The Port of Los Angeles processed 716,619 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in May 2025, a 5% decrease compared to the same month last year. This marked the port's lowest monthly cargo volume in over two years and ended a 10-month streak of year-over-year growth. Port officials attribute the decline to the growing impact of tariffs on both imports and exports.
"May volume is typically stronger than April as we approach our traditional peak season, but our imports dropped 19% compared to last month," said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka during a media briefing. "Unless long-term, comprehensive trade agreements are reached soon, we'll likely see higher prices and less selection during the year-end holiday season. The uncertainty created by fast-changing tariff policies has caused hardships for consumers, businesses, and labor."
Seroka was joined at the briefing by Ernie Tedeschi, Director of Economics at The Budget Lab at Yale, who outlined the broader economic implications of current trade policy.
"The Budget Lab has modeled the impact of tariffs on American households since the first announcements earlier this year," Tedeschi explained. "We estimate tariffs will raise average prices by 1.5%, resulting in a loss of nearly $2,500 in purchasing power per household per year. Lower-income and working-class families are affected the most, and goods commonly imported—such as shoes, apparel, and consumer electronics—are likely to see double-digit price increases."
In May 2025, loaded imports totaled 355,950 TEUs, a 9% drop compared to May 2024. Loaded exports reached 120,196 TEUs, representing a 5% year-over-year decline. However, empty container units rose slightly to 240,472 TEUs, a 2% increase from last year.
Despite the dip in May, the Port of Los Angeles has handled 4,063,472 TEUs in the first five months of 2025, a 4% increase over the same period in 2024.
For more information:
Port of Los Angeles
Tel: +1 310 732 3508
Email: [email protected]
www.portoflosangeles.org