That dollar amount results from an 22.5% increase from $1.98 billion four years earlier in 2021.
Year over year, the overall value of goods exported from Montana grew via an 8.2% upturn compared to $2.24 billion for 2023.
Montana ranks among America’s 5 smallest exporters by state ahead of South Dakota, Wyoming, Vermont and Hawaii. The value of Montana’s exports equals 0.1% of the United States’ overall export sales for 2024.
Montana’s exported products represent 3.2% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product in 2024 ($76 billion).
Given Montana’s population of 1.137 million people, its total $2.42 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $2,125 for every resident in the Big Sky Country state. That dollar metric outshines the average $1,900 per capita in 2023.
Montana’s unemployment rate was 2.8% at the end of July 2025, down from 3% one year earlier per YCharts.
Montana’s Top 10 Exports
The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Montana global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Montana.
Figures are shown at the more granular six-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, for more precise product identification.
- Civilian aircraft, parts including engines: US$219.2 million (9.1% of total Montanan exports)
- Non-agglomerated coal: $193.7 million (8%)
- Copper oxides, hydroxides: $169 million (7%)
- Machinery for making semi-conductors: $153.9 million (6.4%)
- Live cattle not for purebred breeding: $147.4 million (6.1%)
- Lentils (dried/shelled): $144.4 million (6%)
- Copper ores, concentrates: $127 million (5.2%)
- Biodiesel: $125 million (5.2%)
- Large automobiles (piston engine): $84.2 million (3.5%)
- Silicon: $68.9 million (2.8%)
Montana’s top 10 exports generated almost three-fifths (59.2%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Civilian aircraft, aircraft engines or other parts represent the fastest grower among Montana’s top 10 export categories, accelerating by 83.4% from 2023 to 2024.
In second place for improving export sales was Montana’s exports of large automobiles powered by piston engine (up 68.1%) ahead of Montanan exports of machinery for making semi-conductors (up 40.5%).
The decliners among Montana’s top 10 export products were biodiesel (down -25% from 2023) and copper ores or concentrates (down -8%).
More Key Facts about Montana’s International Trade
Montana incurred an overall -$4.95 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2024. That dollar amount reflects a -4.6% year-over-year reduction from -$5.2 billion in red ink for 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 Montana’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2024.
- Crude petroleum oils: $5.1 billion (68.5% of total Montanan imports)
- Colza oil: $198.5 million (2.7%)
- Urea: $71.1 million (1%)
- Processed wood: $56.5 million (0.8%)
- Large automobiles (piston engine): $55.2 million (0.7%)
- Liquified propane: $48.4 million (0.7%)
- Miscellaneous colza oil, fractions: $46.2 million (0.6%)
- Natural gas (gaseous state): $43 million (0.6%)
- Electrical energy: $42 million (0.6%)
- Oriented wood strand board: $38.4 million (0.5%)
Montana has highly negative net exports in the international trade of crude petroleum oils and, to a much lesser extent, colza oil. In turn, these cashflows indicate Montana’s competitive disadvantages under those product categories.
Montana’s Major Trade Partners
The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased almost four-fifths (77.7%) worth of the total value of products exported from Montana during 2024.
- Canada: $921 million (38.1% of total Montanan exports)
- South Korea $249.7 million (10.3%)
- Japan $161.2 million (6.7%)
- Belgium $98.1 million (4.1%)
- mainland China $95.7 million (4%)
- United Arab Emirates $89.1 million (3.7%)
- Denmark $78.3 million (3.2%)
- Mexico $73.6 million (3%)
- Singapore $57 million (2.4%)
- United Kingdom $55.6 million (2.3%)
Montana’s top trade partners in North America (Canada and Mexico) imported over two-fifths (41.1%) of the overall value of goods exported from the Big Sky Country state.
Another 23.3% worth of Montanan exports were bought by top 10 importers in Asian countries (South Korea, Japan, mainland China and Singapore).
Leading customers in Europe (Belgium, Denmark and the UK) purchased 9.6% worth.
Montanan Export Companies
Not one Montana-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 Montana.
- Murdoch’s Ranch & Home Supply (apparel, tools, fencing, equipment)
- RightNow Technologies (internet software, services)
- The Waggoners Trucking (transportation services)
- Watkins & Shepard Trucking (transportation services)
Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the international trade-related products or services which each business sells.
Montana’s capital is Helena, a city nicknamed “Queen City of the Rockies”.
See also Nevada’s Top 10 Exports, Idaho’s Top 10 Exports, Kentucky’s Top 10 Exports, Arizona’s Top 10 Exports and Maryland’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on September 5, 2025
Forbes, 2021 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 5, 2025
GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2021 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on September 5, 2025
IBIS World, Montana Economic Overview (gross domestic product, population). Accessed on September 5, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 5, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 5, 2025
State Symbols USA, State Nicknames. Accessed on September 5, 2025
United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Montana. Accessed on September 5, 2025
USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on September 5, 2025
Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Montana. Accessed on September 5, 2025
Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on September 5, 2025
Wikipedia, Montana. Accessed on September 5, 2025
YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on September 5, 2025
Zippia, These are the 100 largest companies in Montana. Accessed on September 5, 2025