What were U.S. tariff (customs duties) collections for fiscal year 2019?

1. Why the $71–72 billion number appears in every summary — and what it really captures

The cluster of sources converges on an approximate $71–72 billion figure because they all trace back to Treasury cash receipts and CBP operations that record the core line item “customs duties.” Statista’s historical series lists customs duty revenue for 2019 at about $71 billion, reflecting the Treasury’s accounting of tariff receipts posted to federal general receipts ^[2]. The American Farm Bureau/Market Intel commentary and Treasury Monthly Statements highlighted the sharp acceleration in early 2019 collections — for example, the first four months showing big year‑over‑year gains — which contributed to calendarized headlines about tariffs raising revenue, and that trend is consistent with the aggregated fiscal‑year total near $72 billion ^[1]. Definitions matter: these figures isolate customs duties and exclude other import‑related charges.

2. The broader picture: CBP’s larger “total customs collections” figure and why it differs

CBP’s own reporting distinguishes customs duties from the broader suite of amounts the agency collects at ports of entry, including merchandise processing fees, harbor maintenance fees, and other assessments. CBP‑compiled tallies for FY2019 show roughly $71.9 billion in import duties specifically, and about $80.7 billion when those ancillary fees and taxes are added ^[3]. That delta of around $9 billion explains why some accounts quote ~$71 billion and others quote ~$80 billion: both are correct, but they answer slightly different questions. The Treasury’s Monthly/Daily Statements feed the public data stream; third‑party trackers repackage those lines with varying inclusion rules, so readers must check whether a cited number refers to duties only or duties plus other customs collections ^[3].

3. Discrepancies, omissions, and why some data sources say “no figure”

Several referenced databases and open‑data portals used in the analyses either do not publish a discrete FY2019 tariff collection figure or present percentages rather than dollar totals. WITS, FRED, and World Bank extracts often publish tariff shares or series keyed to different national accounting definitions, and their public pages sometimes only link to the primary Treasury series without a precomputed fiscal‑year sum ^{[4] [5] [6]}. That leads to secondary summaries noting the absence of a single labeled FY2019 line. The root cause is not conflicting raw data but different presentation choices: Treasury posts daily/monthly receipts, CBP posts operational totals, and aggregators may present shares, quarterly snapshots, or exclude customs lines entirely, producing apparent gaps ^[5].

4. What contemporaneous headlines and analyses emphasized — and what they left out

Media and trade analysts in 2019 emphasized the sharp year‑over‑year rise in tariff collections as U.S.–China trade measures took effect; early‑year receipts jumped, which fed narratives about tariffs raising revenue for the Treasury ^[1]. Many headlines, however, omitted the technical distinction between customs duties and total customs collections. Some pieces used Treasury monthly cash receipts to produce headline totals near $72 billion without clarifying whether processing fees were included; others cited CBP’s combined figure of about $80.7 billion ^{[3] [2]}. Readers therefore saw both numbers; the difference stems from inclusion criteria rather than fundamental disagreement about the Treasury’s books.

5. Bottom line for researchers and policymakers who need a precise number

For fiscal‑policy or budget work, use the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Monthly Treasury Statement or CBP’s FY2019 summary as the authoritative primary source: Treasury’s receipts yield the commonly cited ~$71–72 billion in customs duties, while CBP’s broader compilation yields ~$80.7 billion when fees are included ^{[1] [3]}. When citing the figure, explicitly state whether you mean “customs duties only” or “total customs collections (duties plus fees and other import taxes)” to avoid mixing the two series. Statista’s series provides a convenient published point estimate aligned with Treasury for quick reference, but it is a secondary compilation and should be cross‑checked with Treasury/CBP for official budgeting purposes ^[2].