That dollar amount results from a 19.2% rise from $7.5 billion four years earlier in 2019.
Year over year, the total value of Nebraska’s exported goods increased by 11.6% compared to $7.97 billion for 2021.
Nebraska ranks among America’s 35 most lucrative exporters by state behind front-runners including Texas, California, Louisiana, New York State and Illinois. The value of Connecticut’s exports equals 0.4% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2022.
Based on research from Statista, Nebraska’s exported products represent 7.2% of the state’s total economic output or real Gross Domestic Product in 2022 ($123.5 billion).
Given Nebraska’s population of 1.968 million people, its total $8.9 billion in 2022 exports translates to roughly $4,500 for every resident in the Cornhusker State. That dollar metric outpaces the average $4,050 per capita in 2021.
Nebraska’s unemployment rate was 2.1% at the end of March 2023, up from 2% at March 2022 per YCharts.
Nebraska’s Top 10 Exports
The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Nebraska global shipments during 2022. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Nebraska.
Figures are shown at the more granular six-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, for more precise product identification.
- Beef (boneless, fresh/chilled): US$841 million (9.5% of Nebraska’s exports)
- Soya beans: $696.6 million (7.8%)
- Beef (boneless, frozen): $636 million (7.2%)
- Natural gas (gaseous state): $496.1 million (5.6%)
- Corn: $462.6 million (5.2%)
- Combine harvester-threshers: $433.7 million (4.9%)
- Solid residues including soya bean oil-cake: $324.6 million (3.7%)
- Syringes, parts or accessories: $183.9 million (2.1%)
- Mechanical appliance parts: $181.2 million (2%)
- Agricultural mechanical appliances including spraying: $166.3 million (1.9%)
Nebraska’s top 10 exports accounted for about half (49.7%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Posting the strongest gains from 2021 to 2022 was the value of Nebraskan exported natural gas in gaseous form (up 111.9%), soya beans (up 32.7%), soya bean oil-cake and other solid residues (up 29.3%), then exports of combine harvester-threshers (up 29.1%).
There was a pair of double-decliners since 2021 namely corn excluding seed corn (down -24% from 2021) and fresh or chilled boneless beef (down -12.3%).
More Key Facts about Nebraska’s International Trade
Nebraska earned an overall $3.18 billion surplus exporting and importing products during 2022. That dollar amount reflects a -3% year-over-year slowdown from $3.28 billion in black ink for 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 Nebraska’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2022.
- Nucleic acids, salts: US$270.9 million (4.7% of Nebraska’s imports)
- Heterocyclics with unfused pyrazole ring: $193.9 million (3.4%)
- Parts for harvesters, threshers, mowers: $189.4 million (3.3%)
- Components with pyrimidine or piperazine ring: $173.9 million (3%)
- Road tractors for semi-trailers $166 million (2.9%)
- Colza seed oilcake, other solid residues: $130.5 million (2.3%)
- Internal combustion piston engines: $124.9 million (2.2%)
- Miscellaneous medications in dosage for retail: $122 million (2.1%)
- Live cattle not for purebred breeding: $112.9 million (2%)
- Heterocyclics with unfused thiazole ring: $106.6 million (1.9%)
Nebraska has positive net exports in the international trade of agricultural goods including beef, soya beans and corn. In turn, these cashflows indicate Nebraska’s competitive advantages under those product categories.
Nebraska’s Major Trade Partners
The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased almost four-fifths (77.6%) worth of the total value of products exported from Nebraska during 2022.
- Mexico: US$1.96 billion (22.1% of Nebraska’s exports)
- Canada: $1.92 billion (21.6%)
- Japan: $733.9 million (8.3%)
- South Korea: $696.5 million (7.8%)
- mainland China: $690 million (7.8%)
- Australia: $236.5 million (2.7%)
- Belgium: $220.4 million (2.5%)
- Taiwan: $159.2 million (1.8%)
- Netherlands: $154.9 million (1.7%)
- Germany: $123.2 million (1.4%)
Nebraska’s top trade partners in North America (Canada and Mexico) bought 43.7% of the overall value of exported goods from the Cornhusker State.
In comparison, 25.6% of Nebraska’s exported goods were consumed by its major trade partners in Asia (Japan, South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan).
Nebraskan Export Companies
Eleven of Nebraska-based corporations rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Selected examples are listed below.
- Cabela’s Inc (outdoor recreational equipment)
- ConAgra Foods (food processing, packaging)
- Green Plains (ethanol)
- TD Ameritrade Holding Corp (brokerage firm)
- Union Pacific Corp (rail transportation)
- Valmont Industries (irrigation, windmill, lighting, traffic equipment)
- Werner Enterprises (freight transportation, logistics)
- West Corp (telecommunications)
Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the international trade-related products or services which each business sells.
Nebraska’s capital is Lincoln, a city nicknamed “Star City”.
See also North Dakota’s Top 10 Exports, Montana’s Top 10 Exports, Wisconsin’s Top 10 Exports, Delaware’s Top 10 Exports and Vermont’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Department of Numbers, Nebraska GDP (dollars shown in real terms). Accessed on May 8, 2023
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on May 8, 2023
Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 8, 2023
GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2019 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on May 8, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 8, 2023
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 8, 2023
State Symbols USA, State Nicknames. Accessed on May 8, 2023
Statista, Real gross domestic product of Nebraska. Accessed on May 8, 2023
United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Nebraska. Accessed on May 8, 2023
USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on May 8, 2023
Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Nebraska. Accessed on May 8, 2023
Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on May 8, 2023
Wikipedia, Nebraska. Accessed on May 8, 2023
World’s Capital Cities, Capital Facts for Lincoln, United States. Accessed on May 8, 2023
YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on May 8, 2023