That dollar amount results from a 15.2% increase from $12.5 billion four years earlier in 2021.
Year over year, the overall value of Kansan exported goods rose 2.7% compared to $14.1 billion for 2023.
Kansas ranks as America’s 31st biggest exporter by state behind front- behind front-runners including Texas, California, New York State, Louisiana and Illinois. The value of Kansas’ exports equals 0.7% of the value for United States’ overall exported products for 2024.
Kansas’ exported products represent 6.2% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product in 2024 ($234.7 billion).
Given Kansas’ population of 3 million people, its total US$14.5 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $4,750 for every resident in the Sunflower State. That dollar metric lags the average $4,800 per capita in 2023.
Kansas’ unemployment rate was 3.8% at the end of September 2025, same as 3.8% for September 2024 per YCharts.
Kansas’ Top 10 Exports
The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Kansas global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Kansas.
Figures are shown at the more granular six-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, for more precise product identification.
- Civilian aircraft full or engines or other aircraft parts: US$2.6 billion (18.2% of total Kansan exports)
- Fresh or chilled beef (boneless): $993.7 million (6.9%)
- Corn: $551.6 million (3.8%)
- Frozen beef (boneless): $447.6 million (3.1%)
- Wheat, meslin: $340 million (2.4%)
- Dog or cat food for retail sale: $296.8 million (2.1%)
- Machines to receive/convert/transmit voice, image, data: $295.5 million (2%)
- Soya beans: $276.9 million (1.9%)
- Fresh or chilled pork (bone-in): $259.1 million (1.8%)
- Frozen pork: $229.1 million (1.6%)
Kansas’ top 10 exports accounted for 43.8% of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Frozen pork posted the strongest growth among Kansas’ top 10 export categories, up by 51.4% from 2023 to 2024.
In second place for improving export sales was fresh or chilled port with bone-in which rose 22.3%. Kansas’ shipments of machines used to receive, convert and transmit voice, image or data appreciated by 7.5% compared to 2023, ahead of exported dog or cat food ready for retail sale (up 6.8%).
The year-over-year decliners among Kansas’ top 10 export products were soya beans thanks to a -25.7% set back from 2023 and civilian aircraft either fully assembled or engines or other aircraft parts via a -1% reduction.
More Key Facts about Kansas’ International Trade
Kansas posted an overall -US$9.1 million trade deficit exporting and importing products during 2024. That dollar amount reverses a $1.1 billion surplus 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 Kansas’ top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2024.
- Tractors: US$868.3 million (6% of total Kansan imports)
- Miscellaneous aircraft parts: $678.3 million (4.7%)
- Works trucks, forklifts: $511.4 million (3.5%)
- Machines to receive/convert/transmit voice, image, data: $434.5 million (3%)
- Radio navigational instruments: $215.1 million (1.5%)
- Air conditioner parts: $206.5 million (1.4%)
- Turbo-jets: $202 million (1.4%)
- Mechanical front-end shovel loaders: $196.2 million (1.4%)
- Wheat gluten: $179 million (1.2%)
- Taps, valves and similar pipe-related items: $176.9 million (1.2%)
Historically, Kansas has experienced negative net exports in the international trade of tractors, aircraft parts, task-related trucks and forklifts. In turn, these cashflows indicate Kansas’ competitive advantages under these product categories.
Kansas’ Major Trade Partners
The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased just over two-thirds (67.7%) worth of the total value of products exported from Kansas during 2024.
- Mexico: US$3.1 billion (21.5% of total Kansan exports)
- Canada: $2.7 billion (18.5%)
- mainland China: $815 million (5.6%)
- United Kingdom: $546.2 million (3.8%)
- South Korea: $526.7 million (3.6%)
- Germany: $491.2 million (3.4%)
- Brazil: $462.7 million (3.2%)
- France: $455.9 million (3.2%)
- Australia: $365.7 million (2.5%)
- Singapore: $351.9 million (2.4%)
Kansas’ top trade partners in North America (Mexico and Canada) bought two-fifths (40%) of the overall value of exported goods from the Sunflower State.
In comparison, major trade partners in Asia (mainland China, South Korea and Singapore) imported 11.7% worth of Kansas’ total export sales for 2024.
Kansasan Export Companies
Six of Kansas-based corporations rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Selected examples are listed below.
- Ferrellgas Partners (propane)
- Lansing Trade Group (grains, commodities trading, ethanol)
- Seaboard Corp (agribusiness, electrical power, transportation)
- Spirit AeroSystems Holdings (aerospace/defense industry goods)
- Westar Energy (electricity)
- YRC Worldwide (freight shipping)
Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the products or services which each business sells, some of which are related to international trade.
Kansas’ capital is Topeka, a city nicknamed “T-Town” and “Top City”.
See also North Dakota’s Top 10 Exports, Montana’s Top 10 Exports, Wisconsin’s Top 10 Exports, Arizona’s Top 10 Exports and Vermont’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Department of Numbers, Kansas GDP (dollars shown in real terms). Accessed on January 24, 2026
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on January 24, 2026
Forbes, 2021 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on January 24, 2026
GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2021 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on January 24, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on January 24, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on January 24, 2026
State Symbols USA, State Nicknames. Accessed on January 24, 2026
Statista, Real gross domestic product of Kansas. Accessed on January 24, 2026
United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Kansas. Accessed on January 24, 2026
USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on January 24, 2026
Wikipedia, Kansas. Accessed on January 24, 2026
Wikipedia, List of Kansas Companies. Accessed on January 24, 2026
Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on January 24, 2026
YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on January 24, 2026