Nicknamed “The Volunteer State” located in America’s southeastern region, Tennessee shipped US$37.7 billion worth of exported products around the world in 2025.

That dollar amount results from a -1.7% slowdown from $38.4 billion four years earlier in 2021.

Year over year, the overall value of Tennessean exports fell by -4.2% compared to $39.4 billion one year prior.

Tennessee ranks as America’s 19th biggest exporters by state behind front-runners including Texas, California, New York state, Louisiana, Illinois and Florida.

The value of Tennessee’s exports equals 1.7% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2025, down from 1.9% for 2024.

Based on research from Statista Tennessee’s exported products represent 6.4 of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product ($589.8 billion). That percentage is below the 7.2% for the prior year.

Given Tennessee’s population of 7.315 million people, its total US$37.7 billion in 2025 exports translates to roughly $5,150 for every resident in the Volunteer State. That dollar metric lags the average $5,450 per capita for 2024.

Tennessee’s unemployment rate was 3.6% at the end of February 2026, up from the 3.54% jobless rate in February 2025 per YCharts.

Tennessee’s Top 10 Exports

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

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

1. Medical, surgical, dental or veterinarian instruments: US$2.7 billion (7.1% of total Tennessean exports)
2. Smartphones: $2.1 billion (5.6%)
3. Digital processing units (miscellaneous components): $1.9 billion (5.2%)
4. Civilian aircraft, engines or other aircraft parts: $1.1 billion (2.9%)
5. Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $1 billion (2.7%)
6. Cotton (uncarded, uncombed): $703.3 million (1.9%)
7. Whiskies: $695 million (1.8%)
8. Medical needles, catheters: $685.2 million (1.8%)
9. Diagnostic or laboratory reagents: $621.7 million (1.6%)
10. Sterile materials: $574.4 million (1.5%)

Tennessee’s top 10 exports generated over a third (32.2%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

The fastest grower from 2024 to 2025 were Tennessee’s exports of smartphones, appreciating by 43.6%.

In second place were Tennessean exports of miscellaneous components for digital processing units (up 30.8%), ahead of civilian aircraft fully assembled, engines or other aircraft parts (up 23.4%) and diagnostic or laboratory reagents (up 15.5%).

Year over year, double-digit percentage decliners among Tennessee top 10 export products included uncarded or uncombed cotton (down -21.7% from 2024), whiskies (down -20.3%) and medical, surgical, dental or veterinarian instruments (down -12.7%).

More Key Facts about Tennessee’s International Trade

Tennessee recorded a total -US$81.9 billion trade deficit exporting and importing products during 2025. That dollar amount reflects a 1% increase from -$81.1 billion in red ink in 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.

Total Tennessean imports amounted to $119.6 billion for 2025, flatlining by -0.7% compared to 2024.

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

1. Miscellaneous medications: US$15.1 billion (12.6% of total Tennessean imports)
2. Immunological goods packaged for retail: $11.2 billion (9.3%)
3. Smartphones: $7.3 billion (6.1%)
4. Digital processing units (miscellaneous components): $5.7 billion (4.8%)
5. Computer parts, accessories: $5.6 billion (4.7%)
6. Smaller portable computers: $5.1 billion (4.2%)
7. Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $4.8 billion (4%)
8. Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $3.5 billion (2.9%)
9. Large automobiles (piston engine): $1.6 billion (1.3%)
10. Medical, surgical, dental or veterinarian instruments: $1.3 billion (1.1%)

Tennessee has highly negative net exports in the international trade of miscellaneous medications, immunological products, smaller portable computers, and cell phones. In turn, these cashflows indicate Tennessee’s competitive disadvantages under those product categories.

Tennessee’s Most Valuable Trading Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased more than two-thirds (69.4%) worth of the total value of products exported from Tennessee during 2025.

1. Canada: US$6.4 billion (17% of total Tennessean exports)
2. Mexico: $6.1 billion (16.3%)
3. Netherlands: $3 billion (8%)
4. mainland China: $2.6 billion (6.8%)
5. Japan: $1.8 billion (4.9%)
6. Germany: $1.7 billion (4.4%)
7. Hong Kong: $1.5 billion (4%)
8. United Kingdom: $1.1 billion (2.9%)
9. Singapore: $975.8 million (2.6%)
10. Belgium: $968.4 million (2.6%)

Tennessee’s top trade partners in North America–Canada and Mexico–bought roughly one third (33.2%) of the overall value of all goods exported from the Volunteer State.

In comparison, leading Tennessean customers in Asia (mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore) generated 18.3% of total export sales.

Another 17.8% went to the biggest importers in Europe (Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom and Belgium).

Tennessean Export Companies

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

• AutoZone (auto parts, accessories)
• Eastman Chemical Co. (chemicals, fibers, plastics)
• FedEx Corp. (worldwide delivery, freight forwarding, logistics)
• Genesco Inc (footwear, headwear, apparel)
• International Paper Co. (pulp, paper)
• Mueller Industries (copper, brass, aluminum, plastic products)

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

Tennessee’s capital is Nashville, a city nicknamed “Music City” and “Athens of the South”.

See also Ohio’s Top 10 Exports, Alabama’s Top 10 Exports, Florida’s Top 10 Exports and Louisiana’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on May 6, 2026

Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 6, 2026

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2022 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on May 6, 2026

IBIS World, Tennessee Economic Overview (gross state product, population). Accessed on May 6, 2026

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 6, 2026

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 6, 2026

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Tennessee. Accessed on May 6, 2026

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on May 6, 2026

Wikipedia, Tennessee. Accessed on May 6, 2026

Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Tennessee. Accessed on May 6, 2026

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on May 6, 2026

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on May 6, 2026