Nicknamed the “Pelican State” or the “Bayou State” and found in America’s southeastern region, Louisiana shipped US$86.6 billion worth of exported products around the globe in 2024.

That dollar amount reflects a 13.1% increase from $76.6 billion four years earlier in 2021.

Year over year, the overall value of Louisianian exports fell by -12.6% compared to $99.1 billion during 2023.

In 2024, Louisiana was America’s fourth-biggest exporter by state behind front-runners Texas, California and New York state, but ahead of fifth-place Illinois.

The value of Louisiana’s exports equals 4.2% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2024 ($2.065 trillion), down from 5% for 2023.

Louisiana’s exported products represent 26.4% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product ($327.8 billion) in 2024.

Given Louisiana’s population of 4.6 million people, its total $86.6 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $18,850 for every resident in the Bayou State. That dollar metric lags the average $21,900 per capita one year earlier during 2023.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate was 4.5% at June 2025, up from 4.2% in June 2024 per YCharts.

Louisiana’s Top 10 Exports

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

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

Louisiana’s biggest edible export is a soya beans, one of America’s most valuable exported food products.

1. Processed petroleum oils excluding biodiesel: US$18.2 billion (21.1% of total Louisianian exports)
2. Natural gas (liquid): $17.4 billion (20.1%)
3. Soya beans: $11.5 billion (13.3%)
4. Crude petroleum oils: $6.5 billion (7.5%)
5. Corn: $5.2 billion (6%)
6. Light petroleum oils: $2.7 billion (3.1%)
7. Solid residues including soya bean oil-cake: $2.6 billion (3%)
8. Non-agglomerated bituminous coal: $1.1 billion (1.2%)
9. Wheat (excluding durum): $1 billion (1.2%)
10. Organo-phosphorous derivatives (non-halogenated): $806.1 million (0.9%)

Louisiana’s top 10 exports approached four-fifths (77.3%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Non-agglomerated bituminous coal represents the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 17% from 2023 to 2024.

The other commodities recording higher export sales were processed petroleum oils excluding biodiesel (up 13.1%) and wheat excluding the durum variety (up 7.3%).

The severest year-over-year declines among Louisiana’s top 10 export product categories were for exports of crude petroleum oils (down -40.9% from 2023), light petroleum oils (down -23.6%), Solid residues including soya bean oil-cake (down -22.7%), soya beans (down -19.1%), and liquefied natural gas (down -18.6%).

More Key Facts about Louisiana’s International Trade

Louisiana recorded an overall US$55.2 billion trade surplus exporting and importing products during 2024. That dollar amount results from an -18.1% reduction from $67.4 billion in black ink one year earlier in 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 Louisiana’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2024 accounting for 49.8% of total Louisianian spending on imports.

1. Crude petroleum oils: US$4.9 billion (15.4% of total Louisianian imports)
2. Processed petroleum oils excluding biodiesel: $3.8 billion (12%)
3. Refined copper cathodes: $2.4 billion (7.5%)
4. Coffee (unroasted, caffeinated): $1.2 billion (3.8%)
5. Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $724.6 million (2.3%)
6. Refined palm oil: $604 million (1.9%)
7. Diammonium hydrogenorthophosphate: $600.3 million (1.9%)
8. Aluminum (unwrought, non-alloyed): $534.2 million (1.7%)
9. Urea: $530.2 million (1.7%)
10. Potassium chloride: $498.4 million (1.6%)

Louisiana has highly positive net exports in the international trade of liquid natural gas, petroleum oils, soya beans and corn. In turn, these cashflows indicate Louisiana’s strong competitive advantages under these product categories competing on the global marketplace.

Louisiana’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased exceeding half (54.9%) worth of the total value of products exported from Louisiana during 2024.

1. mainland China: US$10 billion (11.6% of total Louisianian exports)
2. Mexico: $7.2 billion (8.3%)
3. Netherlands: $5.3 billion (6.1%)
4. United Kingdom: $4.5 billion (5.2%)
5. Canada: $4.3 billion (4.9%)
6. Colombia: $3.9 billion (4.5%)
7. Germany: $3.7 billion (4.3%)
8. Japan: $3.4 billion (3.9%)
9. Brazil: $2.7 billion (3.2%)
10. Belgium: $2.6 billion (3%)

Louisiana’s top trade partners in Asia (mainland China and Japan) imported a combined 15.5% of the overall value for goods shipped from the Bayou State in 2024.

This compares with a smaller 13.2% worth of exported goods sent from Louisiana to its North American trade partners, Mexico and Canada. Another 18.5% was sold to leading importers in Europe.

Louisianian Export Companies

Four of the corporations located in Louisiana rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses.

• Albemarle Corporation (specialty chemicals)
• CenturyLink (telecommunications)
• Entergy Corp (electricity, natural gas)
• POOLCORP (swimming pool supplies)

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

Louisiana’s capital is Baton Rouge, the city nicknamed “B.R.” and the “Red Stick” (the latter a translation for le bâton rouge in French).

See also Alabama’s Top 10 Exports, Florida’s Top 10 Exports, California’s Top 10 Exports, Top 10 Exports from Texas and Hawaii’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on July 19, 2025

Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 19, 2025

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2020 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on July 19, 2025

IBIS World, Louisiana Economic Overview (GDP, population). Accessed on July 19, 2025

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 19, 2025

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 19, 2025

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Louisiana. Accessed on July 19, 2025

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on July 19, 2025

Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Louisiana. Accessed on July 19, 2025

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on July 19, 2025

Wikipedia, Louisiana. Accessed on July 19, 2025

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on July 19, 2025