Nicknamed “The Magnolia State” and “The Hospitality State” located in America’s Southern region, Mississippi shipped US$14.1 billion worth of exported products around the globe in 2025.

That dollar amount results from an 11.1% decrease from $15.9 billion back in 2022.

Year over year, the overall value of good exported from Mississippi grew by 2% compared to $13.9 billion for 2024.

Mississippi ranks among America’s 35 most lucrative exporters by state far behind front-runners including Texas, California, New York state, Louisiana, Illinois and Florida. The value of Mississippi’s exports equals 0.6% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2025 compared to 0.7% for the prior year.

Mississippi’s exported products represent 8.6% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product in 2025 ($165.1 billion) versus 8.8% for 2024.

The most valuable products shipped from Mississippi are refined petroleum oils excluding biodiesel, light oils excluding biodiesel, then miscellaneous digital processing units. Collectively, those major commodities generated 34% of Mississippi’s total export revenues during 2025..

Given Mississippi’s population of 2.94 million people, its total US$14.1 billion in 2025 exports translates to roughly $4,800 for every resident in the Magnolia State. That dollar metric outpaces the average $4,700 per capita calculated for 2024.

Mississippi’s unemployment rate was 3.8% at the end of May 2026, down from the average 3.9% jobless rate one year earlier per YCharts.

Mississippi’s Top 10 Exports

The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Mississippi global shipments during 2025. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Mississippi.

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

1. Refined petroleum oils (not biodiesel): US$2.9 billion (20.5% of total Mississippian exports)
2. Light petroleum oils (not biodiesel): $1.1 billion (8%)
3. Miscellaneous digital processing units: $768.6 million (5.4%)
4. Medical needles, catheters: $677.3 million (4.8%)
5. Cotton (uncarded, uncombed): $663.2 million (4.7%)
6. Medical, dental or veterinarian instruments: $650 million (4.6%)
7. Modems, similar reception and transmission devices: $571 million (4%)
8. Chemical woodpulp, soda (coniferous): $563.4 million (4%)
9. Pigments, titanium dioxide preparations: $449 million (3.2%)
10. Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $403.7 million (2.9%)

Mississippi’s top 10 exports generated over three-fifths (62.1%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

The strongest gainers among the listed major product categories were exports of miscellaneous digital processing units (up 983.6% from 2024) ahead of uncarded and uncombed cotton (up 29.3%), medical, dental or veterinarian instruments (up 25.2%), modems and similar reception and transmission devices (up 23.9%) then medical needles and catheters (up 19%).

The severest decliners among Mississippi’s top 10 export products were mid-sized automobiles powered by piston engine (down -19.5% from 2024), chemical woodpulp and soda from coniferous trees (down -11.9%), then pigments and titanium dioxide preparations (down -11.1%).

More Key Facts about Mississippi’s International Trade

Mississippi racked up an overall -US$8.9 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2025. That international trade dollar amount reflects a 19.5% expansion from -$7.4 billion in red 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.

All told, products imported from around the globe into Mississippi amounted to $23 billion for 2025, up 8.1% from $21.3 billion in 2024.

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

1. Crude petroleum oils: US$2.2 billion (9.5% of total Mississippian imports)
2. Miscellaneous digital processing units: $1.8 billion (7.8%)
3. Artificial joints, parts and accessories: $836.1 million (3.6%)
4. Modems, similar reception and transmission devices: $768.9 million (3.3%)
5. Solid-state semiconductor storage devices: $602.2 million (2.6%)
6. Motor vehicle gear boxes: $543.4 million (2.4%)
7. Medical, dental or veterinarian instruments: $508.8 million (2.2%)
8. Pig iron (non-alloyed): $458.9 million (2%)
9. Opacifying preparations (e.g. for xrays): $383.2 million (1.7%)
10. Integrated electronic circuits (processors, controllers): $350.6 million (1.5%)

Mississippi has highly negative net exports in the international trade of crude oil, artificial body joints and parts, and non-alloyed pig iron. In turn, these cashflows indicate Mississippi’s competitive disadvantages under related product categories.

Mississippi’s Major Trading Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased just over two-thirds (67.2%) worth of the total value of products exported from Mississippi during 2025.

1. Mexico: US$1.9 billion (13.6% of total Mississippian exports)
2. Canada: $1.81 billion (12.8%)
3. Panama: $1.77 billion (12.5%)
4. Netherlands: $792.8 million (5.6%)
5. Honduras: $714.5 million (5.1%)
6. Guatemala: $690.6 million (4.9%)
7. mainland China: $563.5 million (4%)
8. Belgium: $478.8 million (3.4%)
9. Japan: $431.6 million (3.1%)
10. Brazil: $333.7 million (2.4%)

Mississippi’s top trade partners in North America (Canada and Mexico) purchased exceeded one-quarter (26.4%) of the overall value of exported goods from the Magnolia State.

Leading importers in Central America (Panama, Honduras and Guatemala) plus South America (Brazil) accounted for 24.8% of Mississippian export sales in 2025.

Mississippian Export Companies

Just one Mississippi-based corporation ranks among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses.

Headquartered in Laurel, Mississippi is a poultry industry behemoth named Sanderson Farms.

Among America’s three biggest poultry producers, Sanderson Farms’ products are also international trade-related products.

Mississippi’s capital is Jackson, a city officially called the City of Jackson and nicknamed “Crossroads of the South”.

See also Oklahoma’s Top 10 Exports, New Jersey’s Top 10 Exports, Missouri’s Top 10 Exports, Pennsylvania’s Top 10 Exports and Virginia’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on July 15, 2026

Forbes, 2022 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 15, 2026

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2022 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on July 15, 2026

IBIS World, State Economic Profile (including GDP). Accessed on July 15, 2026

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 15, 2026

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 15, 2026

State Symbols USA, State Nicknames. Accessed on July 15, 2026

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Mississippi. Accessed on July 15, 2026

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on July 15, 2026

Wikipedia, List of Mississippi Companies. Accessed on July 15, 2026

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on July 15, 2026

Wikipedia, Mississippi. Accessed on July 15, 2026

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on July 15, 2026