Nicknamed “The Cornhusker State” located in America’s Midwestern and Great Plans regions, Nebraska shipped US$7.8 billion worth of exported products around the globe in 2025.

That dollar amount results from a -12.2% drop from $8.9 billion four years earlier in 2022.

Year over year, the total value of Nebraska’s exported goods fell by -4.6% compared to $8.2 billion for 2024.

Nebraska ranks as America’s 37th most lucrative exporter by state behind front-runners including Texas, California, New York state, Louisiana, Illinois and Florida.

The value of Nebraska’s exports equals 0.4% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2025 ($2.178 trillion in total).

In addition, Nebraska’s exported products represent 3.9% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product in 2025 ($198.1 billion).

Given Nebraska’s population of over 2 million people, its total US$7.8 billion in 2025 exports translates to roughly $3,900 for every resident in the Cornhusker State. That dollar metric lags the average $4,100 per capita in 2024.

Nebraska’s unemployment rate averaged 2.9% at the end of July 2026, mirroring the average 2.9% one year prior per YCharts.

Nebraska’s Top 10 Exports

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

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

1. Beef (boneless, fresh/chilled): US$877.5 million (11.2% of total Nebraskan exports)
2. Corn: $611.3 million (7.8%)
3. Soya beans: $475.2 million (6.1%)
4. Beef (boneless, frozen): $413.8 million (5.3%)
5. Combine harvester-threshers: $327.1 million (4.2%)
6. Beef (bone-in, frozen): $237.6 million (3%)
7. Frozen pork: $234.6 million (3%)
8. Solid residues including soya bean oil-cake: $226.7 million (2.9%)
9. Veterinary vaccines: $201.4 million (2.6%)
10. Natural gas (gaseous state): $184.4 million (2.4%)

Nebraska’s top 10 exports approached half (48.5%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Posting gains from 2024 to 2025 was the value of Nebraskan exports of corn (up 102.9%), natural gas in gaseous state (up 40.1%), frozen beef with bone still in (up 27.8%), then exports of veterinary vaccines (up 5.2%).

Recording double-digit year-over-year declines were exports of frozen boneless beef (down -27.5%), solid residues including soya bean oil-cake (down -23.3%), fresh or chilled boneless beef (down -16.4%) and combine harvester-threshers (down -11.9%).

More Key Facts about Nebraska’s International Trade

Nebraska incurred an overall -US$152.8 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2025. That dollar amount reflects a reversal from the $2.2 billion surplus 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.

Products imported into Nebraska were worth a total US$7.96 billion during 2025.

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

1. Miscellaneous digital processing units: US$3 billion (37.8% of total Nebraskan imports)
2. Nucleic acids, salts: $183.1 million (2.3%)
3. Road tractors for semi-trailers: $135.3 million (1.7%)
4. Heterocyclics with unfused pyrazole ring: $110.5 million (1.4%)
5. Parts for harvesters, threshers, mowers: $101.1 million (1.3%)
6. Colza seed oilcake, other solid residues: $99.5 million (1.2%)
7. Medications in measured doses for retail: $96.4 million (1.2%)
8. Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $92.5 million (1.2%)
9. Harvesting machinery: $80.1 million (1%)
10. Live cattle (not purebred breeding): $73 million (0.9%)

Nebraska has positive net exports notably in the international trade of agricultural commodities including beef, soya beans and corn. In turn, these cashflows indicate Nebraska’s competitive advantages under those product categories.

Nebraska’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased over three-quarters (76.5%) worth of the total value of products exported from Nebraska during 2025.

1. Mexico: US$1.9 billion (24.6% of total Nebraskan exports)
2. Canada: $1.5 billion (19.8%)
3. South Korea: $725.6 million (9.3%)
4. Japan: $614.4 million (7.9%)
5. mainland China: $302.3 million (3.9%)
6. Taiwan: $227.8 million (2.9%)
7. Australia: $207 million (2.6%)
8. Germany: $148.8 million (1.9%)
9. Netherlands: $148.4 million (1.9%)
10. Belgium: $127.7 million (1.6%)

Nebraska’s top trade partners in North America (Mexico and Canada) bought 44.4% of the overall value of exported goods from the Cornhusker State.

In comparison, 23.9% of Nebraska’s exported goods were consumed by its major trade partners in Asia (South Korea, Japan, mainland China and Taiwan).

Nebraskan Export Companies

Eleven of Nebraska-based corporations rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Selected examples are listed below.

• Cabela’s Inc (outdoor recreational equipment)
• ConAgra Foods (food processing, packaging)
• Green Plains (ethanol)
• TD Ameritrade Holding Corp (brokerage firm)
• Union Pacific Corp (rail transportation)
• Valmont Industries (irrigation, windmill, lighting, traffic equipment)
• Werner Enterprises (freight transportation, logistics)
• West Corp (telecommunications)

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

Nebraska’s capital is Lincoln, a city nicknamed “Star City”.

See also North Dakota’s Top 10 Exports, Montana’s Top 10 Exports, Wisconsin’s Top 10 Exports, Delaware’s Top 10 Exports and Vermont’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on September 10, 2026

Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 10, 2026

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2022 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on September 10, 2026

IBIS World, Nebraska Economic Profile (gross domestic product, population). Accessed on September 10, 2026

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 10, 2026

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 10, 2026

State Symbols USA, State Nicknames. Accessed on September 10, 2026

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Nebraska. Accessed on September 10, 2026

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on September 10, 2026

Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Nebraska. Accessed on September 10, 2026

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on September 10, 2026

Wikipedia, Nebraska. Accessed on September 10, 2026

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on September 10, 2026