
To give some overall perspective on those percentages, US total revenues for exported goods fell -7.4% from 2017 to 2020 and declined -13% since 2019.
The top 5 export states in the United States (Texas, California, New York, Louisiana, Illinois) were responsible for almost half (42.6%) of all American exports by value in 2020.
In addition to showcasing the major 20 export states, presented below are the 10 most valuable exports from each of the 5 main export states determined by the overall value of products exported in 2020. Please also remember to scroll down to the section entitled Biggest Export by Major American Exporting State for a snapshot of the biggest export for all 20 top US exporting states.
America’s Top 20 Export States
Top 20
Below are the top 20 American states that exported the highest dollar value worth of products during 2020. Combined, these export-leading states represent over four-fifths of the nation’s total exports.
- Texas: US$279.3 billion 19.5% of US total)
- California: $156.1 billion (10.9%)
- New York: $61.9 billion (4.3%)
- Louisiana: $59.6 billion (4.2%)
- Illinois: $53.5 billion (3.7%)
- Florida: $45.8 billion (3.2%)
- Ohio: $45 billion (3.1%)
- Michigan: $44 billion (3.1%)
- Washington: $41.3 billion (2.9%)
- Georgia: $38.8 billion (2.7%)
- New Jersey: $38 billion (2.7%)
- Pennsylvania: $37.5 billion (2.6%)
- Indiana: $35.3 billion (2.5%)
- South Carolina: $30.3 billion (2.1%)
- North Carolina: $28.4 billion (2%)
- Tennessee: $28.1 billion (2%)
- Oregon: $25 billion (1.7%)
- Massachusetts: $24.9 billion (1.7%)
- Kentucky: $24.8 billion (1.7%)
- Wisconsin: $20.5 billion (1.4%)
Only two among America’s major export states increased their revenues from selling exported goods from 2019 to 2020, namely New Jersey (up 6.6%) and Oregon (up 5.8%).
Leading the decliners year over year among the top US export states were Washington state (down -31.6%), South Carolina (down -26.9%), Kentucky (down -25%), Michigan (down -21.1%), New York state (down -18.2%), Florida (also down -18.2%) and North Carolina (down -17.2%).
Also, please peruse the Summary of Biggest Export by State section further down this article.
Texas
Top 10 Exports from Texas
Below are the top 10 exports from Texas during 2020. Within parenthesis is the percentage of each export category compared to the total value of all Texan exports.
- Crude petroleum oils: US$43.5 billion (15.6% of total Texan exports)
- Miscellaneous petroleum oils: $18.3 billion (6.6%)
- Light petroleum oils: $17 billion (6.1%)
- Integrated circuits (processors/controllers): $10.5 billion (3.8%)
- Liquified propane: $9.4 billion (3.4%)
- Aircraft including engines, parts: $6.1 billion (2.2%)
- Computer parts and accessories: $5.9 billion (2.1%)
- Machinery for making semi-conductors: $4.6 billion (1.7%)
- Natural gas (liquid): $4.3 billion (1.5%)
- Natural gas (gaseous state): $3.9 billion (1.4%)
The top 10 exports from Texas accounted for 44.4% of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Liquid natural gas represents the fastest grower among the top 10 Texan export categories, up by 150.5% from 2019 to 2020. In second place for improving export sales was machinery for making semi-conductors which rose 20.6%. Third-fastest was a 15.9% gain for process and controllers of integrated circuits exported from Texas, well ahead of the 10% improvement in international sales for natural gas in its gaseous state.
Leading the decliners among Texas’ top 10 export products year over year were aircraft including engines and other parts (down -41.3%), computer parts and accessories (down -39.6%) and miscellaneous petroleum oils (down -26.8%).
Calif
Top 10 Exports from California
Below are the top 10 exports from California during 2020. Within parenthesis is the percentage of each export category compared to the total value of all Californian exports.
- Electric vehicles: US$5.7 billion (3.6% of California’s total exports)
- Aircraft including engines, parts: $5 billion (3.2%)
- Machinery for making semi-conductors: $4.8 billion (3.1%)
- Integrated circuits (excluding processors/controllers): $3.9 billion (2.5%)
- Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $3.8 billion (2.4%)
- Shelled almonds $3.4 billion (2.2%)
- Diamonds (unmounted): $3.2 billion (2%)
- Machinery for making semi-conductor parts or accessories: $3.02 billion (1.9%)
- Other composite diagnostic or laboratory reagents $2.9 billion (1.8%)
- Computer parts and accessories: $2.5 billion (1.6%)
California’s top 10 exports represent roughly a quarter (24.3%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Machinery for making semi-conductors became the fastest grower among California’s top 10 export categories, up by 34.7% from 2019 to 2020. In second place for improving export sales were integrated circuits excluding processors and controllers thanks to a 30.8% gain. Shipments of machinery for making semi-conductor parts or accessories posted the third-fastest improvement via a 24.2% increase in value.
Leading the decliners among California’s top 10 export products were aircraft including engines and parts (down -30.6%), unmounted diamonds (down -30.2%) and electric vehicles (down -21%).
NY
Top 10 Exports from New York
Below are the top 10 exports from New York State during 2020. Within parenthesis is the percentage of each export category compared to the total value of all exports from New York.
- Diamonds (unmounted): US$6.6 billion (10.7% of New York’s total exports)
- Gold (unwrought): $5.8 billion (9.3%)
- Hand-drawn paintings, drawings: $4.3 billion (6.9%)
- Jewelry articles clad in precious metal: $2.8 billion (4.5%)
- Aircraft including engines, parts: $1.1 billion (1.7%)
- Integrated circuits (processors/controllers): $0.9 billion (1.5%)
- Original sculptures, statues: $0.8 billion (1.3%)
- Rubies, sapphires, emeralds: $690 million (1.1%)
- Silver, unwrought: $655 million (1.1%)
- Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $607 million (1%)
New York’s top 10 exports represent under 39.1% of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Three of these major exports increased in value from 2019 to 2020 namely gold (up 333.1%), silver (up 213.4%) and modems including similar reception or transmission devices (up 25.9%).
Leading decliners among New York’s top 10 export products were rubies, sapphires and emeralds (down -55.2%), jewelry items clad in precious metal (down -45.9%), unmounted diamonds (down -44.8%), original sculptures or statues (down -34.7%) and hand-drawn paintings and drawings (down -34.7%).
Louisiana
Top 10 Exports from Louisiana
Below are the top 10 exports from Louisiana during 2020. Within parenthesis is the percentage of each export category compared to the total value of all exports from Louisiana.
- Soya beans: $12.5 billion (21% of Louisiana’s total exports)
- Miscellaneous petroleum oils: $9.1 billion (15.2%)
- Natural gas (liquid): $7.5 billion (12.5%)
- Corn: $4.8 billion (8%)
- Crude petroleum oils: $4.5 billion (7.6%)
- Light petroleum oils: $2.9 billion (4.8%)
- Solid residues including soya bean oil-cake: $2 billion (3.3%)
- Wheat (excluding durum): $702 million (1.2%)
- Miscellaneous organic/inorganic compounds: $600 million (1%)
- Crude soya bean oil and fractions: $595 million (1%)
Louisiana’s top 10 exports accounted for about three-quarters (75.6%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Crude soya bean oil and fractions was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 57.8% from 2019 to 2020. In second place for improving export sales was corn which appreciated 40.7%. Louisiana’s shipments of soya beans posted the third-fastest gain in value thanks to a 38.8% gain.
Year over year, there were 4 decliners among Louisiana’s top 10 export product categories. These were miscellaneous petroleum oils (down -42.3%), light petroleum oils (down -40.7%), wheat (down -14.2%) and miscellaneous organic and inorganic compounds (down -4.7%).
Illinois
Top 10 Exports from Illinois
Below are the top 10 exports from Illinois during 2020. Within parenthesis is the percentage of each export category compared to the total value of all goods exported from Illinois.
- Miscellaneous medications: US$2 billion (3.7% of Illinois’ total exports)
- Off-highway dumper trucks: $1.9 billion (3.6%)
- Antisera, other blood fractions: $1.55 billion (2.9%)
- Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $1.5 billion (2.8%)
- Brewing or distilling dregs and waste: $904 million (1.7%)
- Composite diagnostic or laboratory reagents: $801 million (1.5%)
- Soya beans: $786 million (1.5%)
- Aircraft including engines, parts: $711 million (1.3%)
- Light petroleum oils: $706 million (1.3%)
- Miscellaneous motor vehicle parts: $695 million (1.3%)
Illinois’ top 10 exports represent 21.6% of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Four among these major export categories increased by double digits from 2019 to 2020 namely composite diagnostic or laboratory reagents (up 73.4%), miscellaneous medications (up 34.4%), brewing or distilling dregs and waste (up 32%) and off-highway dumper trucks (up 21%).
Year over year, the leading the decliners among Illinois’ top 10 export products were light petroleum oils (down -62.7%), aircraft including engines and other parts (down -37.4%) and miscellaneous motor vehicle parts (down -22.2%).
Biggest Export by Major American Export State
The following list showcases the biggest export product for each of America’s top 20 export states. The list itself is sorted in descending order starting with the states that exported the highest value in overall goods during 2020.
- Texas: crude petroleum oils (15.6% of state total)
- California: electric vehicles (3.6%)
- New York: unmounted diamonds (10.7%)
- Louisiana: soya beans (21%)
- Illinois: miscellaneous medications (3.7%)
- Florida: aircraft, parts (10.7%)
- Ohio: aircraft, parts (9.4%)
- Michigan: small gas-powered trucks (8.3%)
- Washington: aircraft, parts (19.4%)
- Georgia: aircraft, parts (21.3%)
- New Jersey: palladium (7.1%)
- Pennsylvania: miscellaneous medications (4%)
- Indiana: miscellaneous medications (10.3%)
- South Carolina: aircraft, parts (13.3%)
- North Carolina: immunological products in measured doses (4.8%)
- Tennessee: medical, dental or veterinarian instruments (9.5%)
- Oregon: integrated circuits processors, controllers (36.5%)
- Massachusetts: gold (5.7%)
- Kentucky: aircraft, parts (31%)
- Wisconsin: aircraft, parts (2.7%)
The most popular top commodity for the above major exporting states is aircraft which includes engines and other parts. Seven of these American states have aircraft including engines and other parts as their most valuable export. In order of highest percentage of biggest export to overall exports, those aircraft-heavy exporting states are Kentucky (31% of state total), Georgia (21.3%), Washington (19.4%), South Carolina (13.3%), Florida (10.7%), Ohio (9.4%) and Wisconsin (2.7%).
In terms of gems and precious metals, New York’s biggest export is the product category unmounted diamonds (10.7%). Massachusetts’ most valuable exported good is gold (5.7%) and New Jersey’s shipment leader is palladium (7.1%).
Focusing on percentages, the most concentrated top export states in terms of their number one export products are Oregon with its exported integrated circuits processors and controllers (36.5%), Kentucky with its aircraft (31%), Georgia with its aircraft (21.3%), Louisiana with its soya beans (21%), Washington state with its aircraft (19.4%) and Texas with its crude petroleum oils (15.6%).
See also America’s Top 20 Import States, United States Top 10 Exports, America’s Top Trading Partners, United States Top 10 Major Export Companies
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on April 10, 2021
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 10, 2021
United States Census Bureau, Foreign Trade. Accessed on April 10, 2021