Nicknamed the “Badger State” or “America’s Dairyland” and located in the Midwest and Great Lakes region within the north-central United States, Wisconsin shipped US$28 billion worth of exported products around the world in 2024.

That dollar amount reflects a 12.1% upturn from $24.8 billion four years earlier in 2021.

Year over year, the overall value of Wisconsin’s exports fell by -0.8% compared to $28 billion for 2023.

Wisconsin ranks as America’s 21st most lucrative exporters by state well behind front-runners including Texas, California, New York state, Louisiana and Illinois.

The value of Wisconsin’s exports equals 1.3% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2024, down from 1.4% one year prior.

Based on research from Statista, Wisconsin’s exported products represent 6.2% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product ($451.3 billion).

Given Wisconsin’s population of 5.9 million people, its total $28 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $4,750 for every resident in the Badger State. That dollar metric outpaces the average $4,650 per capita for 2022.

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate was 3.1% at the end of July 2025, up from 2.9% one year prior per YCharts.

Wisconsin’s Top 10 Exports

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

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

1. Civilian aircraft, engines, other aircraft parts: US$943.4 million (3.4% of Wisconsin’s total exports)
2. Miscellaneous digital processing units: $779.2 million (2.8%)
3. Miscellaneous computers: $583.6 million (2.1%)
4. Outboard engines for marine vessels: $351.8 million (1.3%)
5. Medical, dental, veterinarian instruments: $330.7 million (1.2%)
6. Static converters, ADP power supplies: $311.5 million (1.1%)
7. Spark-ignition piston engine parts: $298.8 million (1.1%)
8. Miscellaneous plastic items: $269.2 million (1%)
9. Miscellaneous food preparations: $266.6 million (1%)
10. Mechanical shovels, excavators: $261 million (0.9%)

Wisconsin’s top 10 exports accounted for 15.8% of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

The fastest percentage increases in Wisconsinite export sales belong to miscellaneous digital processing units (up 153.9% from 2023), mechanical shovels and excavators (up 59.9%), medical, dental or veterinarian instruments (up 42.9%), then miscellaneous computers (up 24.6%).

There were two year-over-year double-digit percentage decliners among Wisconsin’s top 10 export products. These were civilian aircraft, engines or other aircraft parts (down -23% from 2023) and outboard engines for marine vessels (down -22.4%).

More Key Facts about Wisconsin’s International Trade

Wisconsin incurred an overall -US$10.97 billion trade deficit exporting and importing products during 2024. That dollar amount results from a -1% reduction from -$11.1 billion in red ink for 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 Wisconsin’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2024.

1. Human medicine vaccines: US$3.3 billion (8.4% of Wisconsin’s total imports)
2. Hand tools with electric motors: $1 billion (2.5%)
3. Snow vehicles, golf carts: $906.9 million (2.3%)
4. Trucks (piston engine): $555.1 million (1.4%)
5. Miscellaneous medicines in measured doses for retail: $548.5 million (1.4%)
6. Medical, dental, veterinarian instruments: $492.4 million (1.3%)
7. Static converters, ADP power supplies: $475 million (1.2%)
8. Controls for electric apparatus: $328.9 million (0.8%)
9. Parts of spark-ignition piston engines: $304.4 million (0.8%)
10. Road tractors for semi-trailers (diesel): $271.8 million (0.7%)

Wisconsin has negative net exports such as in the international trade of human-use vaccines and hand tools with electric motors. In turn, these cashflows indicate Wisconsin’s strong competitive disadvantages under these categories and, in particular, show the strong impact of foreign-made vaccines and related goods on Wisconsin’s balance sheet.

Wisconsin’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchase seven-tenths (71.2%) worth of the total value of products exported from Wisconsin during 2024.

1. Canada: US$8.2 billion (29.6% of Wisconsin’s total exports)
2. Mexico: $4.3 billion (15.6%)
3. mainland China: $1.6 billion (5.6%)
4. Germany: $1.1 billion (4.1%)
5. Australia: $806.2 million (2.9%)
6. Netherlands: $804 million (2.9%)
7. Belgium: $802.2 million (2.9%)
8. United Kingdom: $765.1 million (2.8%)
9. South Korea: $700.1 million (2.5%)
10. Taiwan: $661.2 million (2.4%)

Wisconsin’s top trade partners in North America, namely Canada and Mexico, approached one-half (45.2%) of the total value of goods exported from the state.

Leading the above-listed customers for exports of Wisconsin in Europe (12.6%) and Asia (10.5%) generated smaller percentages.

Wisconsinite Export Companies

More than 20 of Wisconsin-headquartered corporations rank among America’s largest companies as documented in the Fortune 1000 listing. Selected examples are shown below.

• A. O. Smith Corporation (water boilers, heaters, tanks, treatment)
• Bemis Company (flexible packaging, pressure-sensitive materials)
• CUNA Mutual Group (financial services)
• Fiserv (financial services technology)
• Harley-Davidson (motorcycles)
• Oshkosh Corporation (specialty trucks, military vehicles)
• Plexus Corporation (electronic products)
• Regal Beloit Corporation (electric motors)
• Rockwell Automation (industrial automation systems)
• Snap-on Incorporated (industrial tools, equipment)

Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the international trade-related product category or services in which each business deals.
 

Wisconsin’s capital is Madison, a city nicknamed Mad City and the Four Lakes City.

See also Nevada’s Top 10 Exports, Montana’s Top 10 Exports, Kentucky’s Top 10 Exports, Arizona’s Top 10 Exports and Maryland’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
BizTimes–Milwaukee Business News, Wisconsin has 9 firms on 2022 Fortune 500 list. Accessed on September 16, 2025

FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on September 16, 2025

Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 16, 2025

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 16, 2025

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 16, 2025

Statista, Real gross domestic product of Wisconsin. Accessed on September 16, 2025

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Wisconsin. Accessed on September 16, 2025

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on September 16, 2025

Wikipedia, Wisconsin. Accessed on September 16, 2025

Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Wisconsin. Accessed on September 16, 2025

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on September 16, 2025

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on September 16, 2025