Nicknamed “The Palmetto State” and found in America’s southeastern region, South Carolina shipped US$31.5 billion worth of products around the globe in 2022.

That dollar amount results from a -24.1% reduction from $41.5 billion four years earlier in 2019.

Year over year, the overall value of products exported from South Carolina rose 6.1% compared to $29.7 billion for 2021.

South Carolina ranks at the bottom of America’s 20 most lucrative exporters by state behind front-runners including Texas, California, Louisiana, New York and Illinois. The value of South Carolina’s exports equals 1.7% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2022. That percentage shows a decline from 1.7% in 2021.

Based on research from Statista, South Carolina’s exported products represent 13.9% of the state’s total economic output or real Gross Domestic Product in 2022 ($226.4 billion). The comparable percentage was 11% one year earlier.

Given South Carolina’s population of 5.283 million people, its total $31.5 billion in 2022 exports translates to roughly $6,000 for every resident in the Palmetto State. That dollar metric surpasses the average $5,700 per capita during 2021.

South Carolina’s unemployment rate was 3.2% in March 2023, down from 5.1% at March 2022 per YCharts.

South Carolina’s Top 10 Exports

The following export products represent the highest dollar value in South Carolina global shipments during 2022. 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.

1. Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): US$3.7 billion (11.8% of South Carolina’s total exports)
2. Automobiles (both spark ignition and electric motors): $2.4 billion (7.6%)
3. Large automobiles (diesel engine): $2.3 billion (7.4%)
4. Civilian aircraft, engines or other parts: $1.9 billion (6%)
5. New rubber tires for specialty vehicles: $1.1 billion (3.4%)
6. Large automobiles (piston engine): $674.6 million (2.1%)
7. Motor vehicle body parts, accessories: $610.2 million (1.9%)
8. Mid-sized automobiles (diesel engine): $553.4 million (1.8%)
9. Polyethylene: $370.3 million (1.2%)
10. Chemical woodpulp, soda (coniferous): $340.3 million (1.1%)

South Carolina’s top 10 exports represent 44.3% of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

The strongest grower among the state’s top 10 export categories was polyethylene via a 219.1% gain from 2021.

In second place were South Carolina’s exports of civilian aircraft or aircraft parts including engines (up 85.4%).

New rubber tires was the other product category to post a double-digit advance (up 14%).

The leading decliner from 2021 to 2022 among South Carolina top 10 export products were mid-sized automobiles powered by piston engine, dragged down by a -13.3% drop from 2021.

More Key Facts about South Carolina’s International Trade

South Carolina incurred an overall -$24.1 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2022, expanding by 17.7% from a -$20.5 billion deficit in 2021.

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 2022.

1. Uranium U235/plutonium compounds, mixtures: US$1.5 billion (2.8% of South Carolina’s total imports)
2. Spark-ignition reciprocating engines: $1.078 billion (1.9%)
3. Miscellaneous motor vehicle parts: $1.077 billion (1.9%)
4. Motor vehicle gear boxes: $957.6 million (1.7%)
5. Motor vehicle body parts, accessories: $884.9 million (1.6%)
6. Unroasted coffee (excluding decaffeinated): $702.4 million (1.3%)
7. New rubber tires for cars: $694 million (1.25)
8. Electrical boards, panels, consoles: $692 million (1.25%)
9. Hand tools with electric motors: $683.4 million (1.23%)
10. New rubber tires for buses or trucks: $649.7 million (1.17%)

South Carolina has negative net exports in the international trade of uranium U235/plutonium compounds and automobile parts or accessories. 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 customers that purchased well over two-thirds (70.9%) worth of the total value of products exported from South Carolina during 2022.

1. Canada: US$4.41 billion (14% of South Carolina’s total exports)
2. Germany: $4.4 billion (14%)
3. mainland China: $3.7 billion (11.7%)
4. Mexico: $2.4 billion (7.5%)
5. South Korea: $1.9 billion (5.9%)
6. Belgium: $1.6 billion (5.2%)
7. United Kingdom: $1.5 billion (4.9%)
8. Australia: $907.9 million (2.9%)
9. Japan: $761.5 million (2.4%)
10. Brazil: $719.4 million (2.3%)

South Carolina’s top trade partners in Europe (Germany, Belgium and the UK) imported 24% of the overall value of exported goods from the Palmetto State.

This compares with 21.6% for North American importers in Canada and Mexico, and 20.1% for leading importers located in Asia namely mainland China, South Korea and Japan.

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 April 30, 2023

FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on April 30, 2023

Forbes, 2019 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on April 30, 2023

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2019 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on April 30, 2023

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 30, 2023

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 30, 2023

Statista, Real gross domestic product of South Carolina. Accessed on April 30, 2023

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: South Carolina. Accessed on April 30, 2023

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on April 30, 2023

Wikipedia, Categories:Companies based in South Carolina. Accessed on April 30, 2023

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on April 30, 2023

Wikipedia, South Carolina. Accessed on April 30, 2023

World’s Capital Cities, Capital Facts for Columbia, United States. Accessed on April 30, 2023

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on April 30, 2023