That dollar metric results from a flatlining 1.3% increase from $60.3 billion four years earlier in 2019.
Year over year, the overall value of Washington’s exports gained 13.7% compared to $53.7 billion for 2021.
Washington ranks among America’s 10 most lucrative exporters by state, albeit well behind leaders including Texas and California. The value of Washington’s exports equals about 3% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2022, down from 3.1% for 2021.
Based on research from Statista, Washington’s exported products represent 10.5% of the state’s total economic output or real Gross Domestic Product ($582.2 billion in 2022).
Given Washington’s population of 7.786 million people in 2022, its $61.1 billion in 2022 exports translates to roughly $7,800 for every resident in the Evergreen State. That dollar metric eclipses the average $6,900 one year earlier during 2021.
Washington State’s unemployment rate was 4.5% in March 2023, down from 5.6% in February 2022 per YCharts.
Washington’s Top 10 Exports
The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Washington global shipments during 2022. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Washington.
Figures are shown at the more granular six-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, for more precise product identification.
- Civilian aircraft including engines, parts: US$16.7 billion (27.3% of Washington’s total exports)
- Soya beans: $7.8 billion (12.7%)
- Corn: $3.5 billion (5.7%)
- Wheat (excluding durum): $2.8 billion (4.6%)
- Miscellaneous petroleum oils: $1.6 billion (2.6%)
- Grain sorghum: $994.1 million (1.6%)
- Frozen potatoes: $968.7 million (also 1.6%)
- Soya bean flours, meals: $890.9 million (1.5%)
- Ultrasonic scanning equipment: $712.4 million (1.2%)
- Fresh apples: $642.9 million (1.1%)
Washington’s top 10 exports represent almost three-fifths (59.8%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Grain sorghum was the fastest grower among Washington’s top 10 export categories, up by 326.5% from 2021 to 2022.
In second place for improving export sales were mixed petroleum oils via a 39% advance.
Posting the third-fastest gain were civilian aircraft either full or engines and other parts exported from Washington, up 29.6%.
Washington’s international shipments of frozen potatoes grew 15.7% year over year.
There was a trio of declines year over year, specifically for Washington’s exports of ultrasonic scanning apparatus (down -16.6% from 2021), corn (down -9.9%), then soya bean flours and meals (down -2.9%).
More Key Facts about Washington’s International Trade
Washington State incurred an overall -$13.3 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2022. That dollar amount reflects a 66.1% acceleration from the -$8 billion deficit one year earlier in 2021.
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 Washington’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2022.
- Crude petroleum oils: US$8.1 billion (10.9% of Washington’s total imports)
- Natural gas (gaseous state): $6.7 billion (9%)
- Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $4.4 billion (5.9%)
- Wheeled toys (tricycles, scooters, pedal cars, carriages): $2.4 billion (3.2%)
- Video game consoles, machinery: $1.9 billion (2.5%)
- Solid-state semiconductor storage devices: $837.2 million (1.1%)
- Enriched uranium: $736.4 million (1%)
- Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $617.7 million (0.8%)
- Outboard marine engines: $608.2 million (0.8%)
- Miscellaneous sawn or chipped coniferous wood: $507.3 million (0.7%)
Washington has negative net exports in the international trade of crude petroleum oil, gas and automobiles. In turn, these cashflows indicate Washington’s strong competitive global disadvantages under these product categories.
Washington State’s Major Trading Partners
The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased over two-thirds (71%) worth of the total value of products exported from Washington during 2022.
- China: $14.4 billion (23.6% of Washington’s total exports)
- Canada: $9.6 billion (15.8%)
- Japan: $5 billion (8.2%)
- South Korea: $2.97 billion (4.9%)
- Mexico: $2.95 billion (4.8%)
- Philippines: $1.97 billion (3.2%)
- Taiwan: $1.76 billion (2.9%)
- Ireland: $1.59 billion (2.6%)
- United Kingdom: $1.57 billion (2.6%)
- United Arab Emirates: $1.51 billion (2.5%)
Washington’s top trade partners in Asia (mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates) imported 45.2% of the overall value of exported goods from the Evergreen State.
That leading percentage for Asia compares with 20.6% of Washington State’s total export sales to its North American trade partners Canada and Mexico.
Washingtonian Export Companies
Ten of Washington-headquartered corporations rank among Forbes Global 2000. Selected examples are listed below.
- Alaska Air Group (airliner)
- Amazon.com (global e-commerce, cloud computing)
- Expeditors International (freight forwarding, customs brokerage)
- Microsoft Corporation (software, technology products)
- Paccar (commercial vehicles, auto parts)
- Weyerhaeuser (forest products)
Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the international trade-related products or services category in which each business sells.
Washington’s capital is Olympia, a city nicknamed “Oly” and “O-Town”.
See also Ohio’s Top 10 Exports, Alabama’s Top 10 Exports, Oregon’s Top 10 Exports, Louisiana’s Top 10 Exports and Tennessee’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Department of Numbers, Washington GDP (dollars shown in real terms). Accessed on April 26, 2023
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on April 26, 2023
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on April 26, 2023
GeoLounge, Fortune 500 List by State. Accessed on April 26, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 26, 2023
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 26, 2023
Statista, QuickFacts: Washington. Accessed on April 26, 2023
United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Washington. Accessed on April 26, 2023
USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on April 26, 2023
Wikipedia, Washington (state). Accessed on April 26, 2023
Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on April 26, 2023
Wikipedia, List of Washington (state) companies. Accessed on April 26, 2023
World’s Capital Cities, Capital Facts for Olympia, United States. Accessed on April 26, 2023
YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on April 26, 2023