Nicknamed the “Peace Garden State” and the “Roughrider State” located in America’s midwestern and northern regions, North Dakota shipped US$6.85 billion worth of products around the globe in 2024.

That dollar amount reflects a 32.3% increase from $5.12 billion four years earlier in 2021.

Year over year, the overall value of North Dakota’s exports dropped via a -22.1% slowdown starting from $8.8 billion for 2023.

North Dakota ranks as America’s 40th most lucrative exporter by state lagging front-runners including Texas, California, New York State, Louisiana and Illinois.

The value of North Dakota’s exports equals 0.3% of the United States’ overall export sales for 2024, down from 0.4% one year prior.

North Dakota’s exported products represent 9.1% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product in 2024 ($75.4 billion).

Given North Dakota’s population of 796,568 people, its total US$6.85 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $8,600 for every resident in the Peace Garden State. That dollar metric lags the average $9,500 per capita in 2023.

North Dakota’s unemployment rate was 2.6% at the end of September 2026, up from 2.5% one year earlier per YCharts.

North Dakota’s Top 10 Exports

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

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

1. Light petroleum oils: US$1.7 billion (25.1% of total North Dakotan exports)
2. Crude petroleum oils: $1469.5 million (21.5%)
3. Corn: $277.2 million (4%)
4. Track-laying Tractors: $270.5 million (4%)
5. Large tractors: $254.3 million (3.7%)
6. Mechanical front-end shovel loaders: $222.7 million (3.3%)
7. Wheat, meslin: $207.1 million (3%)
8. Ethyl alcohol, other denatured spirits: $190.5 million (2.8%)
9. Soya beans: $179.1 million (2.6%)
10. Biodiesel, petroleum mixes: $120.7 million (1.8%)

North Dakota’s top 10 exports approached three-quarters (71.7%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Posting triple-digit growth among North Dakota’s top 10 export categories were North Dakotan shipments of crude petroleum oils (up 157.9% from 2023).

Other leading gainers were soya beans (up 50.7%), soya beans (up 50.7%), track-laying tractors (up 50.5%) then wheat and meslin (up 29.5%).

The severest year-over-year losers were North Dakotan exports of light petroleum oils pulled down by a -60.5%, and biodiesel and petroleum mixes via a -41.2% slowdown.

More Key Facts about North Dakota’s International Trade

North Dakota posted a $2.57 billion trade surplus exporting and importing products during 2024. That dollar amount reflects a -37.1% reduction compared to $4.1 billion in black 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 North Dakota’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2024.

1. Platinum scrap: US$264.8 million (6.2% of total North Dakotan imports)
2. Crude petroleum oils: $255.1 million (6%)
3. Internal combustion piston engines: $199.5 million (4.7%)
4. Colza oilseed, rapeseed (low erucic acid): $107.2 million (2.5%)
5. Anhydrous ammonia: $91.4 million (2.1%)
6. Processed petroleum oils not biodiesel: $86.3 million (2%)
7. Air or gas pumps, compressors, fans: $69 million (1.6%)
8. Iron or steel casing for energy drilling: $61.1 million (1.4%)
9. Vehicle gear boxes: $60.7 million (1.4%)
10. Individual function electric machines, appliances: $60.5 million (1.4%)

Overall, North Dakota has positive net exports in the international trade of petroleum oils. In turn, these cashflows indicate North Dakota’s competitive advantages under petroleum-related categories.

North Dakota’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased 94.2% worth of the total value of products exported from North Dakota during 2024.

1. Canada: US$5.2 billion (75.6% of total North Dakotan exports)
2. Mexico: $693.2 million (10.1%)
3. Australia: $251.3 million (3.7%)
4. Czech Republic: $75.4 million (1.1%)
5. Brazil: $64.2 million (0.9%)
6. Belgium: $56.2 million (0.8%)
7. Germany: $36.8 million (0.5%)
8. mainland China: $35.6 million (0.5%)
9. Saudi Arabia: $34.3 million (0.5%)
10. Japan: $32.2 million (0.5%)

North Dakota’s top trade partners in North America (Canada and Mexico) bought 85.7% of the overall value of exports sold from the Peace Garden State.

North Dakotan Export Companies

Just one North Dakota-based corporation ranks among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Headquartered in the North Dakotan capital city of Bismarck, MDU Resources Group delivers regulated energy, construction materials plus related goods and services to its customers.

According to Zippia, below are examples of other relatively large companies based in North Dakota.

• Border States (electrical supplies, related products)
• RDO Equipment Co. (industrial machinery)
• Titan Machinery (agricultural, construction equipment)

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

North Dakota’s capital is Bismarck, a city nicknamed after Otto von Bismarck–former chancellor of the German Empire.

See also Nevada’s Top 10 Exports, Montana’s Top 10 Exports, Wisconsin’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 January 21, 2026

Forbes, 2021 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on January 21, 2026

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2021 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on January 21, 2026

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on January 21, 2026

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on January 21, 2026

State Symbols USA, State Nicknames. Accessed on January 21, 2026

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: North Dakota. Accessed on January 21, 2026

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on January 21, 2026

Wikipedia, List of North Dakota Companies. Accessed on January 21, 2026

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on January 21, 2026

Wikipedia, North Dakota. Accessed on January 21, 2026

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on January 21, 2026

Zippia, These are the 100 largest companies in North Dakota. Accessed on January 21, 2026