The Port of Los Angeles processed 716,619 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in May, 5% less than last year, largely due to US-China tariffs.
After 10 straight months of year-over-year growth, overall cargo volume slowed due to the impact of tariffs on both imports and exports. “May marked our lowest monthly cargo output in over two years,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said at a media briefing. “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 added. “The uncertainty created by fast-changing tariff policies has caused hardships for consumers, businesses and labor.”
Ernie Tedeschi, Director of Economics at The Budget Lab at Yale, joined Seroka for the briefing. Tedeschi discussed the impacts tariffs have had on American consumers.
“The Budget Lab has been modeling the impact of tariffs on American households since the first announcements earlier this year. Tariffs would raise average prices by 1.5%, a loss in purchasing power of nearly $2,500 per household per year,” Tedeschi said. “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.”
May 2025 loaded imports came in at 355,950 TEUs, 9% less than the previous year. Loaded exports landed at 120,196 TEUs, a 5% drop from 2024. The Port processed 240,472 empty container units, 2% more than last year.
After five months in 2025, the Port of Los Angeles has handled 4,063,472 TEUs, 4% more than the same period in 2024.
