Figure 2-5. Value of Merchandise Trade by Groups of Customs Districts: 1951-2005 (Chained $2000)

Foreign trade has had a major impact on all the borders and coasts of the United States. Since 1950, the value of merchandise trade has grown in fifteen-fold in inflation adjusted terms. In 2005, ports and airports on the Atlantic Coast remain the most important, but growth in all other regions since 1950, particularly the Pacific Coast and Mexican border, has been much faster.

Data represented in the figure
Table in Excel format

Customs District	1951	1955	1960	1965	1970	1975	1980	1985	1990	1995	2000	2005
Atlantic Coast	76.4	67.7	75.3	93.0	121.7	199.5	326.6	265.9	331.8	383.9	514.5	624.6
Gulf Coast	24.3	18.9	26.8	34.1	38.9	99.5	189.5	110.3	129.1	160.2	213.2	308.5
Mexican Border	4.0	3.5	3.7	5.2	7.6	15.8	33.1	32.7	59.6	102.8	214.2	228.7
Pacific Coast	13.2	13.3	20.3	27.7	49.0	91.1	160.8	186.6	290.4	401.5	513.0	518.4
Canadian Border	26.3	27.7	30.2	47.9	75.5	116.8	146.7	183.5	248.2	359.8	490.4	560.7
Total	144.1	131.0	156.3	207.9	292.7	522.6	856.7	779.0	1,059.0	1,408.3	1,945.3	2,240.8

Source: 1951-1970: U.S. Census Bureau, Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, Bicentennial Edition (Washington, DC: 1975); 1975: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1977 (Washington, DC: 1977); 1980-1985: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1987 (Washington, DC; 1986); 1990-2000: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2006 (Washington, DC; 2005); 2005: U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division, FT920 - U.S. Merchandise Trade: Selected Highlights (Washington, DC: December 2005), available at http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/2005pr/12/ft920/ as of September 8, 2006; Implict GDP Deflator: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Current-Dollar and "Real" Gross Domestic Product, available at www.bea.gov as of September 8, 2006.