U.S. ports for inland rail freight
A port is where an import shipper's rail lane starts. What lands at each gateway, and which Class I railroads reach the docks, decides whether steel, fertilizer, resin or pulp can go straight to a railcar or needs a transfer first. This page ranks 46 U.S. ports of entry by vessel-import value in the 22 commodity chapters Steel Wheel Logistics tracks, the same data behind the port layer of the Commodity Flow Map. Ports with a profile page link through to their railroads, nearby rail transload capacity and typical inland lanes.
Data basis: U.S. Census Bureau International Trade API, general imports by port of entry, vessel value, year to date through July 2026, US$ millions. Totals cover the tracked chapters only, not all imports at the port.
Ports ranked by tracked vessel imports
| Port | Railroads | Vessel imports YTD | Top chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port of Newark, NJ | CSX, NS | $26,536M | Mineral fuels ($8,137M) |
| Port of Los Angeles, CA | BNSF, UP | $24,527M | Plastics and resin ($5,660M) |
| Port of Houston, TX | UP, BNSF, CPKC | $20,701M | Mineral fuels ($5,875M) |
| Port of Savannah, GA | CSX, NS | $10,990M | Plastics and resin ($3,027M) |
| Port of New Orleans, LA | BNSF, UP, CN, CPKC, NS, CSX | $10,440M | Mineral fuels ($3,425M) |
| Port of Long Beach, CA | BNSF, UP | $10,296M | Mineral fuels ($3,588M) |
| Port of Philadelphia, PA | CSX, NS | $10,204M | Meat ($4,470M) |
| Port of Norfolk-Newport News, VA | NS, CSX | $8,445M | Plastics and resin ($1,731M) |
| Port of Charleston, SC | CSX, NS | $7,627M | Organic chemicals ($1,382M) |
| Port of Baltimore, MD | CSX, NS | $5,691M | Aluminum ($1,386M) |
| Port of Mobile, AL | CSX, NS, CN, CPKC, BNSF | $4,262M | Mineral fuels ($1,810M) |
| Port of Port Arthur, TX | CPKC, UP, BNSF | $3,969M | Mineral fuels ($3,838M) |
| Port of Richmond, CA | BNSF, UP | $3,747M | Mineral fuels ($3,747M) |
| Port of Oakland, CA | BNSF, UP | $3,211M | Coffee and tea ($608M) |
| Port of Corpus Christi, TX | UP, BNSF, CPKC | $2,612M | Mineral fuels ($2,378M) |
| Port of Boston, MA | CSX | $2,276M | Mineral fuels ($2,276M) |
| Port of Martinez, CA | UP, BNSF | $2,009M | Mineral fuels ($2,009M) |
| Port of Tacoma, WA | BNSF, UP | $1,839M | Plastics and resin ($680M) |
| Port of New York, NY | CSX, NS | $1,598M | Plastics and resin ($473M) |
| Port of Gramercy, LA | CN, CPKC, UP | $1,492M | Fertilizer ($397M) |
| Port of Seattle, WA | BNSF, UP | $1,232M | Coffee and tea ($354M) |
| Port of Jacksonville, FL | CSX, NS, FEC | $1,140M | Rubber ($276M) |
| Port of Port Everglades, FL | FEC | $954M | Fruit and nuts ($339M) |
| Port of Wilmington, DE | NS, CSX | $869M | Fruit and nuts ($642M) |
| Port of Chester, PA | CSX, NS | $843M | Fruit and nuts ($331M) |
| Port of Port Hueneme, CA | UP | $552M | Fruit and nuts ($552M) |
| Port of Baton Rouge, LA | CN, CPKC, UP | $539M | Organic chemicals ($195M) |
| Port of Miami, FL | FEC | $517M | Fruit and nuts ($325M) |
| Port of Freeport, TX | UP | $434M | Fruit and nuts ($265M) |
| Port of Brownsville, TX | UP, BNSF | $379M | Aluminum ($379M) |
| Port of Tampa, FL | CSX | $352M | Inorganic chemicals ($176M) |
| Port of San Diego, CA | BNSF | $267M | Fruit and nuts ($199M) |
| Port of Gulfport, MS | CPKC | $263M | Fruit and nuts ($202M) |
| Port of San Juan, PR | none listed | $204M | Meat ($104M) |
| Port of Wilmington, NC | CSX | $202M | Fertilizer ($202M) |
| Port of Port Manatee, FL | CSX | $152M | Wood pulp ($79M) |
| Port of Portland, OR | BNSF, UP | $128M | Fertilizer ($128M) |
| Port of Galveston, TX | BNSF, UP | $114M | Fertilizer ($114M) |
| Port of Stockton, CA | BNSF, UP | $108M | Fertilizer ($108M) |
| Port of San Francisco, CA | none listed | $101M | Sugar ($101M) |
| Port of Fernandina, FL | CSX | $71M | Wood pulp ($71M) |
| Port of Beaumont, TX | CPKC, UP, BNSF | $59M | Wood pulp ($59M) |
| Port of Beaufort-Morehead City, NC | NS | $51M | Oilseeds ($51M) |
| Port of Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY | CSX, NS, CN, CPKC | $44M | Cereals ($44M) |
| Port of Brunswick, GA | CSX, NS | $41M | Wood pulp ($41M) |
| Port of Toledo-Sandusky, OH | NS, CSX, CN | $31M | Cereals ($31M) |
Why ports matter for inland rail
Most of what arrives by vessel is not consumed at the coast. Steel coil goes to service centers and stampers, fertilizer to warehouses ahead of planting, resin to converters, pulp to paper mills, all of them hundreds of miles inland. Whether that inland leg is rail or truck depends on three things visible on each port page: which railroads reach the docks, whether a rail-served transload terminal sits close to the berth, and whether the receiving plant can take a railcar. Steel Wheel Logistics works that question for shippers nationwide; start with a lane audit or an indicative rail rate.
Related
- Commodity Flow Map — the interactive port and hub layer this page is built from
- Commodities by rail — railcar type, tons per car and flows for each commodity
- Transload Directory — rail-served transfer facilities near every port
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade API, general imports by port of entry, vessel value, year to date through July 2026. Steel Wheel Logistics analysis.