The U.S. bought $88.6 billion more goods and services from abroad than it sold in July, up from June's revised $71.2 billion gap.
Why it matters
The trade balance connects the U.S. economy with the rest of the world. Looking at exports and imports separately helps explain changes in production and spending. A bigger deficit is not, by itself, proof that households are worse off.
In everyday life
Trade connects imported products and equipment with businesses and households, while exports support sellers abroad. The total gap alone does not measure household prosperity.
What remains uncertain
Monthly trade can be volatile. Import growth also reflected equipment purchases; this release does not prove a single policy caused the change.
Choose “Go deeper” for the full explanation, definitions, and differences across households.
Sources & dates
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, July 2026
BEA and U.S. Census Bureau
- Event
- Official release on Sep 3, 2026. A statistical release describing an earlier observation period.
- Observation period
- July 2026
- Geography
- United States
- Methodology
- Seasonally adjusted current dollars; not adjusted for inflation. Balance-of-payments basis unless a category specifies Census basis.
- Publication
- Meaningful update
January–June exports and imports were revised in this release.
A source check is not a new economic release. These are the figures available in the linked release vintage. Later releases may revise them.
Revision history (2)
Sep 10, 2026 — Initial publication.
Sep 10, 2026 — metadata-correction: Publication date corrected: the preparation date was initially displayed. Public launch was September 10 UTC (September 9 in the U.S. Eastern time zone). The sourced figures and explanation are unchanged.