Nicknamed “The Last Frontier” located in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, Alaska shipped US$6.7 billion worth of export products around the world in 2025.

That dollar amount results from a 20% upturn from $5.6 billion four years earlier in 2022.

Year over year, the overall value of Alaskan exports accelerated by 13.4% compared to $5.9 billion worth of Alaskan exports starting in 2024.

Alaska ranks 40th among America’s biggest exporters by state, badly lagging front-runners including Texas, California, New York state, Louisiana, Illinois and Florida. The value of Alaska’s exports equals 0.3% of the United States’ overall exported product sales in 2025.

Alaska’s exported products represent 8.9% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product ($75 billion). That percentage surpasses the 8.5% for 2024.

Given Alaska’s population of 738,737 people, its total US$6.7 billion in 2025 exports translates to roughly $9,100 for every resident in the “Last Frontier” state. That dollar metric exceeds the average $8,000 per capita one year earlier during 2024.

Alaska’s unemployment rate was 4.7% at the end of March 2026, up from 4.6% in March 2025 per YCharts.

Alaska’s Top 10 Exports

The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Alaska global shipments during 2025. 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 (19.9% of total Alaskan exports)
2. Gold (unwrought): $1.1 billion (16.8%)
3. Frozen livers, roes: $501.7 million (7.5%)
4. Frozen Alaska pollock fillets: $382.1 million (5.7%)
5. Lead ores, concentrates: $375.8 million (5.6%)
6. Precious metal ores, concentrates: $364.2 million (5.4%)
7. Frozen fish meat: $342.8 million (5.1%)
8. Miscellaneous frozen fish: $310.2 million (4.6%)
9. Frozen Pacific salmon: $308.9 million (4.6%)
10. Silver ores, concentrates: $255.1 million (3.8%)

Alaska’s top 10 exports generated nearly four-fifths (79.2%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Among the above export categories, the leading gainers were frozen Pacific salmon (up 108.6% from 2024) then frozen livers and roes (up 107.8%).

Recording double-digit gains were Alaskan exports of precious metal ores and concentrates (up 57.5%) trailed by frozen Alaska pollock fillets (up 18%) then unwrought non-monetary gold (up 14.8%).

The year-over-year decliners were Alaska’s shipments of lead ores and concentrates (down -17.1% from 2024) and miscellaneous frozen fish meat (down -6.6).

More Key Facts about Alaska’s International Trade

Alaska posted an overall US$3.56 billion surplus exporting and importing products during 2025. That dollar amount reflects a 56.1% advance from $2.28 billion in black ink for 2024.

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.

Alaska spent a total $3.14 billion on imported products during 2025.

Below are Alaska’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2025.

1. Processed petroleum oils (not biodiesel): US$930.2 million (29.6% of total Alaskan imports)
2. Crude petroleum oils: $434.5 million (13.8%)
3. Floating or submersible drilling platforms: $275.2 million (8.8%)
4. Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $258 million (8.2%)
5. Lead ores, concentrates: $118.7 million (3.8%)
6. Light petroleum oils (not biodiesel): $66.7 million (2.1%)
7. Solid-state semiconductor storage devices: $40.2 million (1.3%)
8. Photovoltaic solar semiconductor devices: $40 million (1.3%)
9. Oil or gas line pipes: $34.5 million (1.1%)
10. Computer parts, accessories: $27.2 million (0.9%)

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 86.5% worth of the total value of products exported from Alaska during 2025.

1. South Korea: US$1.1 billion (16.4% of total Alaskan exports)
2. Australia: $1 billion (15.6%)
3. Japan: $926.9 million (13.8%)
4. mainland China: $802.8 million (12%)
5. Canada: $633.2 million (9.4%)
6. Netherlands: $392.9 million (5.9%)
7. Switzerland: $287.3 million (4.3%)
8. Taiwan: $219.7 million (3.3%)
9. Spain: $210.2 million (3.1%)
10. Germany: $176.8 million (2.6%)

Alaska’s top trade partners in Asia (mainland China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan) purchased approaching half (45.5%) 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 15.9% of Alaskan exported goods purchased by leading European trade partners (Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and Germany)

The percentage for trading partners in North America was 10.6% for 2025.

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 May 8, 2026

FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on May 8, 2026

Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 8, 2026

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2019 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on May 8, 2026

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 8, 2026

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 8, 2026

State Symbols USA, State Nicknames. Accessed on May 8, 2026

Statista, Real gross domestic product of Alaska. Accessed on May 8, 2026

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Alaska. Accessed on May 8, 2026

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on May 8, 2026

Wikipedia, Alaska. Accessed on May 8, 2026

Wikipedia, List of Alaska Companies. Accessed on May 8, 2026

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on May 8, 2026

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on May 8, 2026

Zippia, These are the 100 largest companies in Alaska. Accessed on May 8, 2026