DATA FILE · DF-001

U.S. Trade Balance

What does the monthly balance of U.S. exports and imports of goods and services actually measure?

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis / U.S. Census Bureau · Last verified Oct 9, 2026

Latest reading

−105.6 billions of current U.S. dollars

Measurement period: August 2026
Release date: Oct 6, 2026
Frequency: Monthly
Seasonal adjustment: Seasonally adjusted; not price adjusted

The August 2026 goods-and-services balance is a deficit of $105.6 billion. Negative values mean imports exceed exports. This is a monthly dollar balance, not a growth rate or a share of GDP.

Open the primary data release (opens in a new tab)

Previous period and revision

Measurement period: July 2026
Previously released value: −88.6
Revised value: −92.8
Revision release date: Oct 6, 2026

Values use the same unit shown above. A revision changes the estimate for an earlier period; it is not a new reporting period’s reading.

Read the original previous-period release (opens in a new tab)

What this measures

Exports minus imports of goods and services on a balance-of-payments basis for the measurement month. A negative balance is a deficit; a positive balance is a surplus. The value describes an aggregate cross-border flow during the month.

What it does not establish

The balance alone does not establish whether a trade policy succeeded, whether a household became better or worse off, how gains and costs were distributed, or why the balance changed. It is not a count of jobs lost, a government budget balance, or a measure of national wealth.

Methodology

BEA and Census jointly publish the monthly International Trade in Goods and Services release. This file uses the seasonally adjusted goods-and-services balance on a balance-of-payments basis, in current dollars. It does not mix the goods-only Census-basis balance with the combined balance. Estimates can change through routine monthly and annual revisions. Displayed figures are rounded to one decimal place; subtraction of rounded values can differ from changes reported using unrounded source data. Original-release values are retained alongside revised values and their respective release dates.

Observation history and release vintages

August 2026

First released value: −105.6
Original release date: Oct 6, 2026

New measurement month: August 2026.

First estimate in the October 6 release. No revised value is recorded for this month in this file.

Original release (opens in a new tab)

July 2026

First released value: −88.6
Original release date: Sep 3, 2026
Revised value: −92.8
Revision release date: Oct 6, 2026

July's deficit estimate was revised from $88.6 billion to $92.8 billion in the August-data release.

The revised July estimate was not the value available on September 3. Both release vintages are retained.

Original release (opens in a new tab)Revision source (opens in a new tab)

Next scheduled release

Nov 4, 2026. The agency’s release calendar controls the schedule.

Read the Related Article

What a Trade Deficit Actually Measures, and What It Doesn’t

Read the article

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