Shipping activity at major West Coast ports has plummeted, with the Port of Los Angeles averaging just five ships a day — down from a typical dozen — and job orders for dockworkers falling by nearly 50%. On a typical June day, the Port of Los Angeles would be buzzing with activity — about a dozen ships arriving from Asia, containers being unloaded, and cargo moving quickly across the country. But lately, things have been eerily quiet.
That drop isn’t just a temporary blip. It’s part of a larger slowdown linked to President Donald Trump’s trade war with China — a policy shift that’s been quietly wreaking havoc on West Coast port cities like Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma. While most of the attention around tariffs has focused on rising prices and stock market swings, the economic damage to these cities has gone under the radar.
These ports depend heavily on trade with Asia, especially China. And now, because of increased tariffs and uncertainty in US-China relations, the flow of goods has slowed dramatically — with real consequences for jobs, businesses and local economies. Even a recent truce between the two countries has done little to reverse the trend.
Data released by the Chinese government showed that exports to the US tumbled 35% in May compared to the year before — the steepest drop since Covid lockdowns froze trade in early 2020. That followed a 21% drop in April. While China’s shipments to places like Southeast Asia and Europe are on the rise, they haven’t been enough to balance out the loss in US-bound cargo. All told, China’s overall exports rose just 4.8% last month, well below forecasts. The effects of the slowdown in Chinese exports are being felt across the Pacific.
Long Beach — along with Los Angeles — operates the biggest port complex in the US. Roughly 60% of its trade is with China. In 2022 alone, the ports pumped about $300 billion into the Los Angeles County economy and brought in $93 billion in tax revenue. One in five jobs in the region — from truck drivers to warehouse workers — is tied to the ports. More than 70% of dockworkers live within 10 miles. But with fewer ships arriving, the impact is spreading.
The Port of Oakland saw cargo volumes fall 15% in April. Los Angeles has already had 17 ship cancellations in May, and another 10 were scrapped in June. New government data also shows a sharp nationwide drop in imports.
Trump recently accused China of violating trade agreements and slapped even higher tariffs on steel and aluminum — now up to 50%. Meanwhile, West Coast leaders like Seroka say their attempts to engage with the federal government have gone nowhere. Despite serving on an advisory panel for the US Trade Representative’s Office, Seroka says his calls to the Trump administration have been ignored. Instead, he’s been holding regular press conferences to sound the alarm.
