About the Ports
As the largest ports on the East Coast and the second largest in the US, the Port of New York and New Jersey is a passageway to one of the largest and most important consumer markets in the world.
Port of NY and NJ Ends 2025 as the Nation’s Second Busiest Port for Loaded Containers
The Port of New York and New Jersey wrapped up 2025 as the second-busiest U.S. gateway for loaded containers. Yearly totals for rail and exports grew, while the yearly numbers for total volume and imports held steady. In December, total volume fell by 5.2 percent from the previous year, totaling 652,471 TEUs (357,204 containers) in 2025 and 688,386 TEUs (378,016 containers) in 2024. This addition closes 2025 with 8,897,531 TEUs (4,881,469 containers).
By The Numbers
Imports (TEUs) fell 5.4 percent in December 2025 compared to December 2024, totaling 329,914 TEUs (181,763 containers) compared to 348,564 TEUs (192,479 containers) in December 2024. In 2025, the Port of New York and New Jersey imported 4,513,966 TEUs (2,486,447 containers), a 1.7 percent increase from the 4,439,613 TEUs (2,454,406 containers) recorded in 2024.
Exports totaled 105,438 TEUs (56,225 containers) in December, representing a 6.3 percent drop in TEU volume from the previous year’s 112,485 TEUs (60,033 containers). In 2025, the Port of New York and New Jersey exported 1,441,832 TEUs (771,865 containers), a 6.5 percent increase from the previous year’s 1,354,421 TEUs (726,196 containers).
Export empties decreased 4.7 percent in December, totaling 215,360 TEUs in 2025 compared to 225,928 TEUs in 2024. The yearly total of export empties was 2,922,355 TEUs, a 1.4 percent increase from the 2,880,939 TEUs recorded in 2024. Import empties for 2025 fell by 17.7 percent versus 2024.
Rail volume continued to rise in December, with 55,113 containers moving through the Port of New York and New Jersey, a 12.8 percent increase from the previous year. Rail volume across 2025 was 12.4 percent greater than in 2024.
A total of 36,099 autos moved through the port in December, a 1.0 percent decrease from December 2024. Auto volume for 2025 was 11 percent lower than in 2024.
© The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. All Rights Reserved.
Drayage Cost Analysis
As of March 31, 2025
COST PER CONTAINER AVERAGE (BASE + FUEL ONLY) WITH AVERAGE ONE-WAY MILEAGE
Drayage cost estimates provided by DRAYAGE.COM. Drayage.com is owned and operated by LoadMatch Inc. ®
| CITY | SUBMARKET | COST PER CONTAINER | FROM PORT NEWARK/ELIZABETH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlstadt | Meadowlands | $558.00 | 16 Miles |
| Secaucus | Meadowlands | $517.00 | 12 Miles |
| Newark | Newark | $484.00 | 6 Miles |
| Port Newark / Elizabeth | Linden / Elizabeth | $462.00 | 0 Miles |
| Elizabeth | Linden / Elizabeth | $488.00 | 5 Miles |
| Linden | Linden / Elizabeth | $498.00 | 12 Miles |
| Bayonne | Hudson Waterfront | $574.00 | 9 Miles |
| Carteret / Exit 12 | Carteret / Avenel | $540.00 | 14 Miles |
| Edison | Route 287 / Exit 10 | $583.00 | 19 Miles |
| Perth Amboy | Route 287 / Exit 10 | $600.00 | 20 Miles |
| Staten Island | Staten Island | $874.00 | 11 Miles |
| Cranbury | Exit 8A | $634.00 | 40 Miles |
| Robbinsville | Exit 7A | $680.00 | 42 Miles |
| Allentown, PA | Lehigh Valley | $924.00 | 81 Miles |
| Harrisburg, PA | Central Pennsylvania | $1,135.00 | 160 Miles |