The St. Louis Metro Port system remains the nation’s most efficient inland port system, according to the latest U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data, ranking first in cargo tonnage per river mile and fourth in total tonnage among seven major inland port districts.
In 2024, the 70-mile port system handled 24.8 million tons of cargo, averaging 354,286 tons per river mile. That figure was more than double the efficiency of each of the three higher-volume inland port districts.
“Maintaining our position as the nation’s most efficient inland port is especially significant because efficiency translates directly into value for shippers and carriers,” said Mary Lamie, Executive Vice President of Multimodal Enterprises for Bi-State Development and head of the St. Louis Regional Freightway.
The region’s agricultural shipping network includes the 15-mile Mississippi River corridor known as the Ag Coast of America, where 16 barge-transfer facilities can collectively handle more than 150 barges daily.
Infrastructure investments are supporting continued growth. America’s Central Port recently completed an 80,000-bushel grain bin and is advancing a $5 million general cargo dock expansion.
Jefferson County Port Authority has reduced loading times by more than half with new cargo-handling equipment and is evaluating container-on-vessel service.
Meanwhile, Kaskaskia Regional Port District, which absorbed Southwest Regional Port District in January 2026, is advancing approximately $26 million in rail and dock improvements.
Separately, Kaskaskia handled 6.4 million tons in 2024, underscoring the broader St. Louis region’s importance to Mississippi River freight transportation.