Canadian travel to the United States fell more than 25% in 2025 and continued declining during the first half of 2026, according to Statistics Canada.
Canadian residents made 39 million return border crossings from the United States in 2024, accounting for three-quarters of their international return trips.
Canadian-resident return crossings from the U.S. decreased 25.4% in 2025 compared with 2024. Statistics Canada recorded 11 consecutive months of year-over-year declines — the longest and most sustained downturn since recordkeeping began in 1972.
The decline reached its lowest point in July 2025, when border crossings were nearly one-third below July 2024 levels. Crossings stabilized late in the year but remained approximately 25% below the previous year.
The only comparable monthly decline occurred following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to Statistics Canada.
The downturn continued into 2026. Transborder air travel to the United States fell 2% in June, marking the 17th consecutive month of lower U.S.-bound travel. Overall Canadian air travel increased 0.6% during the same period.
Canadian travel to the U.S. initially declined most sharply among people crossing by vehicle, while air travel decreased more gradually. National Travel Survey data showed Canadians made approximately 7.1 million fewer trips to the United States in 2025. However, that loss was almost entirely offset by increased domestic travel and trips to other countries.
U.S. transportation data showed similar declines at Michigan border crossings. Personal vehicle traffic from Canada fell 6.2% in Detroit and 20.6% in Port Huron from 2024 to 2025. Bus traffic through Detroit dropped 31.4%.
Commercial traffic produced mixed results. Truck crossings decreased 19% in Detroit and 5.1% nationwide, while Port Huron recorded a 15.8% increase.
Canada also advises travelers staying in the United States for more than 30 days that they must register with the U.S. government. Its travel guidance warns Canadians with passports carrying an “X” gender designation that they could face entry restrictions in countries that do not recognize the identifier.
