The United States is the largest economy in the world, which is continuously growing. Even during the COVID recession, it grew 5.7%, thanks to an increase in consumer spending. Although the US has made many advances in several fields, including technology and infrastructure, the ports of the US play a major role in its economic progress. The developed nation has about 360 shipping ports, all equipped with the latest equipment and infrastructure to deal with different cargo types. The US ports and harbours are one of the largest and key maritime gateways in the world, not to mention that they are also the busiest, handling huge volumes of shipments. The container ports of the US are connected to almost all the major ports worldwide and offer an array of services to their customers, which has made the nation’s container port industry quite competitive. Thus, this article will explore the top 10 busiest and largest container ports in the United States, ranked according to the TEUs handled. 1. Port of Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Seaport is in San Pedro Bay, south of downtown Los Angeles in the US state of California. Also known as America’s port, it is one of the busiest ports in the world and also a major hub for cruise ships. For over 20 years, it has maintained the number-one position among all the US ports in terms of handling exceptional volumes of containerised cargo. Hence, it has emerged as the top port in the US with regard to container throughput, handling over 9 million TEUs annually. In 2024, it handled 10.3 million TEUs. Image for representation purposes only Los Angeles Port has generated employment for around 3 million people in the United States. It is a key driver of Southern California’s economy, supporting numerous livelihoods and generating billions of dollars in revenue each year. It comprises 7500 acres of land and water, which has passenger terminals and 25 cargo terminals handling automobiles, dry and liquid bulk cargo, breakbulk, storage and warehousing areas. Los Angeles Port deals with 20% of all the imports coming into the country. Its major trading partners include China, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, etc. 2. Port of Long Beach The Port of Long Beach lies in San Pedro’s Bay near the Port of Los Angeles. It is one of the busiest ports in the US, according to the size and cargo volumes handled and also the 21st busiest container port in the world. Image for representation purposes only The Port of Long Beach handled 9.6 million TEUs in 2024. It covers 8120 acres and exports meat, groceries, grains, dairy items, animal skins, and cotton. It imports beverages, wine, refrigerated food, seafood, etc. The Port of Long Beach serves as a primary channel for the US-Asian maritime trade. It is deemed a leader in implementing eco-friendly policies and practices, such as the award-winning Green Port Policy. Per this policy, ships are instructed to decrease their speeds within twenty nautical miles of the port harbour to reduce the consumption of fuel and control air pollution. Vessels abiding by this rule are offered discounts, which has made this program quite successful. The port has 22 terminals, including 6 container terminals that serve 175 shipping lines with links to around 217 major ports of the world. Port of Long Beach makes over 100 billion US dollars in trade every year and employs over 300,000 people in California. 3. Port of New Jersey and New York The Port of New Jersey and New York is the biggest port