Nicknamed “The Bay State” and located in America’s northeastern region known as New England, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shipped US$35 billion worth of exported products around the globe in 2024.

That dollar amount represents an 8.1% increase from $35.3 billion four years earlier in 2021.

Year over year, the overall value of goods exported from Massachusetts flatlined via a -0.8% slowdown compared to $35.3 billion during 2023.

Massachusetts ranks as America’s 18th biggest exporters by state lagging front-runners including Texas, California, New York state, Louisiana and Illinois.

The value of Massachusetts’ exports equals 1.7% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2024, same percentage as one year prior.

Massachusetts’ exported products represent 4.5% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product in 2024 ($780.7 billion).

Given Massachusetts’ population of 7.14 million people, its total $35 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $4,900 for every resident in the Bay State. That dollar metric lags the average $5,000 per capita one year earlier during 2023.

Massachusetts’ unemployment rate was 4.8% in August 2025, up from 4.2% one year earlier per YCharts.

Massachusetts’ Top 10 Exports

The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Massachusetts global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Massachusetts.

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

1. Unwrought gold: US$3.2 billion (9.2% of total Massachusettsan exports)
2. Machinery for making semi-conductors: $2.1 billion (6%)
3. Human medicine vaccines: $1.3 billion (3.7%)
4. Medical, dental or veterinarian instruments: $1.2 billion (3.4%)
5. Mixed immunological products (unmeasured doses): $1 billion (2.9%)
6. Liquid filters, purification machines: $929.8 million (2.7%)
7. Immunological products for retail (measured doses): $919.9 million (2.6%)
8. Medical needles, catheters: $876.6 million (2.5%)
9. Diagnostic or laboratory reagents: $731.5 million (2.1%)
10. Unwrought palladium or in powder form: $615.8 million (1.8%)

Massachusetts’ top 10 exports generated over one third (36.8%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Unwrought gold posted the fastest annual gain among Massachusetts’ top 10 export categories, up by 416.1% from 2023.

In second place were immunological products in measured doses packaged for retail sale (up 106.2%), trailed by unwrought palladium or in powder form (up 67.7%), then medical needles and catheters (up 10.2%).

Exports from Massachusetts for human medicine vaccines (down -71.2% from 2023) and mixed immunological products in unmeasured doses recorded the severest year-over-year declines.

More Key Facts about Massachusetts’ International Trade

Massachusetts incurred an overall -US$8.3 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2024. That dollar amount gained 6.5% compared to -$7.8 billion in red ink in 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 Massachusetts’ top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2024.

1. Light petroleum oils: US$2.9 billion (6.6% of total Massachusettsan imports)
2. Refined petroleum oils (not biodiesel): $1.52 billion (3.5%)
3. Miscellaneous electronic integrated circuits: $1.49 billion (3.4%)
4. Artificial joints, parts and accessories: $1.44 billion (3.3%)
5. Medical, dental or veterinarian instruments: $1.2 billion (2.8%)
6. Medium-size automobiles (piston engine): $920.1 million (2.1%)
7. Medical needles, catheters: $748.5 million (1.7%)
8. Unwrought gold: $530.2 million (1.2%)
9. Natural gas (in gaseous state): $514.8 million (1.2%)
10. Immunological products for retail (measured doses): $483.1 million (1.1%)

Massachusetts has highly negative net exports in the international trade of petroleum-related products. In turn, these cashflows indicate Massachusetts’ competitive disadvantages under related product categories.

Massachusetts’ Major Trading Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchase over two-thirds (69.6%) worth of the total value of products exported from Massachusetts during 2024.

1. mainland China: US$3.9 billion (11.1% of total Massachusettsan exports)
2. Mexico: $3.5 billion (10.1%)
3. Canada: $3.1 billion (8.9%)
4. United Kingdom: $3 billion (8.5%)
5. Netherlands: $2.2 billion (6.3%)
6. Germany: $2.1 billion (6%)
7. Singapore: $2 billion (5.7%)
8. Switzerland: $1.8 billion (5%)
9. Japan: $1.5 billion (4.4%)
10. South Korea: $1.2 billion (3.5%)

Massachusetts’ top trade partners in Asia (mainland China, Singapore, Japan and South Korea) imported 24.7% of the overall value of exported goods from the Bay State.

Asia’s percentage compares with 19% of export sales from Massachusetts which arrived in Canada and Mexico, fellow North American trade partners.

Another 25.9% went to top Massachusettsan customers in Europe (United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland).

Massachusettsan Export Companies

Over 40 Massachusetts-based corporations rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Selected examples are shown below.

• Analog Devices, Inc (semiconductors, data conversion technology)
• Biogen (biotechnology therapies)
• Boston Scientific Corp (medical devices)
• Cabot Corp (specialty chemicals, materials)
• Nuance Communications (specialty software, speech recognition)
• PerkinElmer, Inc (analytical instruments, lab technology)
• Skyworks Solutions (semiconductors, amplifiers)
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (genetic testing, precision lab equipment)
• Waters Corp (laboratory instruments, software)
• Wayfair, Inc (ecommerce seller of home products)

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

The capital of Massachusetts is Boston, a city nicknamed “Beantown”, “America’s Walking City” and “The City of Champions”.

See also Oklahoma’s Top 10 Exports, Alaska’s Top 10 Exports, Oregon’s Top 10 Exports, Louisiana’s Top 10 Exports and Washington State’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on September 26, 2025

Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 26, 2025

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2021 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on September 26, 2025

IBIS World, Real gross domestic product of Massachusetts. Accessed on September 26, 2025

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 26, 2025

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 26, 2025

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Massachusetts. Accessed on September 26, 2025

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on September 26, 2025

Wikipedia, Massachusetts. Accessed on September 26, 2025

Wikipedia, List of Massachusetts Companies. Accessed on September 26, 2025

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on September 26, 2025

World’s Capital Cities, Capital Facts for Boston, United States. Accessed on September 26, 2025

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on September 26, 2025