Port of Houston Authority
The Houston Ship Channel is experiencing tremendous growth. The Houston region, the country’s No. 1 region for exports, is home to the largest petrochemical manufacturing complex in the Americas. Energy production and the export of crude oil, along with the increasing global demand for chemicals produced in the region, are major drivers of this success.
Largely because of petrochemical activity along the 52-mile ship channel, the nearly 200 private companies that make up the Greater Port of Houston have helped make the port the No. 1 U.S. port in foreign waterborne tonnage. Petroleum and petroleum products are leading import and export commodities.
More than 200 million short tons of international cargo were handled in 2018 alone. The economic impact of the greater port nationally includes 3.2 million jobs, $801.9 billion in economic value and more than $38.1 billion in tax revenue.
