Nicknamed “The Garden State” and located in the Mid-Atlantic region within America’s north-east, New Jersey shipped US$44.2 billion worth of products around the world in 2025.

That dollar amount reflects a -4.3% slowdown from $46.2 billion four years earlier in 2022.

Year over year, the overall value of New Jerseyan export sales rose via a 2.5% upturn compared to $43.1 billion during 2024.

New Jersey is the 15th biggest American exporter by state lagging front-runners including Texas, California, New York state, Louisiana and Illinois.

The value of New Jersey’s exports equals 2.1% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2025, same as 2.1% one year prior.

New Jersey’s exported products represent 5.1% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product ($846.6 billion).

Given New Jersey’s population of 9.55 million people, its total US$44.2 billion in 2025 exports translates to roughly $4,625 for every resident in the Garden State. That dollar metric surpasses the average $4,550 per capita one year earlier in 2024.

New Jersey’s unemployment rate was 5.4% at the end of December 2025, up from 4.6% one year prior per YCharts.

New Jersey’s Top 10 Exports

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

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

1. Non-silver precious metal jewelry, parts: US$1.8 billion (4.1% of total New Jerseyan exports)
2. Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $1.7 billion (3.9%)
3. Palladium (unwrought or in powder form): $1.6 billion (3.7%)
4. Rhodium (unwrought or in powder form): $1.4 billion (3.1%)
5. Miscellaneous digital processing units: $1.3 billion (3%)
6. Beauty and skin care preparations: $1.1 billion (2.5%)
7. Medical, dental, veterinarian equipment: $826.2 million (1.9%)
8. Platinum (unwrought or in powder form): $771.3 million (1.7%)
9. Processed petroleum oils (not biodiesel): $710.7 million (1.6%)
10. Mixed immunological products not in dosage: $632.2 million (1.4%)

New Jersey’s top 10 exports generated over one-quarter (26.9%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Mixed immunological products not in measured doses represent the fastest grower among New Jersey’s top 10 export categories, up by 118.7% from 2024 to 2025.

In second place for improving export sales were mid-sized automobiles powered by piston engine, thanks to its 44.5% increase from 2024.

New Jersey’s shipments of platinum either unwrought or in powder form appreciated by 43.5%, ahead of non-silver precious metal jewelry or parts via a 29% advance.

Double-digit year-over-year percentage decliners were posted for New Jersey’s exports of processed petroleum oils excluding biodiesel (down -29.9% from 2024) then miscellaneous digit processing units (down -10.1%).

More Key Facts about New Jersey’s International Trade

New Jersey incurred an overall -US$103.5 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2025. That dollar amount reflects a -5.9% year-over-year reduction from -$110 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.

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

1. Miscellaneous medications retail packaged: US$10.5 billion (7.1% of total New Jerseyan imports)
2. Crude petroleum oils: $8.3 billion (5.6%)
3. Light petroleum oils: $7.5 billion (5.1%)
4. Automobiles (with both spark ignition & electric motors): $6.1 billion (4.1%)
5. Mixed immunological products in dosage: $3.5 billion (2.4%)
6. Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $3.1 billion (2.1%)
7. Processed petroleum oils (not biodiesel): $2.7 billion (1.8%)
8. Cocoa beans (raw or roasted): $1.84 billion (1.2%)
9. Large automobiles (piston engine): $1.79 billion (1.2%)
10. Coffee (unroasted, caffeinated): $1.72 billion (1.2%)

New Jersey has highly negative net exports notably in the international trade of petroleum oils, medicines and automobiles. In turn, these cashflows indicate New Jersey’s strong competitive disadvantages under these product categories showing the strong impact of foreign goods on New Jersey’s global balance sheet.

New Jersey’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased about three-fifths (60.4%) worth of the total value of products exported from New Jersey during 2025.

1. Canada: US$7.3 billion (16.6% of total New Jerseyan exports)
2. Mexico: $3.4 billion (7.6%)
3. Netherlands: $2.2 billion (5%)
4. United Kingdom: $2.17 billion (4.9%)
5. Germany: $2.12 billion (4.8%)
6. Japan: $2.07 billion (4.7%)
7. mainland China: $1.99 billion (4.5%)
8. France: $1.99 billion (4.5%)
9. Italy: $1.74 billion (3.9%)
10. South Korea: $1.68 billion (3.8%)

New Jersey’s trade partners in North America–Canada and Mexico–approached one-quarter (24.3%) of the overall value of exported goods from the Garden State in 2025.

That percentage compares with 23.1% for top importing countries in Europe (Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy) as well as 13% for leading New Jerseyan trade partners located in Asia (Japan, mainland China and South Korea).

New Jerseyan Export Companies

Thirty of New Jersey-based corporations rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Selected examples are shown below.

• Automatic Data Processing (management software, services)
• Bard (medical technologies)
• Becton Dickinson (medical devices, instrument systems, reagents)
• Campbell’s (soups, juices, related products)
• Celgene Corp (medicines for cancer, inflammatory disorders)
• Church & Dwight Co. (household goods)
• Honeywell International (aircraft, defense industry, computer, scanning, mobile goods)
• PBF Energy (petroleum oils, lubricants, petrochemicals)
• Pinnacle Foods (frozen food, condiments, mixes, packaged meat)
• Zoetis (animal medicines, vaccinations)

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

New Jersey’s capital is Trenton, a city literally nicknamed “The Capital City”.

See also Oklahoma’s Top 10 Exports, Alaska’s Top 10 Exports, Oregon’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 April 7, 2026

Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on April 7, 2026

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2022 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on April 7, 2026

IBIS World, New Jersey GDP (dollars shown in real terms). Accessed on April 7, 2026

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 7, 2026

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 7, 2026

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: New Jersey. Accessed on April 7, 2026

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on April 7, 2026

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on April 7, 2026

Wikipedia, New Jersey. Accessed on April 7, 2026

Wikipedia, List of Companies of New Jersey. Accessed on April 7, 2026

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on April 7, 2026