California is Still Playing Catch-Up with Pre-Pandemic Trade Levels

A combination of the Delta variant’s adverse impact on global commerce, congested international supply chains and steep increases in shipping fees frustrated California exporters in August, according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Census. Although the state’s latest export totals represent substantial improvements from last August’s export numbers, it is worth noting that was the worst August for exporters since the Great Recession.

“On a purely nominal basis, the $14.894 billion value of California’s export trade this August almost matched the $14.912 billion recorded two Augusts ago,” said Jock O’Connell, Beacon Economics’ international trade adviser. “We are still playing catch-up with pre-pandemic levels of trade.”