Nicknamed “The Last Frontier” located in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, Alaska shipped US$5.9 billion worth of export products around the world in 2024.

That dollar amount results from a -1.3% slowdown from $6 billion four years earlier in 2021.

Year over year, the overall value of Alaskan exports advanced by 12.3% compared to $5.26 billion worth of Alaskan exports starting in 2023.

Alaska ranks among the 5 smallest exporters by state, badly lagging front-runners including Texas, California, New York state, Louisiana and Illinois. The value of Alaska’s exports equals 0.3% of the United States’ overall exported products sold in 2024.

Alaska’s exported products represent 8.5% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product ($70 billion).

Given Alaska’s population of 740,133 people, its total $5.9 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $8,000 for every resident in the “Last Frontier” state. That dollar metric exceeds the average $7,200 per capita one year earlier during 2023.

Alaska’s unemployment rate was 4.8% at the end of July 2025, up from 4.7% in July 2024 per YCharts.

Alaska’s Top 10 Exports

The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Alaska global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Alaska.

Figures are shown at the more granular six-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, for more precise product identification.

1. Zinc ores, concentrates: US$1.3 billion (21.5% of total Alaskan exports)
2. Gold (unwrought): $983.7 million (16.6%)
3. Lead ores, concentrates: $453.5 million (7.7%)
4. Crude petroleum oils: $380 million (6.4%)
5. Frozen fish meat: $366.8 million (6.2%)
6. Frozen Alaska pollock fillets: $323.8 million (5.5%)
7. Miscellaneous frozen fish: $297.2 million (5%)
8. Frozen livers, roes: $241.4 million (4.1%)
9. Precious metal ores, concentrates: $231.2 million (3.9%)
10. Frozen Pacific salmon: $148.1 million (2.5%)

Alaska’s top 10 exports generated nearly four-fifths (79.5%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Among the above export categories, the leading gainer was crude petroleum oils (up 52.2% from 2023).

Also recording double-digit gains were Alaskan exports of zinc ores and concentrates (up 39%) trailed by precious metal ores and concentrates (up 37.8%) then unwrought non-monetary gold (up 26.9%).

The severest year-over-year decliners were Alaska’s shipments of frozen Pacific salmon and miscellaneous frozen fish meat (both product categories down -16.5% from 2023).

More Key Facts about Alaska’s International Trade

Alaska incurred an overall US$2.3 billion surplus exporting and importing products during 2024. That dollar amount reflects a 12.6% advance from $2 billion in black ink for 2023.

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 Alaska’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2024.

1. Processed petroleum oils (not biodiesel): US$1.4 billion (37.3% of total Alaskan imports)
2. Computer parts, accessories: $252.7 million (7%)
3. Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $251.5 million (6.9%)
4. Crude petroleum oils: $196.8 million (5.4%)
5. Light petroleum oils (not biodiesel): $88.8 million (5.4%)
6. Solid-state semiconductor storage devices: $78.2 million (2.4%)
7. Oil or gas line pipes: $69.3 million (2.2%)
8. Photovoltaic solar semiconductor devices: $68.9 million (1.9%)
9. Electronic circuit processors, controllers: $67.3 million (1.9%)
10. Lead ores, concentrates: $58.7 million (1.9%)

Historically, Alaska has highly positive net exports in the international trade of zinc, gold and seafood-related products, and lead. In turn, these cashflows indicate Alaska’s competitive advantages under those product categories.

Major Alaskan Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased 89% worth of the total value of products exported from Alaska during 2024.

1. mainland China: $1.5 billion (25.6% of total Alaskan exports)
2. Australia: $803.8 million (13.6%)
3. Japan: $673.6 million (11.4%)
4. South Korea: $633.7 million (10.7%)
5. Canada: $617.6 million (10.4%)
6. Switzerland: $323.3 million (5.5%)
7. Netherlands: $276.5 million (4.7%)
8. Spain: $181.3 million (3.1%)
9. Germany: $150.5 million (2.5%)
10. Taiwan: $90.6 million (1.5%)

Alaska’s top trade partners in Asia (mainland China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan) purchased almost half (49.5%) of the overall value of exported goods from Alaska–the U.S. state also known as “The Last Frontier”.

The percentage for top Asian customers greatly exceeds the 15.8% of Alaskan exported goods purchased by leading European trade partners (Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain and Germany)

The percentage for trading partners in North America was 11% for 2024.

Alaskan Export Companies

Not one Alaska-based corporation ranks among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses.

According to Zippia, below are examples of relatively large companies based in Alaska.

• Alaska USA (credit union, diversified financial services)
• Silver Bay Seafoods (fish, other seafoods)
• Calista (telecommunications)
• Ravn Alaska (airliner)
• Copper River Seafoods (fish, other seafoods)
• Goldbelt, Inc. (asset management, equipment leasing, services)

Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the products or services which each business sells, some of which are international trade-related.
 

Alaska’s capital is Juneau, a city named for Canadian gold prospector and miner Joseph Juneau.

See also Ohio’s Top 10 Exports, Alabama’s Top 10 Exports, Oregon’s Top 10 Exports, Louisiana’s Top 10 Exports and Washington State’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
Department of Numbers, Alaska GDP (dollars shown in real terms). Accessed on September 7, 2025

FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on September 7, 2025

Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 7, 2025

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2019 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on September 7, 2025

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 7, 2025

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 7, 2025

State Symbols USA, State Nicknames. Accessed on September 7, 2025

Statista, Real gross domestic product of Alaska. Accessed on September 7, 2025

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Alaska. Accessed on September 7, 2025

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on September 7, 2025

Wikipedia, Alaska. Accessed on September 7, 2025

Wikipedia, List of Alaska Companies. Accessed on September 7, 2025

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on September 7, 2025

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on September 7, 2025

Zippia, These are the 100 largest companies in Alaska. Accessed on September 7, 2025