Economy
Made in America: Goods Exports by State
Made in America: Goods Exports by State
After China, the U.S. is the next largest exporter of goods in the world, shipping out $1.8 trillion worth of goods in 2021—an increase of 23% over the previous year.
Of course, that massive number doesn’t tell the whole story. The U.S. economy is multifaceted, with varying levels of trade activity taking place all across the nation.
Using the latest data on international trade from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, we’ve visualized the value of America’s goods exports by state.
Top 10 Exporter States
Here are the top 10 American states that exported the highest dollar value worth of goods during 2021. Combined, these export-leading states represent 59.4% of the nation’s total exports.
| Rank | State | Total Exports Value | % share |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | $375.3 billion | 21.4% |
| #2 | California | $175.1 billion | 10.0% |
| #3 | New York | $84.9 billion | 4.8% |
| #4 | Louisiana | $76.8 billion | 4.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | $65.9 billion | 3.8% |
| #6 | Michigan | $55.5 billion | 3.2% |
| #7 | Florida | $55.5 billion | 3.2% |
| #8 | Washington | $53.6 billion | 3.1% |
| #9 | Ohio | $50.4 billion | 2.9% |
| #10 | New Jersey | $49.5 billion | 2.8% |
| Top 10 States | $1.04 trillion | 59.4% |
Texas has been the top exporting state in the U.S. for an incredible 20 years in a row.
Last year, Texas exported $375 billion worth of goods, which is more than California ($175 billion), New York ($85 billion), and Louisiana ($77 billion) combined. The state’s largest manufacturing export category is petroleum and coal products, but it’s also important to mention that Texas led the nation in tech exports for the ninth straight year.
California was the second highest exporter of goods in 2021 with a total value of $175 billion, an increase of 12% from the previous year. The state’s main export by value was computer and electronic product manufacturing, representing 17.8% of the total U.S. exports of that industry. California was also second among all states in exports of machinery manufacturing, accounting for 13.9% of the U.S. total.
What Type of Goods are Exported?
Here is a breakdown of the biggest U.S. export categories by value in 2021.
| Rank | Product Group | Annual Export Value (2021) | Share of Total Exports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral fuels including oil | $239.8 billion | 13.7% |
| 2 | Machinery including computers | $209.3 billion | 11.9% |
| 3 | Electrical machinery, equipment | $185.4 billion | 10.6% |
| 4 | Vehicles | $122.2 billion | 7.0% |
| 5 | Optical, technical, medical apparatus | $91.7 billion | 5.2% |
| 6 | Aircraft, spacecraft | $89.1 billion | 5.1% |
| 7 | Gems, precious metals | $82.3 billion | 4.7% |
| 8 | Pharmaceuticals | $78 billion | 4.4% |
| 9 | Plastics, plastic articles | $74.3 billion | 4.2% |
| 10 | Organic chemicals | $42.9 billion | 2.4% |
These top 10 export categories alone represent almost 70% of America’s total exports.
The biggest grower among this list is mineral fuels, up by 59% from last year. Pharmaceuticals saw the second biggest one-year increase (45%).
Top 10 U.S. Exports by Country of Destination
So who is buying “Made in America” products?
Unsurprisingly, neighboring countries Canada (17.5%) and Mexico (15.8%) are the two biggest buyers of American goods. Together, they purchase one-third of American exports.
| Rank | Destination Country | Share of U.S. Goods Exports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 17.5% |
| 2 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 15.8% |
| 3 | 🇨🇳 China | 8.6% |
| 4 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 4.3% |
| 5 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 3.7% |
| 6 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 3.7% |
| 7 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 3.5% |
| 8 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 3.1% |
| 9 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 2.7% |
| 10 | 🇮🇳 India | 2.3% |
Three Asian countries round out the top five list: China (8.6%), Japan (4.3%), and South Korea (3.7%). Together, the top five countries account for around half of all goods exports.
Maps
Mapped: Renewable Energy and Battery Installations in the U.S. in 2023
This graphic describes new U.S. renewable energy installations by state along with nameplate capacity, planned to come online in 2023.
Renewable and Battery Installations in the U.S. in 2023
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Renewable energy, in particular solar power, is set to shine in 2023. This year, the U.S. plans to get over 80% of its new energy installations from sources like battery, solar, and wind.
The above map uses data from EIA to highlight planned U.S. renewable energy and battery storage installations by state for 2023.
Texas and California Leading in Renewable Energy
Nearly every state in the U.S. has plans to produce new clean energy in 2023, but it’s not a surprise to see the two most populous states in the lead of the pack.
Even though the majority of its power comes from natural gas, Texas currently leads the U.S. in planned renewable energy installations. The state also has plans to power nearly 900,000 homes using new wind energy.
California is second, which could be partially attributable to the passing of Title 24, an energy code that makes it compulsory for new buildings to have the equipment necessary to allow the easy installation of solar panels, battery storage, and EV charging.
New solar power in the U.S. isn’t just coming from places like Texas and California. In 2023, Ohio will add 1,917 MW of new nameplate solar capacity, with Nevada and Colorado not far behind.
| Top 10 States | Battery (MW) | Solar (MW) | Wind (MW) | Total (MW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1,981 | 6,462 | 1,941 | 10,385 |
| California | 4,555 | 4,293 | 123 | 8,970 |
| Nevada | 678 | 1,596 | 0 | 2,274 |
| Ohio | 12 | 1,917 | 5 | 1,934 |
| Colorado | 230 | 1,187 | 200 | 1,617 |
| New York | 58 | 509 | 559 | 1,125 |
| Wisconsin | 4 | 939 | 92 | 1,034 |
| Florida | 3 | 978 | 0 | 980 |
| Kansas | 0 | 0 | 843 | 843 |
| Illinois | 0 | 363 | 477 | 840 |
The state of New York is also looking to become one of the nation’s leading renewable energy providers. The New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) is making real strides towards this objective with 11% of the nation’s new wind power projects expected to come online in 2023.
According to the data, New Hampshire is the only state in the U.S. that has no new utility-scale renewable energy installations planned for 2023. However, the state does have plans for a massive hydroelectric plant that should come online in 2024.
Decarbonizing Energy
Renewable energy is considered essential to reduce global warming and CO2 emissions.
In line with the efforts by each state to build new renewable installations, the Biden administration has set a goal of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and a net zero emissions economy by no later than 2050.
The EIA forecasts the share of U.S. electricity generation from renewable sources rising from 22% in 2022 to 23% in 2023 and to 26% in 2024.
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