Indiana ranks among America’s biggest 15 exporters by state behind front-runners including Texas, California, New York and Washington states. The value of Indiana’s exports equals 2.4% of United States’ overall exported products for 2019.
Based on statistics from the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Indiana’s exported products represent 10.6% of the state’s total economic output or real Gross Domestic Product in 2019 ($371.6 billion in current dollars based on BEA statistics).
Given Indiana’s population of 6.692 million people, its total $39.3 billion in 2019 exports translates to roughly $5,900 for every resident in the Hoosier State.
Indiana’s unemployment rate was 3.6% at April 2019 up from 3.2% as of March 2019, per YCharts.
Indiana’s Top 10 Exports
Top 10
The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Indiana global shipments during 2019. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Indiana.
Figures are shown at the more granular six-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, for more precise product identification.
- Miscellaneous medications: US$3 billion (7.5% of Indiana’s total exports)
- Motor vehicle transmissions: $2.3 billion (5.8%)
- Small gas-powered trucks: $2.1 billion (5.3%)
- Aircraft including engines, parts: $1.71 billion (4.3%)
- Immunological goods for retail sale: $1.67 billion (4.2%)
- Large automobiles (piston engine): $1.44 billion (3.7%)
- Diesel engines: $1.42 billion (3.6%)
- Artificial joints, parts, accessories: $983 million (2.5%)
- Trailers, semi-trailers (housing, camping): $820 million (2.1%)
- Composite diagnostic/laboratory reagents: $703 million (1.8%)
Indiana’s top 10 exports accounted for 40.8% of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Small gas-powered trucks were the fastest growers among the top 10 export categories, up by 196.2% from 2018 to 2019. In second place for improving export sales were diesel engines which rose 19.4%. Miscellaneous medications shipped from Indiana posted the third-fastest gain in value thanks to a 10.6% increase.
The leading decliner among Indiana’s top 10 export products were housing and camping trailers or semi-trailers which fell -26.3% year over year.
More Key Facts
Overall, Indiana incurred a -$25 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2019. That dollar amount reflects an 11.8% year-over-year increase from -$22.4 billion in red ink in 2018.
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 Indiana’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2019.
- Miscellaneous hormones: $5.6 billion (8.7% of Indiana’s total imports)
- Blood fractions including antisera: $3 billion (4.6%)
- Immunological goods for retail sale: $2.8 billion (4.3%)
- Miscellaneous medications: $2 billion (3.1%)
- Polypeptide/protein/glycoprotein hormones: $1.9 billion (3%)
- Motor vehicle transmissions: $1.6 billion (2.4%)
- Heterocyclics, nucleic acids: $1.4 billion (2.2%)
- Turbo-jet parts: $1.2 billion (1.9%)
- Heterocyclics with unfused thiazole ring: $1.16 billion (1.8%)
- Miscellaneous motor vehicle parts: $979 million (1.5%)
Indiana has highly negative net exports in the international trade of miscellaneous hormones and antisera. In turn, these cashflows indicate Indiana’s competitive disadvantages under those product subcategories showing the strong impact of foreign goods on Indiana’s global balance sheet}
Partners
The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased over three-quarters (78%) worth of the total value of products exported from Indiana during 2019.
- Canada: $13.2 billion (33.5% of Indiana’s total exports)
- Mexico: $5.7 billion (14.4%)
- Japan: $2.1 billion (5.4%)
- China: $2 billion (5.2%)
- Germany: $1.42 billion (3.6%)
- Netherlands: $1.4 billion (3.6%)
- France: $1.39 billion (3.5%)
- Italy: $1.3 billion (3.2%)
- Belgium: $1.13 billion (2.9%)
- United Kingdom: $1.06 billion (2.7%)
Indiana’s top trade partners in North America, Canada and Mexico, account for almost half (47.9%) of the overall value of exported goods from the Hoosier State.
Companies
Indiana Export Companies
Seventeen of Indiana-based corporations rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Selected examples are shown below.
- Allison Transmission Holdings (transmissions, other propulsion systems)
- Wabash National (semi-trailers, liquid transportation products)
- Thor Industries (recreational vehicles)
- Calumet Specialty Products (specialty oils, solvents, waxes)
- Berry Global (plastic packaging products)
- Zimmer Biomet (medical devices, artificial limbs)
- Steel Dynamics (steel)
- Cummins (engines, filtration, power products)
- Eli Lilly and Company (pharmaceuticals)
Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the international trade-related products or services which each business sells.
Indiana’s capital is Indianapolis, a city nicknamed “Indy”, “Circle City” and the “Crossroads of America”.
See also America’s Top 20 Export States, United States Top 10 Exports and Top United States Trade Balances
Research Sources:
Department of Numbers, Indiana GDP (dollars shown in real terms). Accessed on April 7, 2020
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on April 7, 2020
Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on April 7, 2020
GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List, Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on April 7, 2020
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 7, 2020
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 7, 2020
United States Census Bureau, Foreign Trade (State by 6-Digit HS Code). Accessed on April 7, 2020
United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Indiana. Accessed on April 7, 2020
Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Indiana. Accessed on April 7, 2020
Wikipedia, Indiana. Accessed on April 7, 2020
Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on April 7, 2020
World’s Capital Cities, Capital Facts for Indianapolis, United States. Accessed on April 7, 2020
YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on April 7, 2020