That dollar amount reflects a 23% increase from $31.1 billion four years earlier in 2019.
Year over year, the overall value of Tennessean exports rose 10.3% compared to $34.7 billion one year prior.
Tennessee ranks among America’s 15 biggest exporters by state behind front-runners including Texas, California, Louisiana, New York State and Illinois. The value of Tennessee’s exports equals 1.9% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2022, down from 2% for 2021.
Based on research from Statista Tennessee’s exported products represent 10.4% of the state’s total economic output or real Gross Domestic Product ($367.8 billion).
Given Tennessee’s population of 7.051 million people, its total $38.3 billion in 2022 exports translates to roughly $5,400 for every resident in the Volunteer State. That dollar metric is higher than the average $5,000 per capita for 2021.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate was 3.1% at the end of March 2023, down from the 3.2% jobless rate one year earlier per YCharts.
Tennessee’s Top 10 Exports
The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Tennessee global shipments during 2022. 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.
- Medical, surgical, dental, veterinarian instruments: US$2.84 billion (7.4% of Tennessee’s total exports)
- Cell phones: $1.49 billion (3.9%)
- Large automobiles (piston engine): $1.45 billion (3.8%)
- Precious metals waste, scrap: $1.42 billion (3.7%)
- Human medicine vaccines: $1.12 billion (2.9%)
- Cotton (uncarded, uncombed): $956.6 million (2.5%)
- Civilian aircraft including engines, parts: $904.8 million (2.4%)
- Sterile sutures: $771.3 million (2%)
- Whiskies: $755.8 million (2%)
- Artificial joints, parts and accessories: $678.1 million (1.8%)
Tennessee’s top 10 exports accounted for almost a third (32.4%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
The fastest grower from 2021 to 2022 were exports of precious metals waste and scrap, up by 1,096%.
In second place were Tennessean exports of uncarded and non-combed cotton (up 52.3%), far ahead of large automobiles powered by piston engine (up 45.8%) and whiskies (up 36.1%).
Year over year, there were 2 decliners among Tennessee top 10 export products. Losers were export sales of artificial joints including parts and accessories (down -22.5% from 2021) and medical, surgical, dental or veterinarian instruments (down -3.3%).
More Key Facts about Tennessee’s International Trade
Tennessee recorded a total -$71.5 billion trade deficit exporting and importing products during 2022. That dollar amount reflects a 21% expansion from -$59.1 billion in red ink 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 Tennessee’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2022.
- Miscellaneous medications: US$16.3 billion (14.9% of Tennessee’s total imports)
- Small portable digital computers: $7.4 billion (6.8%)
- Immunological products in measured doses: $5.7 billion (5.2%)
- Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $4.2 billion (3.8%)
- Cell phones: $3.14 billion (2.9%)
- Computer parts, accessories: $2.4 billion (2.2%)
- Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $1.9 billion (1.7%)
- Antibiotics: $1.64 billion (1.5%)
- Digital processing units (individual components): $1.35 billion (1.2%)
- Large automobiles (piston engine): $1.28 billion (1.2%)
Tennessee has highly negative net exports in the international trade of miscellaneous medications, small portable digital computers, immunological products 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 approaching three-quarters (71.8%) worth of the total value of products exported from Tennessee during 2022.
- Canada: US$8.6 billion (22.5% of Tennessee’s total exports)
- Mexico: $4.8 billion (12.5%)
- mainland China: $3.3 billion (8.6%)
- Germany: $3 billion (7.8%)
- Japan: $2.1 billion (5.5%)
- Netherlands: $1.5 billion (4%)
- Belgium: $1.27 billion (3.3%)
- Hong Kong: $1.22 billion (3.2%)
- Singapore: $903.5 million (2.4%)
- United Kingdom: $816.6 million (2.1%)
Tennessee’s top trade partners in North America–Canada and Mexico–bought over a third (35%) 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 19.6% of total export sales.
Another 17.2% went to the biggest importers in Europe (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and the UK).
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, Louisiana’s Top 10 Exports and Tennessee’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Department of Numbers, Tennessee GDP (dollars shown in real terms). Accessed on May 3, 2023
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on May 3, 2023
Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 3, 2023
GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2019 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on May 3, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 3, 2023
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 3, 2023
Statista, Real gross domestic product of Tennessee. Accessed on May 3, 2023
United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Tennessee. Accessed on May 3, 2023
USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on May 3, 2023
Wikipedia, Tennessee. Accessed on May 3, 2023
Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Tennessee. Accessed on May 3, 2023
Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on May 3, 2023
World’s Capital Cities, Capital Facts for Nashville, United States. Accessed on May 3, 2023
YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on May 3, 2023