{"api":"The Dwell Data API","version":"v1","docs":"https://the-dwell.com/api","data_as_of":"2026-09","data_as_of_label":"Sep 2026","data_pulled_at":"2026-11-11T14:47:33.427Z","generated_at":"2026-11-11T18:41:17.936Z","attribution":"Credit The Dwell (the-dwell.com) with a visible link to the page the figure came from; every record carries its page_url.","id":"empty/us-container-ports","section":"empty","section_label":"Empty share","title":"Empty-container share by US port","subtitle":"The empty-container share of monthly box volume at each tracked US port, September 2026, in TEU, from the port authorities via BTS","description":"Empty-container share by US port: 31.2% of box moves were empty across the tracked ports in September 2026, led by Long Beach at 38.7%. A trade-imbalance read, not congestion. Monthly TEU via BTS.","page_url":"https://the-dwell.com/empty/us-container-ports","headline":"Long Beach highest at 38.7% empty","unit":"percent","data_through":"2026-09","date_precision":"monthly","frequency":"Monthly","status":"current","source":"Port authority monthly container statistics, republished by BTS","provenance":{"source":"Port authority monthly container statistics, republished by BTS","series":"Empty containers as a share of loaded imports, loaded exports and empties","basis":"Trade-imbalance / equipment-repositioning read, not congestion","geography":"The tracked US container ports","unit":"percent","period":"Monthly","lastObservation":"Sep 2026","frequency":"Monthly"},"citation":"Empty-container share by US port as of Sep 2026: Long Beach highest at 38.7% empty (monthly TEU, via BTS; a trade-imbalance read, not congestion; The Dwell). The Dwell. https://the-dwell.com/empty/us-container-ports","series":[{"label":"Empty share","unit":"percent","points":[{"date":"2019-01","value":26.431153},{"date":"2019-02","value":24.783439},{"date":"2019-03","value":22.956401},{"date":"2019-04","value":23.269242},{"date":"2019-05","value":22.848317},{"date":"2019-06","value":25.167052},{"date":"2019-07","value":25.158532},{"date":"2019-08","value":26.372225},{"date":"2019-09","value":25.884365},{"date":"2019-10","value":25.30859},{"date":"2019-11","value":23.610377},{"date":"2019-12","value":25.415612},{"date":"2020-01","value":23.955662},{"date":"2020-02","value":21.373889},{"date":"2020-03","value":18.413495},{"date":"2020-04","value":22.136563},{"date":"2020-05","value":23.693457},{"date":"2020-06","value":23.779469},{"date":"2020-07","value":24.518427},{"date":"2020-08","value":25.985887},{"date":"2020-09","value":28.176846},{"date":"2020-10","value":27.239184},{"date":"2020-11","value":28.062146},{"date":"2020-12","value":28.090794},{"date":"2021-01","value":28.723499},{"date":"2021-02","value":28.026874},{"date":"2021-03","value":27.861849},{"date":"2021-04","value":27.648774},{"date":"2021-05","value":29.43572},{"date":"2021-06","value":29.28414},{"date":"2021-07","value":30.427938},{"date":"2021-08","value":31.081045},{"date":"2021-09","value":31.174131},{"date":"2021-10","value":30.750432},{"date":"2021-11","value":30.930058},{"date":"2021-12","value":32.403268},{"date":"2022-01","value":31.775796},{"date":"2022-02","value":31.63818},{"date":"2022-03","value":30.636601},{"date":"2022-04","value":29.795495},{"date":"2022-05","value":31.060158},{"date":"2022-06","value":31.938678},{"date":"2022-07","value":32.007231},{"date":"2022-08","value":31.390763},{"date":"2022-09","value":32.708718},{"date":"2022-10","value":31.701837},{"date":"2022-11","value":30.343929},{"date":"2022-12","value":28.755106},{"date":"2023-01","value":27.624705},{"date":"2023-02","value":26.15044},{"date":"2023-03","value":25.077353},{"date":"2023-04","value":27.753438},{"date":"2023-05","value":27.792269},{"date":"2023-06","value":28.462251},{"date":"2023-07","value":27.729565},{"date":"2023-08","value":28.183719},{"date":"2023-09","value":27.774073},{"date":"2023-10","value":28.636652},{"date":"2023-11","value":27.390969},{"date":"2023-12","value":27.840296},{"date":"2024-01","value":28.265373},{"date":"2024-02","value":26.289311},{"date":"2024-03","value":25.973632},{"date":"2024-04","value":27.280621},{"date":"2024-05","value":27.830757},{"date":"2024-06","value":29.022504},{"date":"2024-07","value":30.053225},{"date":"2024-08","value":30.417633},{"date":"2024-09","value":30.327053},{"date":"2024-10","value":31.538015},{"date":"2024-11","value":29.442526},{"date":"2024-12","value":30.092519},{"date":"2025-01","value":30.856656},{"date":"2025-02","value":29.430409},{"date":"2025-03","value":29.198927},{"date":"2025-04","value":29.488367},{"date":"2025-05","value":29.613201},{"date":"2025-06","value":28.604573},{"date":"2025-07","value":29.923119},{"date":"2025-08","value":31.056691},{"date":"2025-09","value":30.415235},{"date":"2025-10","value":29.075727},{"date":"2025-11","value":27.374382},{"date":"2025-12","value":28.698037},{"date":"2026-01","value":29.731544},{"date":"2026-02","value":28.00432},{"date":"2026-03","value":26.878239},{"date":"2026-04","value":28.361103},{"date":"2026-05","value":28.440474},{"date":"2026-06","value":29.867001},{"date":"2026-07","value":30.205864},{"date":"2026-08","value":30.153376},{"date":"2026-09","value":31.156645}]}],"tables":[{"caption":null,"columns":["Port","Empty share","Loaded-import share","Loaded-export share"],"rows":[["Long Beach","38.7%","51.9%","9.3%"],["Los Angeles","35.5%","52.4%","12.1%"],["New York/New Jersey","34.8%","51.0%","14.2%"],["Savannah","28.9%","50.6%","20.5%"],["Charleston","26.5%","48.7%","24.8%"],["Seattle/Tacoma","21.3%","52.3%","26.4%"],["Virginia","21.0%","49.3%","29.8%"],["Oakland","15.6%","47.9%","36.5%"],["Houston","15.5%","48.1%","36.5%"],["All 9 tracked ports","31.2%","51.0%","17.9%"]]}]}