California Trade Report for March 2019

Total US goods trade (exports and imports) through California ports were down marginally to 18.09% (12 month moving average; compared to 18.10% in Feb 2019 and 18.47% in Mar 2018).

California remained the #1 state, ahead of Texas with 17.69% (compared to 17.66% in Feb 2019 and 16.92% in Mar 2018). Trade through the Atlantic port states was at 29.48% (compared to 29.4% in Feb 2019 and 29.4% in Mar 2018). Total trade through the state’s ports, however, was down 1.3% compared to Mar 2018, the third month in the last twelve showing a year-over-year decline.
The state’s continued lead in this area forms the trade-related base for one of California’s largest centers of middle-class, blue-collar jobs. Transportation & Warehousing alone provided 605,500 jobs in Mar (up from 589,900 in Mar 2018), paying an average annual salary of $62.9k. This employment base in turn supports additional blue-collar and white-collar jobs in a range of other industries.

Total California goods exports were down $0.4 billion from Mar 2018 (down 2.6%), the fourth month in the last twelve showing a year-over-year decline. California remained in 2nd place with 10.65% of all US goods exports (12 month moving total), behind Texas at 19.24%.

California’s balance of goods trade through state businesses narrowed to -$15.6 billion, compared to a level of -$18.1 billion in Mar 2018. California trade accounted for 26% of the US trade deficit in goods in Mar 2019.