What Is Each State’s Most Common Import And Export?

Last week I received an email highlighting a series of novel infographics that were recently put together by OnDeck showing the most common import and export for each state. I received permission to share and comment on these graphics.

The data was collected in January 2022, and reflects international trade data in 2020. First, the top import for every state.

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It may come as a surprise that petroleum is the top import into 12 states, making it the most common leading import. However, some context is needed. Many states import petroleum, refine it, and then export the refined products.

Texas is a good example of a state that is self-sufficient in petroleum, but nevertheless petroleum is the top import because there is a lot of refining capacity there.

There are some other imports that seem to be puzzling at first glance. South Dakota’s top import is “cow meat.” South Dakota has high per capita beef cattle production, but it lacks sufficient processing capacity. So, it exports the cattle to be processed, and imports that finished meat back.

New York has the most valuable import of any state, brining in $21.9 billion worth of precious metals each year.

On the export side, Texas wins the crown for the most valuable export of any state —$43.5 billion of finished petroleum products. Aircraft are the most common top export, leading in 14 states.

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It looks like all of those beef exports from South Dakota are getting processed in Nebraska, which has “cow meat” (let’s call it “beef”) as its top export.

Finally, OnDeck broke down the proportion of U.S. states that each of the top imports and exports dominates. First, the imports:

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And the exports:

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For a deeper dive into the numbers — including a look at each state’s “most unique” imports and exports — see Every State’s Top Import and Export.