That dollar amount results from a 28.2% increase from $29.6 billion four years earlier in 2021.
Year over year, the overall value of products exported from South Carolina slowed to a 1.7% gain compared to $37.3 billion for 2023.
South Carolina ranks 17th among the bottom 20 most lucrative exporters by American state behind front-runners including Texas, California, New York state, Louisiana and Illinois.
The value of South Carolina’s exports equals 1.8% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2024, same percentage as for 2023.
South Carolina’s exported products represent 10.8% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product in 2024 ($350 billion).
Given South Carolina’s population of 5.48 million people, its total $38 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $6,950 for every resident in the Palmetto State. That dollar metric surpasses the average $6,900 per capita during 2023.
South Carolina’s unemployment rate was 4.3% at then end of August 2025, down from 4.6% one year prior per YCharts.
South Carolina’s Top 10 Exports
The following export products represent the highest dollar value in South Carolina global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from South Carolina.
Figures are shown at the more granular six-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, for more precise product identification.
- Civilian aircraft, engines, other aircraft parts: US$5.7 billion (15% of total South Carolinian exports)
- Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $4.4 billion (11.6%)
- Larger automobiles (piston engine): $2.5 billion (6.7%)
- Automobiles (both spark ignition, electric motors): $1.9 billion (5%)
- New rubber tires for specialty vehicles: $1.1 billion (2.9%)
- Larger automobiles (diesel engine): $876.3 million (2.3%)
- Mid-sized automobiles (diesel engine): $769.9 million (2%)
- Vehicle body parts, accessories: $673.9 million (1.8%)
- Polyethylene (higher gravity): $582.2 million (1.5%)
- Polyethylene (lower gravity): $485.4 million (1.3%)
South Carolina’s top 10 exports represent half (50%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
The strongest grower from 2023 among the state’s top 10 export categories was mid-sized automobiles powered by diesel engine (up 51.9%).
In second place were South Carolina’s exports of polyethylene having a specific gravity under 0.94 (up 12.5%), ahead of exported larger automobiles with piston engine (up 8.9%).
The two double-digit percentage decliners among South Carolina top 10 export products were vehicle body parts or accessories (down -37.1% from 2023), and civilian aircraft or aircraft engines and other parts (down -10.3%).
More Key Facts about South Carolina’s International Trade
South Carolina incurred an overall -US$20.1 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2024, swelling by 19.9% from a -$16.8 billion deficit 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 South Carolina’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2024.
- Uranium U235/plutonium compounds, mixtures: US$2.8 billion (4.8% of total South Carolinian imports)
- Photovoltaic cells in modules, panels: $1.4 billion (2.5%)
- Lithium ion batteries: $1.3 billion (2.3%)
- Spark-ignition piston engines: $1.19 billion (2%)
- Vehicle gear boxes: $1.08 billion (1.9%)
- Miscellaneous vehicle parts, accessories: $1.06 billion (1.8%)
- Vehicle body parts, accessories: $1.01 billion (1.7%)
- Electric apparatus controls: $961.3 million (1.7%)
- Hand tool with electric motor: $787.5 million (1.4%)
- New rubber tires for cars: $753.1 million (1.3%)
South Carolina has notably negative net exports in the international trade of uranium U235/plutonium compounds and solar power cells. In turn, these cashflows indicate South Carolina’s competitive disadvantages under those product categories.
South Carolina’s Major Trade Partners
The following list shows the top 10 international customers that purchased well over two-thirds (70.2%) worth of the total value of products exported from South Carolina during 2024.
- Germany: US$5 billion (13.1% of total South Carolinian exports)
- Canada: $4.3 billion (11.3%)
- Mexico: $3.6 billion (9.6%)
- mainland China: $3.4 billion (9%)
- South Korea: $2.7 billion (7.1%)
- United Kingdom: $2.2 billion (5.7%)
- Belgium: $1.7 billion (4.4%)
- Japan: $1.5 billion (4%)
- Australia: $1.3 billion (3.4%)
- Singapore: $997.6 million (2.6%)
South Carolina’s top trade partners in Europe (Germany, UK and Belgium) imported 23.2% of the overall value of exported goods from the Palmetto State.
This compares with 20.9% for North American importers in Canada and Mexico, and 22.7% for leading importers located in Asia (mainland China, South Korea, Japan and Singapore).
South Carolinian Export Companies
Five of South Carolina-based corporations rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Selected examples of companies headquartered or operationally based in South Carolina are shown below.
- Domtar Corp (paper, paper goods)
- Resolute Forest Products (pulp/paper mill)
- ScanSource (security, networking, barcode, technology)
- Sonoco Products Co. (packaging products)
Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the international trade-related products or services which each business sells.
South Carolina’s capital is Columbia, a city nicknamed “Cola” and “The Capital of Southern Hospitality”.
See also Minnesota’s Top 10 Exports, New Jersey’s Top 10 Exports, Missouri’s Top 10 Exports, Pennsylvania’s Top 10 Exports and Mississippi’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Department of Numbers, South Carolina GDP (dollars shown in real terms). Accessed on September 23, 2025
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on September 23, 2025
Forbes, 2021 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 23, 2025
GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2021 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on September 23, 2025
IBIS World, South Carolina Economic Overview (GDP, population). Accessed on September 23, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 23, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 23, 2025
United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: South Carolina. Accessed on September 23, 2025
USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on September 23, 2025
Wikipedia, Categories:Companies based in South Carolina. Accessed on September 23, 2025
Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on September 23, 2025
Wikipedia, South Carolina. Accessed on September 23, 2025
YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on September 23, 2025