That dollar subtotal in exports is less than the $76.4 billion in crude oil purchased by importers in America’s biggest 21 importer states or territories. The difference between US exports and imports of crude oil resulted in a -$26.3 billion product-specific trade deficit for 2020, a big improvement from -$110.3 billion in red ink one year earlier.
Metrics presented in this article are based on the latest United States Census Bureau’s foreign trade statistics specific to products.
Also, please note that the analysis below excludes any state for which its crude oil amount does not rank among its top 25 exports or imports in terms of value. That is why Montana and Wyoming were not included in the export metrics, albeit both do export relatively small amounts of crude oil.
US States that Export & Import the Most Crude Oil (by Value)
Exports
The two leading export states (Texas and Louisiana) accounted for 95.5% of all crude oil exported by all American states during 2020.
Listed below are the 5 US states for which crude oil ranks among its own top 25 exported products by value. Within parenthesis is the percentage that each state supplies compared to the US total value of exported crude oil.
- Texas: US$43.5 billion (86.4% of US total)
- Louisiana: $4.5 billion (9%)
- North Dakota: $1.5 billion (2.9%)
- Alaska: $556.3 million (1.1%)
- Connecticut: $102.7 million (0.2%)
Among the above states, 3 grew their global sales of crude oil from 2019 to 2020: Alaska (up 59.3%), Connecticut (up 13.8%) and Louisiana (up 2.8%).
The value of crude oil exports from North Dakota dropped by -44.4% year over year, while the annual decline was -24% for America’s number one exporter of crude oil Texas.
Overall, the value of exported crude oil from the above 5 US states in 2020 fell by -22.5% from $64.7 billion in 2019 to $50.1 billion during 2020.
Imports
Crude oil ranks among the top 25 imported products for the following 21 US states (and territories) during 2020. Within parenthesis is the percentage that each state purchases compared to the total for all American states.
These 21 states account for 93.7% of all crude oil imported into the United States in 2020.
- Illinois: US$17 billion (20.9% of US total)
- Texas: $16.2 billion (19.9%)
- California: $10.8 billion (13.2%)
- Louisiana: $4.3 billion (5.3%)
- New Jersey: $4 billion (4.9%)
- Washington: $3.5 billion (4.3%)
- Minnesota: $3.3 billion (4%)
- Oklahoma: $3.1 billion (3.8%)
- Montana: $2.2 billion (2.7%)
- Missouri: $1.9 billion (2.4%)
- Pennsylvania: $1.6 billion (2%)
- Colorado: $1.58 billion (1.9%)
- Michigan: $1.57 billion (1.9%)
- Alabama: $1.4 billion (1.7%)
- Delaware: $1.2 billion (1.5%)
- Mississippi: $757.3 million (0.9%)
- Ohio: $728.7 million (0.9%)
- Hawaii: $630.5 million (0.8%)
- Wyoming: $428.7 million (0.5%)
- Oregon: $107.9 million (0.1%)
- Virgin Islands: $7.2 million (0.01%)
Only one of the above leading US states increasing its imports of crude oil from 2019 to 2020, namely Ohio via its 15.2% gain.
Leading the declining importers year over year were the Virgin Islands (down -91.4%), Pennsylvania (down -71.1%), Hawaii (down -59.9%), Mississippi (down -57.9%), Delaware (down -55.3%) and Louisiana (down -49.8%).
The combined value of imported crude oil from the above 21 US states plummeted by -39.7% from $126.7 billion in 2019 to $76.4 billion during 2020.
See also United States Top 10 Exports, United States Top 10 Imports, America’s Top 20 Export States and United States Top 10 Major Export Companies
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on September 1, 2021
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 1, 2021
United States Census Bureau, Foreign Trade. Accessed on September 1, 2021
