Empty share
Empty-container share by US port
The empty-container share of monthly box volume at each tracked US port, September 2026, in TEU, from the port authorities via BTS
Data through Sep 2026 · source last checked Oct 31, 2026 · page revised Oct 28, 2026
Cite
- Empty share
About this data
- 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
- Calculation
- Monthly
- Last observation
- Sep 2026
- Update frequency
- Monthly
Empty containers were 31.0% of all box moves across the tracked US ports in September 2026. Long Beach had the highest empty share at 38.7%. A high empty share reflects trade imbalance and carrier equipment repositioning, not congestion.
Empty containers accounted for 31.0% of all box moves across the tracked US ports in September 2026, with Long Beach running highest at 38.7%.
| Port | Empty share | Loaded-import share | Loaded-export share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach | 38.7% | 51.9% | 9.3% |
| Los Angeles | 35.5% | 52.4% | 12.1% |
| New York/New Jersey | 33.7% | 51.3% | 15.0% |
| 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 | 31.0% | 51.0% | 18.0% |
Previous weeks
Week of Jul 1, 2026
Empty containers were 30.2% of all box moves across the tracked US ports in July 2026, with Long Beach highest at 37.4% empty.
An earlier week
Empty containers were 29.9% of box volume across the tracked US ports in June 2026, driven by trade imbalance and carrier equipment repositioning. Long Beach posted the highest share at 38.1%.
Week of Aug 13, 2026
Empty containers were 28.4% of all box moves across the nine tracked US ports in May 2026.
About Empty-container share by US port
This page shows the empty-container share of monthly box volume at each tracked US port: empties as a share of the three container streams the port authorities report, loaded imports, loaded exports and empties, all in TEU. An empty container is a box moving with no cargo in it, repositioned by the carrier to where the next load is, so a high empty share is a read on trade IMBALANCE and equipment flow, not on congestion. A West Coast import gateway that takes in far more loaded boxes than it sends back out has to move the difference back overseas empty, so its empty share runs high; an export-leaning port fills more of its outbound boxes and shows a lower empty share. It is a structural feature of a trade lane, not a delay: nothing here says a box with a high empty share sat longer or moved slower. For how long import boxes actually sit, see the Los Angeles import-container dwell page; for the demand ranking, see the busiest-ports page. The shares are computed from the port authorities' own monthly container statistics, republished by BTS, and each port's three shares sum to 100%.