Empty share
Empty-container share by US port
The empty-container share of monthly box volume at each tracked US port, July 2026, in TEU, from the port authorities via BTS
Data through Jul 2026 · source last checked Oct 14, 2026 · page revised Sep 22, 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
- Jul 2026
- Update frequency
- Monthly
Empty containers were 30.2% of all box moves across the tracked US ports in July 2026. Long Beach had the highest empty share at 37.4%. A high empty share reflects trade imbalance and carrier equipment repositioning, not congestion.
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.
| Port | Empty share | Loaded-import share | Loaded-export share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach | 37.4% | 51.1% | 11.5% |
| Los Angeles | 36.3% | 52.0% | 11.6% |
| New York/New Jersey | 34.0% | 51.3% | 14.7% |
| Savannah | 26.2% | 50.7% | 23.1% |
| Charleston | 24.4% | 48.8% | 26.8% |
| Seattle/Tacoma | 22.5% | 51.2% | 26.2% |
| Virginia | 18.3% | 50.6% | 31.0% |
| Oakland | 16.9% | 47.3% | 35.8% |
| Houston | 14.8% | 50.5% | 34.7% |
| All 9 tracked ports | 30.2% | 51.0% | 18.8% |
Previous weeks
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%.
An earlier week
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%.