Nicknamed “Old Dominion” located in America’s Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions, the Commonwealth of Virginia shipped US$19.05 billion worth of products around the world in 2025.

That dollar amount represents a -23.2% drop from $24.8 billion four years earlier in 2022.

Year over year, the overall value of Virginian exports declined by -12.5% compared to $21.8 billion during 2024.

Virginia places as America’s 26 biggest exporters by state well behind front-runners including Texas, California, New York state, Louisiana, Illinois and Florida.

The value of Virginia’s exports equals 0.9% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2025, falling below the 1.1% in 2024.

In 2025, Virginia’s exported products represent 3.1% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product ($623.9 billion in current dollars).

Given Virginia’s population of 8.9 million people, its total US$19.05 billion in 2025 exports translates to roughly $2,150 for every resident in the Old Dominion state. That dollar metric lags the average $2,500 per capita for 2024.

Virginia’s unemployment rate was 3.8% in March 2026, up from 3.3% one year earlier per YCharts.

Virginia’s Top 10 Exports

The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Virginia global shipments during 2025. 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$2.1 billion (10.9% of total Virginian exports)
2. Integrated circuits (memories): $669.1 million (3.5%)
3. Soya beans: $513.2 million (2.7%)
4. Civilian aircraft, aircraft engines or other parts: $505 million (2.7%)
5. Self-adhesive plastic plates, sheets, film: $360.9 million (1.9%)
6. Semi-trailer road tractors: $353 million (1.9%)
7. Cellulose acetate artificial filament tow: $286.2 million (1.5%)
8. Chemical woodpulp, soda: $258.9 million (1.4%)
9. Soya bean oilcake, other solid residues: $228.4 million (1.2%)
10. Automobile parts or accessories: $226.6 million (1.2%)

Virginia’s top 10 exports approached one third (28.7%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Memories for electronic integrated circuits represent the fastest grower among Virginia’s top 10 export categories, up by 34.8% from 2024 to 2025.

In second place was civilian aircraft fully assembled or aircraft engines or other parts (up 11.1%) trailed by cellulose acetate artificial filament tow (up 9.7%).

The severest decliners among Virginia’s top 10 export products included non-agglomerated, bituminous coal (down -44.7% from 2024), soya beans (down -32.7%), then exported semi-trailer road tractors (down -25.3%).

More Key Facts about Virginia’s International Trade

Virginia incurred an overall -US$24.6 billion trade deficit exporting and importing products during 2025. That dollar amount reflects a 29.5% year-over-year acceleration from -$19 billion in red ink in 2024.

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.

Virginian imports totaled $43.6 billion in 2025.

Below are Virginia’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2025.

1. Digital processing units (miscellaneous components): US$4 billion (9.2% of total Virginian imports)
2. Airplane or helicopter parts: $3.9 billion (8.9%)
3. Printers, copiers, fax machines parts: $1.5 billion (3.4%)
4. Larger thrust turbojets: $744.1 million (1.7%)
5. Iron or steel towers, lattice masts: $557.9 million (1.3%)
6. Electric appliance controls: $474.3 million (1.1%)
7. Wheeled toys (tricycles, scooters, pedal cars, carriages): $443.3 million (1%)
8. Unroasted coffee (caffeinated): $362.9 million (0.8%)
9. Machines for voice, image, data processing: $344.2 million (0.8%)
10. Insulated optical fiber cables: $295.9 million (0.7%)

Virginia has highly negative net exports in the international trade of components for digital processing units and capital-intensive helicopter or airplane parts. 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 2025.

1. Canada: US$2.9 billion (15.4% of total Virginian exports)
2. Mexico: $1.4 billion (7.2%)
3. Germany: $935 million (4.9%)
4. India: $929.2 million (4.9%)
5. South Korea: $874.7 million (4.6%)
6. Netherlands: $834.6 million (4.4%)
7. Taiwan: $789.6 million (4.1%)
8. mainland China: $684.2 million (3.6%)
9. Belgium: $670.7 million (3.5%)
10. Japan: $658.9 million (3.5%)

Virginia’s top trade partners in North America (Canada and Mexico) purchased over one-fifth (22.7%) of the overall value of exported goods from the state commonly called “Old Dominion”.

In comparison, 20.7% worth originated from Virginia’s major customers in Asia (India, South Korea, Taiwan, mainland China and Japan ). Another 12.8% was sold to leading importers in Europe (Germany, Netherlands and Belgium).

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 May 11, 2026

FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on May 11, 2026

Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 11, 2026

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2022 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on May 11, 2026

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 11, 2026

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 11, 2026

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Virginia. Accessed on May 11, 2026

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on May 11, 2026

Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Virginia. Accessed on May 11, 2026

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on May 11, 2026

Wikipedia, Virginia. Accessed on May 11, 2026

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on May 11, 2026