September 2026 Snapshot
Analysts’ Estimates of September TEU Tallies
On October 8, the National Retail Federation’s Global Port Tracker issued its estimate that the thirteen U.S. ports it monitors would handle 2.28 million import TEUs in the month of September. That would represent a year-over-year increase of 8.2%. Meanwhile, the Descartes Systems Group estimated that 2.55 million TEUs turned up at all U.S. ports in September, a 10.3% increase over last September by Descartes’ calculation.
What the Ports Are Reporting for September
The Port of Los Angeles had its busiest single month in its 118-year history in September, as the Southern California gateway handled 1,042,652total TEUs. The port discharged 545,696 laden TEUs that month, an 18.6% bump over a year earlier and a 35.6% gain over the same month in pre-pandemic 2019. Outbound loads were likewise up by 9.6% year-over-year to 125,751 TEUs. That, however, was down 3.8% from the number of laden TEUs shipped from the port in September 2019. Year-to-date, container traffic through the nation’s busiest container port amounted to 8,081,626 loaded and empty TEUs, a 14.0% increase over the first three quarters of 2019.
Next door, the Port of Long Beach also celebrated its busiest month in its history in September, as 997,177 laden and empty TEUs were moved over its docks. The 509,390 inbound loads discharged by the port in this year’s ninth month were also a record for any month. They exceeded the volume recorded in September 2025 by 31.3% and September 2019’s mark by 43.5%. The 91,747 outbound loads shipped by the San Pedro Bay port were up by 7.8% from a year earlier but down by 25.5% from September 2019. Total container traffic through the first three quarters amounted to 7,675,255 laden and empty TEUs, up 35.2% from the same months in 2019.
Collectively, the two Southern California ports saw 1,055,086 loaded inbound TEUs in September, a 24.4% year-over year gain and a 39.3% increase over the pre-pandemic September of 2019. Outbounds loads shipped from the two ports in September totaled 217,498 TEUs, an 8.9% increase from a year earlier but down 14.4% from September 2019. The 15,756,881 laden and empty TEUs moved through both ports through the first three quarters of 2026 represented a 3.6% year-over-year gain and a 23.4% jump over the same period in 2019.
The Port of Oakland likewise enjoyed an upbeat September as the 82,975 laden inbound TEUs it handled that month constituted a 9.6% gain over last September, while the 63,299 loaded TEUs shipped from the Northern California port represented a 5.3% year-over-year increase. Through the first three quarters of 2026, the port has handled a total of 1,657,000 laden and empty TEUs, down 3.5% from a year earlier and down 13.0% from the same period in 2019.
The Ports of Tacoma and Seattle (the Northwest Seaport Alliance) did not fare as well as the other major U.S. West Coast (USWC) gateways in September. The two ports handled 101,324 laden import TEUs in the year’s ninth month, down 4.3% from a year earlier and 22.9% below the volume recorded in September 2019. The 51,155 outbound loads exported in September were down 9.6% year-over-year and down 37.7% below September 2019’s trade. Total container traffic in the first three quarters of 2026 amounted to 2,174,231 loaded and empty TEUs, down 25.3% from the same period in 2019.
Over the border, the Port of Vancouver discharged 184,622 laden TEUs, up 6.4% from the previous September and 18.1% over the number of inbound loads of September 2019. The 67,838 outbound loaded TEUs shipped from the port in September, while up 3.5% from a year earlier, were down 24.9% from the 90,304 laden TEUs shipped in September 2019. Total container traffic of loads and empties through Canada’s busiest seaport in this year’s first three quarters amounted to 2,942,698 TEUs, up 13.3% over the same period in 2019.
British Columbia’s Port of Prince Rupert continued its struggles to boost its import business. The 30,438 laden TEUs discharged in September were down 9.1% from a year earlier and down 52.4% from September 2019. The port has been more successful in generating export traffic, with outbound loads in September up 29.0% year-over-year but just 1.1% above the volume recorded in September 2019. Total container traffic YTD amounted to 611,843 laden and empty TEUs, down 9.1% from a year earlier as well as down 31.7% from the first nine months of 2019.
September was an off month for Virginia’s Port of Norfolk for both imports and exports. The 119,353 loaded inbound TEUs handled at the Mid-Atlantic Coast gateway were down 7.2% year-over-year but up 4.1% from September 2019. Meanwhile, the 72,115 laden TEUs shipped overseas in this year’s ninth month were down by 12.8% from a year earlier but up a slender 0.8% from the volume reported in September 2019. Total container traffic through the first three quarters of 2026 amounted to 2,435,966 laden and empty TEUs, up 9.8% from the same months in 2019.
South Carolina’s Port of Charleston handled 97,384 inbound loaded TEUs in September, down 4.9% from the year before but up 8.1% from the volume recorded in September 2019. Outbound loads (49,559 TEUs) were up 2.2% year-over-year but down 19.4% from September 2019. Total container traffic YTD through the Atlantic Coast port amounted to 1,794,159 TEUs, down 2.8% from the 1,846,017 TEUs handled in the first nine months of 2019.
The Port of Savannah discharged 252,797 laden TEUs in September, a 5.5% increase from a year earlier and a 37.8% gain over September 2019. Outbound loads from the Georgia gateway were down from the previous September by 11.3% to 102,599 TEUs. Total container traffic through the port so far this year amounted to 4,374,610 laden and empty TEUs, up 2.8% from a year earlier and up 26.9% from the same period in 2019.
On the Gulf Coast, Port Houston handled 174,189 inbound loaded TEUs in September, up 15.7% from a year earlier and up 63.9% from the volume recorded in September 2019. The 132,009 outbound loads shipped from the Texas gateway in September represented a 2.3% gain year-over-year and a 29.0% increase over September 2019. Total container traffic at the port YTD amounted to 3,349,547 TEUs, up 50.1% from the first three quarters of 2019.