US Service Trade Surplus Widens in August 2026 Amid Growth in Intellectual Property and Business Services

Key summary

The US Bureau of Economic Analysis data, as reported by the US Commercial Service in Washington, shows that total US service trade from January to August 2026 reached $149.182 billion, a 5.18% increase year-on-year. Exports were $86.87 billion (up 6.24%) while imports were $62.313 billion (up 3.75%), resulting in a surplus of approximately $24.557 billion, up 13.12%. In August alone, exports totaled $10.952 billion and imports $7.852 billion. The top export categories were other business services ($19.49 billion), financial services ($15.895 billion), and intellectual property services ($14.566 billion). Top import categories were tourism ($13.087 billion), other business services ($12.134 billion), and transportation services ($8.774 billion).