That dollar amount represents a 24.8% increase in spending from $407.5 billion in 2019, and an 8.2% year-over-year increase from $470.3 billion for 2021.
California is America’s biggest imports-spending state well ahead of Texas, Illinois, New York State, New Jersey and Michigan. The value of California’s imports equals 15.7% of the overall value of goods imported into the United States of America for 2022.
Based on California’s population of 39.1 million people, its total $508.8 billion in 2022 imports translates to roughly $13,000 for every consumer living in “The Golden State”. That dollar metric exceeds the per capita average of $10,000 one year earlier in 2021.
Another key economic indicator, California’s jobless rate was 4.4% at the end of March 2023. That unemployment rate reflects a decrease from its 4.7% unemployment rate during February 2022, per YCharts.
California’s Top 10 Imports
The following import products represent the highest dollar value in California’s international purchases during 2022. Also shown is the percentage share each import category represents in terms of overall imports into California.
Figures are shown at the more granular six-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, for more precise product identification.
- Crude petroleum oils: US$28.9 billion (5.7% of California’s total imports)
- Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $20.2 billion (4%)
- Small portable digital computers: $18.2 billion (3.6%)
- Computer parts and accessories: $15.2 billion (3%)
- Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $11.1 billion (2.2%)
- Cell phones: $10.5 billion (2.1%)
- Color TV reception equipment: $7.3 billion (1.4%)
- Large automobiles (piston engine): $7.2 billion (1.4%)
- Solid-state semiconductor storage devices: $6.93 billion (1.4%)
- Wheeled toys (tricycles, scooters, pedal cars, doll carriages): $6.88 billion (1.4%)
California’s top 10 imports represented over one-quarter (26%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Year over year, the imported products that appreciated the most in cost from 2021 to 2022 were crude petroleum oils (up 46.2%).
Other double-digit gains were recorded for California’s imports of solid-state semiconductor storage devices (up 20.9% from 2021) and modems plus similar reception or transmission devices (up 15.1%).
The sole decliner among California’s leading imports was small portable digital computers, dragged down by a -10.6% reduction compared to spending on that product during 2021.
More Key Facts about California’s International Trade
California incurred a total -$323.2 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2022. That dollar amount reflects a 9.4% year-over-year expansion from -$295.4 billion in red ink in 2021.
Another way of saying surplus or deficit is positive or negative net exports. In a nutshell, the term “net exports” quantifies the amount by which foreign spending on a state’s goods or services exceeds or lags that same state’s spending on foreign goods or services.
Below are California’s top 10 export products highlighting the state’s highest revenue makers from international sales during 2022.
- Civilian aircraft including engines, parts: US$6 billion (3.2% of California’s total exports)
- Machinery for making semi-conductor devices: $5.5 billion (2.9%)
- Parts or accessories for making semi-conductor devices: $4.5 billion (2.4%)
- Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $4.4 billion (2.4%)
- Electronic integrated circuits: $4.3 billion (2.3%)
- Diamonds (unmounted): $4.2 billion (2.3%)
- Computer parts and accessories: $3.6 billion (1.9%)
- Refined petroleum oils excluding biodiesel: $3.28 billion (1.8%)
- Shelled almonds $3.26 billion (1.8%)
- Electric vehicles: US$2.9 billion (1.6%)
In contrast to the above listed items, California has notably negative net imports in the international trade of automobiles, small portable digital computers, mobile phones and crude oil. In turn, these cashflows indicate California’s strong competitive disadvantages under these product categories thus highlighting the strong impact of these foreign-made goods have on California’s global balance sheet.
Best Import Suppliers for California
The following list shows the top 10 countries that supply over three-quarters (77.3%) worth of the total value of products imported into California during 2022.
- mainland China: US$147.6 billion (29% of California’s total imports)
- Mexico: $60.5 billion (11.9%)
- South Korea: $31.2 billion (6.1%)
- Japan: $29.4 billion (5.8%)
- Vietnam: $29 billion (5.7%)
- Taiwan: $28.6 billion (5.6%)
- Canada: $23.8 billion (4.7%)
- Thailand: $16.4 billion (3.2%)
- Germany: $14.2 billion (2.8%)
- Malaysia: $12.5 billion (2.5%)
California’s top trade partners in North America, Canada and Mexico, account for 16.6% of the overall value of products imported into the Golden State.
That percentage falls far below the nearly three-fifths (57.9%) for leading Asian suppliers that furnish products to Californian importers (mainland China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia).
Major Californian Import Companies
Fifty-three of California-headquartered corporations rank among America’s leading companies showcased on the Fortune 500 listing. Selected examples are listed below, sorted by highest revenues.
- Apple Inc. (computer hardware, software)
- McKesson Corporation (pharmaceuticals, medical technology)
- Chevron Corporation (petroleum, natural gas, petrochemicals)
- Wells Fargo (multinational financial services)
- Alphabet Inc (technology, autonomous cars, software)
- Intel Corporation (microprocessors, chips, mobile phones, flash memories)
- Hewlett-Packard (computer hardware, software)
- Cisco Systems (telecom equipment, networking hardware)
- Oracle (servers, workstations, storage devices, middleware)
- Gilead Sciences (pharmaceuticals, biotechnology products)
Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the international trade-related product categories for the main industry in which each business operates.
California’s capital city is Sacramento, nicknamed “The City of Trees” and “Sactown”.
See also America’s Top 20 Export States, United States Top 10 Imports and California’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Department of Numbers, California GDP (dollars shown in real terms). Accessed on May 5, 2023
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 5, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 5, 2023
Investopedia, Net Imports Definition. Accessed on May 5, 2023
Los Angeles Times, The new Fortune 500 list is out. These California companies made the cut. Accessed on May 5, 2023
Pixabay, California flag wall mural. Accessed on May 5, 2023
United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: California. Accessed on May 5, 2023
USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on May 5, 2023
Wikipedia, California. Accessed on May 5, 2023
Wikipedia, List of California Companies. Accessed on May 5, 2023
Wikipedia, List of states and territories of the United States by population. Accessed on May 5, 2023
World’s Capital Cities, Capital Facts for Sacramento, United States. Accessed on May 5, 2023
YCharts, California Unemployment Rate. Accessed on May 5, 2023