Based on United States Census Bureau’s foreign trade statistics, exported cars from all American states were worth US$59.2 billion in 2024.

That dollar amount represents a 6.6% increase from $55.5 billion four years earlier in 2021 but a -6.9% year-over-year decline compared to $63.6 billion for 2023.

In comparison, the United States of America spent $216.8 billion on imported cars during 2024 up by 49.3% from $145.3 billion for 2021 and inflating by 4.2% from $208 billion in 2023.

Consequently America’s trade deficit buying and selling cars on international markets expanded by 9.2% from -$144.4 billion to -$157.6 billion in red ink for 2024.

America’s Top 25 States for Exporting Cars

Below are the 25 American states that sold $58.2 billion worth of exported cars in 2024, or 98.3% of the overall US total.

The 3 leading car exporters, South Carolina, Alabama and Michigan, generated 45% of total cars exported from the US. That percentage is more concentrated than the 43.1% for the trio one year earlier.

1. South Carolina: US$10.9 billion (up 6.5% from 2023)
2. Alabama: $10.5 billion (down -6.8%)
3. Michigan: $5.3 billion (down -12.8%)
4. Texas: $4.2 billion (down -18.4%)
5. California: $3.7 billion (down -25.5%)
6. Indiana: $3.1 billion (up 33.4%)
7. Ohio: $2.9 billion (down -16.9%)
8. Tennessee: $2.6 billion (up 1.9%)
9. Kentucky: $2.48 billion (up 13.1%)
10. Georgia: $2.45 billion (down -25.6%)
11. Illinois: $2.24 billion (up 11.5%)
12. Florida: $2.19 billion (up 15.6%)
13. New Jersey: $1.5 billion (down -9.1%)
14. New York: $1.4 billion (down -6.9%)
15. Mississippi: $504.7 million (down -21.9%)
16. Maryland: $439 million (down -67%)
17. Minnesota: $382.6 million (down -21.6%)
18. Kansas: $318.7 million (up 33.4%)
19. Virginia: $211.2 million (up 0.8%)
20. North Carolina: $184.9 million (up 64%)
21. Washington: $183.5 million (down -9.4%)
22. Pennsylvania: $176.2 million (up 17.2%)
23. Arizona: $158.6 million (down -28.9%)
24. Missouri: $128.6 million (up 20%)
25. Oregon: $125.3 million (down -66%)

Year over year, the fastest-growers among the listed car exporting states were North Carolina (up 64% from 2023), Indiana (up 33.4%), Kansas (also up 33.4%), Missouri (up 20%), Pennsylvania (up 17.2%) and Florida (up 15.6%).

Leading the declining car exporters were Maryland (down -67% from 2023), Oregon (down -66%), Arizona (down -28.9%), Georgia (down -25.6%) and California (down -25.5%).

America’s Top 25 States for Importing Cars

The leading 25 American states that spent the most on imported cars accounted for $216.1 billion or 99.7% of all cars imported by the US in 2024.

The top 3 importers of cars from foreign suppliers were Michigan, California and Texas. That trio bought almost half (49.7%) of America’s car imports.

1. Michigan: US$43.4 billion (down -3.3% from 2023)
2. California: $38.3 billion (up 11.4%)
3. Texas: $26 billion (down -18.3%)
4. New Jersey: $16.3 billion (up 37%)
5. Maryland: $15.3 billion (up 4.9%)
6. Georgia: $15 billion (up 15%)
7. Tennessee: $11.5 billion (up 14.2%)
8. Florida: $10.1 billion (up 14.8%)
9. Washington: $9.9 billion (up 0%)
10. Pennsylvania: $7.6 billion (up 14.7%)
11. North Carolina: $5 billion (up 5.7%)
12. Rhode Island: $4.8 billion (up 1.9%)
13. Oregon: $3.5 billion (up 137.4%)
14. New York: $3.2 billion (down -8.3%)
15. Puerto Rico: $1.4 billion (down -15.3%)
16. Louisiana: $1.2 billion (up 52.7%)
17. Massachusetts: $1 billion (up 11.7%)
18. Wisconsin: $973 million (up 86.3%)
19. Minnesota: $279.1 million (down -44.6%)
20. Hawaii: $274.4 million (down -13.1%)
21. South Carolina: $219.2 million (up 10.6%)
22. Ohio: $206.1 million (down -65.9%)
23. Arizona: $191.7 million (down -61%)
24. Connecticut: $173.7 million (up 299.4%)
25. Kansas: $107.3 million (up 665.7%)

Among the listed US states, the greatest increases in spending on cars imported from international markets originated from: Kansas (up 665.7% from 2023), Connecticut (up 299.4%), Oregon (up 137.4%), Wisconsin (up 86.3%), Louisiana (up 52.7%), New Jersey (up 37%) and Georgia (up 15%).

There were 6 double-digit decliners namely car importers located in Ohio (down -65.9% from 2023), Arizona (down -61%), Minnesota (down -44.6%), Texas (down -18.3%), Puerto Rico (down -15.3%) and Hawaii (down -13.1%).
 

 

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 Field Listing: Imports – Commodities. Accessed on February 8, 2025

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 8, 2025

United States Census Bureau, USA Trade Online. Accessed on February 8, 2025