Nicknamed “Old Dominion” located in America’s Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions, the Commonwealth of Virginia shipped US$21.8 billion worth of products around the world in 2024.

That dollar amount represents an 8.7% increase from $20 billion four years earlier in 2021.

Year over year, the overall value of Virginian exports fell by -2.9% compared to $22.4 billion during 2023.

Virginia places near the bottom of America’s 25 biggest exporters by state behind front-runners including Texas, California, New York state, Louisiana and Illinois.

The value of Virginia’s exports equals 1.1% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2024.

Virginia’s exported products represent 2.8% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product ($764.5 billion in current dollars).

Given Virginia’s population of 8.811 million people, its total $21.8 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $2,500 for every resident in the Old Dominion state. That dollar metric exceeds the average $2,300 per capita for 2023.

Virginia’s unemployment rate was 3.6% in July 2025, up from 2.8% at July 31, 2024 per YCharts.

Virginia’s Top 10 Exports

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

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

1. Coal (non-agglomerated, bituminous): US$3.7 billion (17.2% of total Virginian exports)
2. Soya beans: $762.2 million (3.5%)
3. Integrated circuits (memories): $496.5 million (2.3%)
4. Semi-trailer road tractors: $472.5 million (2.2%)
5. Civilian aircraft, engines, other aircraft parts: $454.7 million (2.1%)
6. Self-adhesive plastic plates, sheets, film: $398.1 million (1.8%)
7. Spacecraft, space launch vehicles: $388.3 million (1.8%)
8. Miscellaneous military equipment: $321.7 million (1.5%)
9. Chemical woodpulp, soda: $279.1 million (1.3%)
10. Cellulose acetate artificial filament tow: $260.9 million (1.2%)

Virginia’s top 10 exports generated over one third (34.9%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Spacecraft and space launch vehicles represent the fastest grower among Virginia’s top 10 export categories, up by 252,891% from 2023 to 2024.

In second place was miscellaneous military equipment (up 146.5%) trailed by self-adhesive plastic plates, sheets and film (up 36.2%).

The severest decliners among Virginia’s top 10 export products were soya beans (down -40.8% from 2023), memories for electronic integrated circuits (down -29%), then aircraft fully assembled or engines and other parts separately (down -12.5%).

More Key Facts about Virginia’s International Trade

Virginia incurred an overall -US$19 billion trade deficit exporting and importing products during 2024. That dollar amount reflects a 65.8% year-over-year acceleration from -$11.5 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 Virginia’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2024.

1. Helicopter or airplane parts: $3.2 billion (7.8% of total Virginian imports)
2. Digital processing units (individual components): $2.1 billion (5.2%)
3. Printers, copies, fax machines parts: $2 million (5%)
4. Wheeled toys (tricycles, scooters, pedal cars, carriages): $563.8 million (1.4%)
5. Larger thrust turbojets: $454.4 million (1.4%)
6. Electricity controls: $383.2 million (1.1%)
7. Iron or steel towers, lattice masts: $325.3 million (0.9%)
8. Machines for voice, image, data processing: $309.9 million (0.8%)
9. Miscellaneous iron or steel stuctures, parts: $254 million (0.8%)
10. Made-up textile articles: $252.5 million (0.6%)

Virginia has highly negative net exports in the international trade of capital-intensive helicopter or airplane parts and components for digital processing units. In turn, these cashflows indicate Virginia’s competitive disadvantages under these product categories.

Virginia’s Major Trading Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased almost three-fifths (58.1%) worth of the total value of products exported from Virginia during 2024.

1. Canada: $3.5 billion (15.9% of total Virginian exports)
2. India: $1.4 billion (6.4%)
3. mainland China: $1.38 billion (6.3%)
4. Mexico: $1.31 billion (6%)
5. Germany: $1.1 billion (5.1%)
6. Netherlands: $951.8 million (4.4%)
7. Brazil: $878.7 million (4%)
8. Japan: $712.8 million (3.3%)
9. Belgium: $711.8 million (3.3%)
10. United Kingdom: $708.3 million (3.3%)

Virginia’s top trade partners in North America (Canada and Mexico) purchased over one-fifth (21.9%) of the overall value of exported goods from the state commonly called “Old Dominion”.

In comparison, 16% worth originated from Virginia’s major customers in Asia (India, mainland China and Japan ). Another 16% was sold to importers in Europe (Germany, Netherlands and the UK).

Virginian Export Companies

Thirty-six of Virginia-based corporations rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Selected examples are listed below.

• Advance Auto Parts (auto parts, accessories)
• Altria Group (tobacco products)
• Beacon Roofing Supply (building supplies)
• CACI International Inc (technology, professional services)
• Computer Sciences Corp (technology, professional services)
• Huntington Ingalls Industries (ships,submarines, aircraft carriers)
• NewMarket Corp (petroleum additives)
• Orbital ATK Inc (aerospace, defense industry products)
• Performance Food Group (food products, snacks)
• Universal Corp (tobacco products)

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

Virginia’s capital is Richmond, a city nicknamed “RVA”, “The River City” and “Capital of the South”.

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

Research Sources:
Department of Numbers, Virginia GDP (dollars shown in real terms). Accessed on September 6, 2025

FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on September 6, 2025

Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 6, 2025

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2021 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on September 6, 2025

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 6, 2025

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 6, 2025

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Virginia. Accessed on September 6, 2025

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on September 6, 2025

Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Virginia. Accessed on September 6, 2025

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on September 6, 2025

Wikipedia, Virginia. Accessed on September 6, 2025

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on September 6, 2025