That dollar amount results from a 14.9% increase from $1.86 billion four years earlier for 2021.
Year over year, the overall value of South Dakotan exports dropped -11.1% compared to $2.4 billion starting in 2023.
South Dakota ranks as America’s 4th smallest exporter by state ahead of only Wyoming, Vermont and Hawaii.
The value of South Dakota’s exports equals 0.1% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2024.
South Dakota’s exported products represent 2.8% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product in 2024 ($75.2 billion).
Given South Dakota’s population of 925,000 people, its total $2.13 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $2,300 for every resident in the Mount Rushmore State. That dollar metric lags the average $2,600 per capita one year earlier in 2023.
South Dakota’s unemployment rate was 1.9% at the end of August 2025, up from the state’s 1.8% jobless rate one year prior per YCharts.
South Dakota’s Top 10 Exports
The following export products represent the highest dollar value in South Dakota global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from South Dakota.
Figures are shown at the more granular six-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, for more precise product identification.
- Ethyl alcohol and other denatured spirits: US$331.9 million (15.6% of total South Dakotan exports)
- Brewing/distilling dregs, waste: $123.5 million (5.8%)
- Solid residues like soya bean oil-cake: $91.5 million (4.3%)
- Pork (frozen): $81.4 million (3.8%)
- Soya beans: $66.8 million (3.1%)
- Bone-in pork (fresh or chilled): $66.3 million (3.1%)
- Frozen pork offal excluding livers: $52.8 million (2.5%)
- Milk albumin: $51 million (2.4%)
- Uncalcined bentonite: $48.5 million (2.3%)
- Self-propelled works trucks, forklifts: $48.3 million (2.3%)
South Dakota’s top 10 exports generated 45.1% of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Milk albumin represents the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 74.8% from 2023 to 2024.
In second place for improving export sales was uncalcined bentonite, up by 2.9% trailed by South Dakota’s exports of soya beans (up 2.4%).
The severest decliners among South Dakota’s top 10 export products, namely fresh or chilled bone-in pork (down -46.7% from 2023), self-propelled works trucks and forklifts (down -30.4%), then frozen pork offal excluding livers (down -28.3%).
More Key Facts about Dakota’s International Trade
South Dakota incurred an overall US$459 million surplus exporting and importing products during 2024. That dollar amount reflects a -36.4% drop from $721.3 million 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 South Dakota’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2024.
- Prepared or preserved beef, offal: US$249.3 million (14.9% of total South Dakotan imports)
- Potassium chloride: $46.4 million (2.8%)
- Live swine: $33.6 million (2%)
- Parts for harvesters, grass mowers, egg sorters: $31.2 million (1.9%)
- Coniferous wood sawn or chipped lengthwise: $28.6 million (1.7%)
- Base metal mountings, fittings: $26.7 million (1.6%)
- Small portable computers: $24.2 million (1.4%)
- Trucks (diesel engine): $23 million (1.4%)
- Trucks (piston engine): $22.3 million (1.3%)
- Unalloyed aluminum (unwrought): $21.8 million (1.3%)
South Dakota has positive net exports in the international trade of denatured spirits such as ethyl alcohol, brewing or distilling dregs and waste, and pork including hams. In turn, these cashflows indicate South Dakota’s competitive advantages under those product categories.
South Dakota’s Major Trade Partners”
The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased 89% worth of the total value of products exported from South Dakota during 2024.
- Canada: US$1 billion (45.7% of total South Dakotan exports)
- Mexico: $418.6 million (19.6%)
- mainland China: $153.5 million (7.2%)
- Japan: $85.2 million (4%)
- Netherlands: $44.7 million (2.1%)
- Brazil: $44.5 million (2.1%)
- Belgium: $40.6 million (1.9%)
- Germany: $36.6 million (1.7%)
- Australia: $34.4 million (1.6%)
- South Korea: $32.2 million (1.5%)
South Dakota’s top trade partners in North America (Canada and Mexico) bought almost two-thirds (65.3%) of the overall value of exported goods from the Mount Rushmore State.
In contrast, importers in leading Asian countries (mainland China, Japan and South Korea) accounted for 12.7% of South Dakota’s export sales in 2024.
South Dakotan Export Companies
Not one South Dakota-based corporation ranks among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Selected examples are listed below.
According to Zippia, below are examples of relatively large companies based in South Dakota.
- ANZA Inc. (electronics components)
- Dakota Provisions (poultry-related goods including turkey meat)
- Daktronics (video displays, billboards, scoreboards, sound systems)
- Raven Industries (precision agricultural products, radar systems)
- Trail King Industries (agricultural equipment)
Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the international trade-related products or services which each business sells.
South Dakota’s capital is Pierre, a small city located on rough river bluffs above the Missouri River’s east bank.
See also Indiana’s Top 10 Exports, Nebraska’s Top 10 Exports, West Virginia’s Top 10 Exports, Delaware’s Top 10 Exports and New Hampshire’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on September 28, 2025
Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 28, 2025
GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2021 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on September 28, 2025
IBIS World, South Dakota Economic Overview (gross domestic product, population). Accessed on September 28, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 28, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 28, 2025
State Symbols USA, State Nicknames. Accessed on September 28, 2025
United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: South Dakota. Accessed on September 28, 2025
USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on October 30, 2024
Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in South Dakota. Accessed on September 28, 2025
Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on September 28, 2025
Wikipedia, South Dakota. Accessed on September 28, 2025
YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on September 28, 2025
Zippia, These are the 100 largest companies in South Dakota. Accessed on September 28, 2025