ($242.53 billion), and Laredo, TX ($167.54 billion).




Table 6. Top exports by U.S. port district

Customs district Past 12 months Share of past 12 months Air Vessel Road, rail, and other
New York City, NY $252.14B 11.46% $205.38B $45.00B $1.76B
Houston-Galveston, TX $242.53B 11.02% $12.65B $229.69B $193.05M
Laredo, TX $167.54B 7.61% $560.09M $657.87M $166.32B
New Orleans, LA $149.17B 6.78% $64.74B $81.87B $2.56B
Los Angeles, CA $133.65B 6.07% $76.80B $55.67B $1.17B
Detroit, MI $133.36B 6.06% $3.84B $874.71M $128.64B
Low Value $96.92B 4.40% $0.00 $0.00 $96.92B
Chicago, IL $94.77B 4.31% $93.06B $588.28M $1.12B
Miami, FL $85.11B 3.87% $54.53B $28.82B $1.76B
Savannah, GA $71.01B 3.23% $28.35B $40.15B $2.51B


Imports




Table 7. Top imports by good

Imported good Past 12 months Share of past 12 months Jan 2026 Jan 2025 Y/Y difference
Pharmaceutical preparations $270.68B 8.06% $11.88B $28.29B -58.01%
Computers $230.75B 6.87% $24.20B $11.60B 108.50%
Passenger cars, new and used $175.22B 5.22% $11.71B $15.92B -26.42%
Computer accessories $146.95B 4.37% $14.12B $10.52B 34.29%
Other parts and accessories of vehicles $137.40B 4.09% $10.30B $11.24B -8.35%
Crude oil $136.82B 4.07% $10.56B $13.72B -23.03%
Telecommunications equipment $118.76B 3.54% $12.02B $7.99B 50.31%
Cell phones and other household goods, n.e.c. $106.88B 3.18% $8.38B $10.34B -18.94%
Electric apparatus $106.08B 3.16% $8.12B $8.95B -9.24%
U.S. goods returned, and reimports $103.87B 3.09% $8.90B $8.46B 5.27%


  • Over the 12 months through January 2026, the U.S. imported the most from Mexico ($535.71 billion), Canada ($372.95 billion), and China ($287.80 billion).
  • Together, these countries accounted for 35.62 percent of the value of all U.S. imports over those 12 months.



Table 8. Top imports by country of origin

Import origin Past 12 months Share of past 12 months Jan 2026 Jan 2025 Y/Y difference
Mexico $535.71B 15.95% $42.52B $41.68B 2.01%
Canada $372.95B 11.10% $28.33B $38.34B -26.10%
China $287.80B 8.57% $21.06B $41.64B -49.43%
Taiwan $212.05B 6.31% $21.69B $11.07B 95.96%
Vietnam $200.45B 5.97% $19.60B $12.99B 50.88%
Germany $152.91B 4.55% $10.46B $13.66B -23.44%
Japan $144.18B 4.29% $11.04B $12.81B -13.82%
South Korea $126.19B 3.76% $11.64B $10.67B 9.07%
Ireland $123.81B 3.69% $3.91B $13.64B -71.36%
India $103.54B 3.08% $7.87B $8.15B -3.47%


  • Over the 12 months through January 2026, the port districts with the highest imports were Los Angeles, CA ($368.70 billion), Chicago, IL ($359.95 billion), and New York City, NY ($347.58 billion).




Table 9. Top imports by U.S. port district

Customs district Past 12 months Share of past 12 months Air Vessel Road, rail, and other
Los Angeles, CA $368.70B 10.98% $105.86B $262.43B $411.05M
Chicago, IL $359.95B 10.72% $256.48B $52.73B $50.74B
New York City, NY $347.58B 10.35% $177.24B $164.51B $5.83B
Laredo, TX $314.27B 9.36% $7.59B $3.73B $302.95B
Savannah, GA $184.44B 5.49% $75.79B $108.47B $186.23M
San Francisco, CA $156.09B 4.65% $103.50B $52.43B $159.18M
Detroit, MI $146.01B 4.35% $2.24B $7.93B $135.84B
El Paso, TX $135.50B 4.03% $13.68B $2.90B $118.92B
Cleveland, OH $134.45B 4.00% $92.75B $36.52B $5.17B
New Orleans, LA $125.51B 3.74% $66.90B $54.91B $3.71B


Import duties







Table 10. Top calculated duties by good

Imported good Calculated duty Average applied duty rate
Passenger cars, new and used $27.24B 15.38%
Other parts and accessories of vehicles $18.41B 13.64%
Electric apparatus $14.33B 14.27%
Apparel, textiles, nonwool or cotton $13.96B 27.84%
Industrial machines, other $11.52B 14.11%
Cell phones and other household goods, n.e.c. $11.46B 10.14%
Apparel, household goods - cotton $9.75B 23.61%
Toys, games, and sporting goods $7.56B 19.51%
Furniture, household goods, etc. $6.17B 16.75%
Finished metal shapes $6.05B 8.12%



Table 11. Top average applied duty rates by good

Imported good Calculated duty Average applied duty rate
Iron and steel, advanced $4.89B 39.53%
Iron and steel products, n.e.c. $3.18B 33.21%
Bauxite and aluminum $4.60B 28.61%
Apparel, textiles, nonwool or cotton $13.96B 27.84%
Cookware, cutlery, tools $2.92B 27.26%
Glassware, chinaware $683.21M 26.61%
Iron and steel mill products $4.35B 26.06%
Camping apparel and gear $3.56B 25.77%
Footwear $4.33B 24.23%
Apparel, household goods - cotton $9.75B 23.61%


  • Over the 12 months through January 2026, the top countries of origin by calculated duty revenue were China ($93.73 billion), Mexico ($21.41 billion), and Vietnam ($19.34 billion).

  • The average applied duty rates on the goods from those countries were 33.60 percent, 4.01 percent, and 9.49 percent, respectively.




Table 12. Top calculated duties by country of origin

Country of origin Calculated duty Average applied duty rate
China $93.73B 33.60%
Mexico $21.41B 4.01%
Vietnam $19.34B 9.49%
Japan $17.11B 12.00%
Germany $13.55B 8.85%
South Korea $12.31B 9.89%
India $11.50B 11.08%
Canada $10.10B 2.71%
Thailand $6.86B 7.26%
Taiwan $6.42B 3.08%



Table 13. Top average applied duty rates by country of origin

Country of origin Calculated duty Average applied duty rate
China $93.73B 33.60%
Burma (Myanmar) $193.18M 25.42%
Bangladesh $2.40B 25.08%
Sri Lanka $670.67M 21.27%
Azerbaijan $19.68M 21.18%
Pakistan $1.08B 19.72%
Bahrain $226.00M 19.62%
Cambodia $3.11B 19.60%
Belize $10.34M 18.21%
Moldova $15.52M 17.55%


Prices and inflation


Exchange rates


Terms of trade (ToT) is the ratio of a country’s export prices to its import prices. Stronger ToT means a country can buy more imports for a given amount of exports. A stronger U.S. dollar can improve U.S. ToT with trading partners by lowering the dollar price of imports from the foreign country.


From January 2025 to January 2026:

The U.S. dollar:

  • Weakened against the Chinese yuan by 4 percent.

  • Weakened against the Euro by 12.5 percent.

  • Weakened against the British pound by 9.3 percent.

  • Weakened against the Japanese yen by 0.4 percent.

  • Weakened against the Mexican peso by 15.9 percent.


Table 14. USD to foreign currency exchange rates

Currency Jan 30, 2026 Dec 29, 2025 M/M difference Jan 31, 2025 Y/Y difference
Chinese yuan ¥6.95 ¥7.01 -0.78% ¥7.24 -4.02%
Euro €0.84 €0.85 -1.09% €0.96 -12.49%
British pound £0.73 £0.74 -1.69% £0.80 -9.34%
Japanese yen ¥154.34 ¥156.10 -1.13% ¥154.91 -0.37%
Mexican peso MX$17.35 MX$17.96 -3.41% MX$20.63 -15.90%

Note: Currencies are sorted in alphabetical order by their ISO 4217 codes. The date shown in the third column is the date 22 business days before the date shown in the second column.



Exports





Table 15. Exported goods inflation

Jan 2026 Dec 2025 M/M difference Jan 2025 Y/Y difference
Month-over-month inflation
All exports 0.65% 0.59% 0.06pp 1.40% -0.75pp
Agricultural exports 0.17% 0.00% 0.17pp -0.17% 0.34pp
Nonagricultural exports 0.67% 0.68% -0.01pp 1.54% -0.87pp
Foods, feeds, and beverages 0.00% 0.13% -0.13pp 0.00% 0.00pp
Industrial supplies and materials 0.57% 1.26% -0.69pp 3.36% -2.79pp
Capital goods 0.87% 0.08% 0.79pp 0.24% 0.63pp
Automotive vehicles, parts, and engines 0.15% 0.00% 0.15pp 0.00% 0.15pp
Consumer goods 0.99% 0.83% 0.16pp 0.25% 0.74pp
Year-over-year inflation
All exports 2.64% 3.41% -0.77pp 2.78% -0.14pp
Agricultural exports 2.23% 1.88% 0.35pp 0.53% 1.70pp
Nonagricultural exports 2.68% 3.56% -0.88pp 2.97% -0.29pp
Foods, feeds, and beverages 2.57% 2.57% 0.00pp 1.96% 0.61pp
Industrial supplies and materials 2.14% 4.97% -2.83pp 4.57% -2.43pp
Capital goods 2.73% 2.10% 0.63pp 1.80% 0.93pp
Automotive vehicles, parts, and engines 2.68% 2.53% 0.15pp 2.35% 0.33pp
Consumer goods 4.06% 3.31% 0.75pp 0.60% 3.46pp


Imports


This inflation can reflect both changes in trade policy and the composition of goods imported in each category. See the Notes section for important information on interpreting this data.





Table 16. Imported goods inflation

Jan 2026 Dec 2025 M/M difference Jan 2025 Y/Y difference
Month-over-month inflation
All imports 0.63% -0.31% 0.94pp 0.18% 0.45pp
Fuels and lubricants -2.18% -6.08% 3.90pp 2.97% -5.15pp
All imports, excluding fuels 0.89% -0.29% 1.18pp -0.10% 0.99pp
Foods, feeds, and beverages -0.58% -0.46% -0.12pp 0.14% -0.72pp
Industrial supplies and materials 0.74% -0.56% 1.30pp 1.06% -0.32pp
Capital goods 0.72% -0.49% 1.21pp 0.28% 0.44pp
Automotive vehicles, parts, and engines 0.21% -0.47% 0.68pp -0.04% 0.25pp
Consumer goods 1.31% 0.41% 0.90pp -0.60% 1.91pp
Year-over-year inflation
All imports 7.42% 6.94% 0.48pp 1.46% 5.96pp
Fuels and lubricants -13.41% -8.84% -4.57pp 1.67% -15.08pp
All imports, excluding fuels 8.84% 7.77% 1.07pp 1.38% 7.46pp
Foods, feeds, and beverages 0.92% 1.65% -0.73pp 8.43% -7.51pp
Industrial supplies and materials 7.13% 7.48% -0.35pp 3.70% 3.43pp
Capital goods 7.82% 7.35% 0.47pp -0.06% 7.88pp
Automotive vehicles, parts, and engines 10.75% 10.47% 0.28pp 1.65% 9.10pp
Consumer goods 10.84% 8.76% 2.08pp -0.70% 11.54pp


Upcoming releases


Date Time Release Data source
Mar 27 08:30 AM Monthly Expenditures Update, February 2026 Bureau of Economic Analysis
Mar 27 08:30 AM Monthly GDP Update, Q4 2025 Third Estimate Bureau of Economic Analysis
Apr 02 08:30 AM Monthly Trade Update, February 2026 Bureau of Economic Analysis
Apr 03 08:30 AM Monthly Employment Update, March 2026 Bureau of Labor Statistics
Apr 07 10:00 AM Monthly Debt Update, April 2026 U.S. Treasury
Apr 08 10:00 AM State Employment and Unemployment, January 2026 Bureau of Labor Statistics
Apr 10 08:30 AM Monthly Inflation Update, March 2026 Bureau of Labor Statistics


Notes


Sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis; U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Department of the Treasury; Bureau of Labor Statistics; JEC Republicans calculations


Terminology


Duty: Customs duties are calculated by Customs and Border Protection and may overstate or understate the final total that is ultimately collected by the U.S. Treasury. These duties include tariffs.

Average applied duty rate: The sum of calculated duties as a share of total imports for consumption.

Imports for consumption: The total value of goods cleared through U.S. Customs either by entering consumption channels immediately or by entering via a bonded warehouse or Foreign Trade Zone under CBP custody.

Bonded warehouses: Private warehouses that hold goods after arrival to the U.S. under a bond that indemnifies the government until import duties are paid for those goods.

Foreign Trade Zones: Areas in or around ports where goods brought to the U.S. can be processed and modified before entering customs territory. If these goods leave the U.S. instead of entering U.S. customs territory, they are considered re-exports.

This type of imports include only those goods that enter U.S. customs territory, not all goods that physically arrive in U.S. ports. Duties are only paid on those goods that enter customs territory, so this type of imports is used in the “Import duties” section of this update.

Port district: Groups of air, land, and sea ports, typically in close geographical proximity to one another, categorized by CBP. The full list of districts and their ports are published in Schedule D, a statistical annex in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, and can be found here.

Low-value shipments: Shipments whose value is so low that trade is estimated instead of being based on trade filings. These are shipments with a value of less than $2,500 for exports.

N.E.C.: “Not elsewhere classified”

Y/Y difference: The change from the same month one year prior.


Adjustments


Census basis: All data on the international trade of goods comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, which gathers data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Canadian Customs, and Statistics Canada. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) makes some adjustments to this data to create the headline trade figures shown in the section above, such as including nonmonetary gold trade, goods procured in foreign ports by U.S. carriers, goods procured in U.S. ports by foreign carriers, imports by U.S. military agencies, and more. The full list of adjustments can be found here.


  • In January, adjustments to exports amounted to $697.00 million, or 0.00 percent.

  • In January, adjustments to imports amounted to $1.69 billion, or 0.01 percent.

  • Therefore, in total, the trade balance figure for January adjusted by BEA is $991.00 million higher than the respective Census basis figure.


  • Over the 12 months through January 2026, adjustments to exports amounted to $11.93 billion, or 0.01 percent.

  • Over the 12 months through January 2026, adjustments to imports amounted to $22.31 billion, or 0.01 percent.

  • Therefore, in total, the trade balance figure for the past 12 months adjusted by BEA is $10.38 billion higher than the respective Census basis figure.


Balance of payments: The data adjusted by the BEA to align with its concepts and definitions used in the international and national economic accounts.

Corrections to exports to Canada: The data for exports to Canada in the current year are estimates of late arrivals and corrections. These values are adjusted to the actual value annually.

Duty effect: JEC Republicans adjust the price index for imported goods from BLS, which excludes import duties, with the average applied duty rates derived from Census data to estimate post-duty price indexes. These rates are affected by changes in policy that impact the proportion of each good’s value collected by the government as a duty. Additionally, because these rates are averaged across broad categories of goods, changes can reflect the composition of goods imported within the category, for example a relative shift from goods with high duty rates toward those with lower duty rates. Therefore, the post-duty price index inflation reported may reflect not only policy changes but also shifts in the composition of imports.

Totals: Totals of values “from January 2025 to January 2026” are the sum over 12 months, inclusive of the latter month but not the former. Year-over-year values represent the change from January 2025 to January 2026.