Nicknamed the “Gem State” located in America’s northwestern region, Idaho shipped US$4.1 billion worth of products around the globe in 2022.

That dollar amount reflects an 18.4% increase from $3.43 billion four years earlier in 2019.

Year over year, the overall value of Idaho’s exported goods increased by 8.3% compared to $3.75 billion in 2021.

Idaho ranks among America’s 10 smallest exporters by state, badly lagging the largest state competitors including Texas, California, Louisiana, New York State and Illinois. The value of Idaho’s exports equals 0.2% of all United States’ overall exported products for 2022.

Based on research from Statista, Idaho’s exported products represent 4.8% of the state’s total economic output or real Gross Domestic Product in 2022 ($84 billion).

Given Idaho’s population of 1.939 million people, its total $4.1 billion in 2022 exports translates to roughly $2,100 for every resident in the Gem State. That dollar metric exceeds the average $2,000 per capita in 2021.

Idaho’s unemployment rate was 2.6% at the end of March 2023, up from 2.5% in February 2022 per YCharts.

Idaho’s Top 10 Exports

The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Idaho global shipments during 2022. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Idaho.

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

1. Solar power semi-conductors, photovoltaic cells: US$473.9 million (11.7% of Idaho’s total exports)
2. Miscellaneous items made from precious metal: $235.3 million (5.8%)
3. Photographic plates, films: $224.9 million (5.5%)
4. Ammonium dihydrogenorthophosphates: $187.5 million (4.6%)
5. Lead ores, concentrates: $160.6 million (4%)
6. Semi-manufactured silver: $120.1 million (3%)
7. Instrument parts to measure electrical or ionizing radiation: $87.8 million (2.2%)
8. Whey, modified whey: $87.7 million (2.2%)
9. Milk albumin: $65.7 million (1.6%)
10. Live cattle not for purebred breeding: $64.7 million (1.6%)

Idaho’s top 10 exports accounted for 42% of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

The strongest gainers from 2021 to 2022 among Idaho’s top 10 export categories were Ammonium dihydrogenorthophosphates (up 55/1%) then milk albumin (up 49%), whey including modified whey (up 39.4%) and live cattle excluding those for purebred breeding (up 12.9%).

There was a pair of double-digit decliners among Idaho’s top 10 export products namely parts of instruments to measure electrical or ionizing radiation (down -15.5% from 2021) and semi-manufactured silver (down -10.8%).

More Key Facts about Idaho’s International Trade

Idaho incurred an overall -$3.24 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2022. That dollar amount reflects a 32.6% increase from -$2.45 billion in red 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 Idaho’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2022.

1. Computer parts and accessories: US$2.19 billion (30% of Idaho’s total imports)
2. Solid-state semiconductor storage devices: $644.1 million (8.8%)
3. Integrated circuits (memories): $497.5 million (6.8%)
4. Oriented strand board: $182 million (2.5%)
5. Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $135.4 million (1.9%)
6. Urea: $123.7 million (1.7%)
7. Solar power semi-conductors, photovoltaic cells: $110.9 million (1.5%)
8. Variable resistors: $105.2 million (1.4%)
9. Machinery for making semi-conductors: $103.4 million (1.4%)
10. Parts of machinery for making semi-conductors: $97.7 million (1.3%)

Idaho has highly negative net exports in the international trade of technology-related products notably computer parts or accessories and electronic circuitry components. In turn, these cashflows indicate Idaho’s competitive disadvantages under those product categories.

Idaho’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased 84.5% worth of the total value of products exported from Idaho during 2022.

1. Canada: US$1.6 billion (39.2% of Idaho’s total exports)
2. Taiwan: $510.9 million (12.6%)
3. Singapore: $260 million (6.4%)
4. mainland China: $212 million (5.2%)
5. Japan: $204.7 million (5%)
6. Mexico: $202.8 million (5%)
7. Malaysia: $187.4 million (4.6%)
8. South Korea: $104.3 million (2.6%)
9. Netherlands: $85 million (2.1%)
10. Australia: $74.1 million (1.8%)

Idaho’s top trade partners in North America (Canada and Mexico) bought 44.2% of the overall value of goods exported from the Gem State.

That percentage compares with 36.4% for Idaho’s top customers in Asia (Taiwan, Singapore, mainland China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea).

Idahoan Export Companies

Two Idaho-based corporations rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Those two examples are listed below.

• Boise Cascade (lumber, building supplies)
• Micron Technology (semiconductor devices, flash memory, solid-state drives)

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

Idaho’s capital is Boise, nicknamed “The City of Trees”.

See also Nevada’s Top 10 Exports, New Jersey’s Top 10 Exports, Missouri’s Top 10 Exports, Pennsylvania’s Top 10 Exports and Mississippi’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
Department of Numbers, Idaho GDP (dollars shown in real terms). Accessed on May 5, 2023

FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on May 5, 2023

Forbes, 2019 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 5, 2023

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2019 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on May 5, 2023

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 5, 2023

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 5, 2023

State Symbols USA, State Nicknames. Accessed on May 5, 2023

Statista, Real gross domestic product of Idaho. Accessed on May 5, 2023

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Idaho. Accessed on May 5, 2023

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on May 5, 2023

Wikipedia, Idaho. Accessed on May 5, 2023

Wikipedia, List of companies based in Idaho. Accessed on May 5, 2023

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on May 5, 2023

World’s Capital Cities, Capital Facts for Boise, United States. Accessed on May 5, 2023

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on May 5, 2023