US Imports Drop in June

US imports fell by $7.3 billion, or 1.8%, from the prior month to $388 billion in June 2026, marking the first drop since January. Imports of goods decreased $7.9 billion to $309.0 billion in June, with Census-basis imports falling by $7.7 billion. The drop mainly reflected lower purchases of capital goods (-$2.1 billion), particularly computers (-$3.0 billion), and consumer goods (-$2.1 billion), mainly pharmaceutical preparations (-$1.9 billion). These declines were partly offset by a $1.1 billion increase in telecommunications equipment imports. Meanwhile, services imports rose by $0.6 billion to $79.0 billion, led by higher charges for the use of intellectual property (+$0.7 billion), transport (+$0.2 billion), and insurance services (+$0.1 billion), partly offset by a decline in travel (-$0.4 billion).

US imports rose by $12.5 billion, or 3.3%, to $395.3 billion in May 2026, the highest since March 2025. Most of the growth came from goods imports, which climbed $12.3 billion to $317.0 billion. Consumer goods increased by $3.5 billion, led by higher imports of pharmaceuticals ($1.9 billion) and cell phones and household goods ($1.0 billion). Industrial supplies and materials rose $3.1 billion, mainly due to a $1.5 billion increase in crude oil imports. Automotive imports grew $2.2 billion, including a $1.0 billion rise in passenger cars. Other goods increased $1.4 billion, while capital goods rose $1.1 billion, supported by higher imports of computer accessories and semiconductors. However, computer imports fell $3.4 billion, partially offsetting these gains. Imports of services increased slightly by $0.2 billion to $78.2 billion, mainly because of higher spending on insurance services.

Imports into the United States rose by 2.0% from the previous month to $383.0 billion in April of 2026, the highest in one year, and the fourth highest reading on record. Imports of foreign goods rose by 2.1% to $304.9 billion in the period amid higher purchases of computers, semiconductors, and telecommunications equipment, aligned with the surge in investments on AI infrastructure from the largest companies in the US, which take in a lot of their capital goods from Asia. In turn, foreign purchases of industrial supplies decreased. Imports of services rose by 1.6% to $78.0 billion.