
That dollar amount results from a 2% year-over-year increase from $446.2 billion in 2023.
Compared to $378 billion back in 2020, international sales of Texan exports grew by 20.4% to the total shown above for 2024.
Texas is America’s number one exporter by state with total revenue well ahead of the next biggest export states (California, New York state, Louisiana, Illinois and Florida).
The value of exports shipped from Texas equals 22% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2024, down from 23.4% in 2023.
Texan exports represent 16.8% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product in 2024 ($2.71 trillion).
The most valuable products shipped from Texas are crude oil, refined petroleum oils excluding biodiesel, and light petroleum oils also excluding biodiesel. Collectively, those three major commodities generated 39.6% of total Texan export revenues during 2024 revealing a relatively concentrated export economy.
Given the population of 31.3 million Texans in 2024, the total $455 billion in 2024 Texan exports translates to roughly $14,550 for every resident in the Lone Star State. That per-capita metric lags the average $14,600 one year earlier during 2023.
Per YCharts, the unemployment rate for Texas was 4.1% at March 31, 2025 up from the state’s 4% jobless percentage one year earlier.
Texas’ Top 10 Exports
The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Texas global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Texas.
Figures are shown at the more granular six-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, for more precise product identification.
- Crude petroleum oils: US$110.9 billion (24.4% of total Texan exports)
- Refined petroleum oils excluding biodiesel: $35.2 billion (7.7%)
- Light petroleum oils excluding biodiesel: $34.3 billion (7.5%)
- Liquified propane: $20.3 billion (4.5%)
- Civilian aircraft, aircraft engines, other parts: $12.2 billion (2.7%)
- Integrated circuits (processors/controllers): $11.1 billion (2.4%)
- Natural gas (liquid): $8.74 billion (1.9%)
- Computer parts and accessories: $8.71 billion (1.9%)
- Saturated acyclic hydrocarbons: $6 billion (1.3%)
- Machinery for making semi-conductor devices: $5275.8 million (1.2%)
The top 10 export product categories from Texas accounted for over half (55.5%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Computer parts and accessories represent the fastest grower among the top 10 Texan export categories by dollar value, up by 43.8% from 2023 to 2024.
Also posting double-digit gains were saturated acyclic hydrocarbons (up 33.4% from 2023), civilian aircraft or aircraft engines and other parts (up 22%), then liquified propane (up 12.6%).
The severest year-over-year reduction among Texas’ top 10 export products belongs to machinery for making semi-conductor devices which recorded a -10% retreat year over year.
Key Facts About Texan International Trade
Overall, Texas generated a US$57.9 billion surplus exporting and importing products during 2024. That dollar amount results from a -9.1% year-over-year shrinkage from $63.7 billion in black ink one year earlier 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.
Products imported into Texas totaled US$397.2 billion during 2024.
Below are the top 10 products imported by Texas, highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2024.
- Digital processing units (individual components): $34.4 billion (8.7% of total Texan imports)
- Crude petroleum oils: $27.8 billion (7%)
- Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $13.2 billion (3.3%)
- Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $12.7 billion (3.2%)
- Refined petroleum oils excluding biodiesel: $9.3 billion (2.3%)
- Trucks: $7.7 billion (2%)
- Computer parts and accessories: $7.6 billion (1.9%)
- Integrated circuits (processors/controllers): $6.4 billion (1.6%)
- Passenger vehicles with spark-ignition and electric motors*: $6.2 billion (1.6%)
- Insulated wirings (vehicles, ships, aircraft): $5.1 billion (1.3%)
*not charged by electric plug
As for trade balances by product, Texas has highly positive net exports in the international trade of petroleum oils and similar energy products. These positive cashflows indicate comparative competitive advantages for Texas under these product categories showing the impact of foreign demand on the state’s global balance sheet.
Most Valuable Trade Partners for Texas
The following list shows the top 10 customers that bought two-thirds (66.8%) worth of the total value of products exported from Texas during 2024.
- Mexico: $123.5 billion (27.1% of total Texan exports)
- Canada: $36.6 billion (8%)
- Netherlands: $32.5 billion (7.2%)
- South Korea: $23.6 billion (5.2%)
- mainland China: $22.5 billion (4.9%)
- United Kingdom: $15.1 billion (3.3%)
- Japan: $14 billion (3.1%)
- Singapore: $12.8 billion (2.8%)
- Brazil: $12 billion (2.6%)
- Taiwan: $11.4 billion (2.5%)
The top customers for Texan exports located in North America (Mexico, Canada) bought more than a third (35.2%) of the overall value of goods shipped from the Lone Star State during 2024.
Products from Texas exported to leading customers in Asia (South Korea, mainland China, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan) consumed another 18.5% of overall Texan export sales.
Texas Export Companies
Fifty-one of Texas-headquartered corporations rank among Forbes Global 2000. Selected examples are listed below.
- AT&T Inc (telecommunications)
- ConocoPhillips (oil, gas)
- Dell (computers)
- Energy Transfer Equity (oil, gas)
- Exxon Mobil (oil, gas)
- National Oilwell Varco (oilfield equipment)
- Phillips 66 (oil refining)
- Sysco Corp (food products)
- Tesoro Corp (refined oils)
- Valero Energy (oil, gas)
Shown within brackets for each company above is a summary of the international trade-related product category in which each business deals.
The capital city for Texas is Austin, nicknamed the “Live Music Capital of the World”.
See also America’s Top 20 Export States, United States Top 10 Exports and Top United States Trade Balances
Research Sources:
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on April 22, 2025
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on April 22, 2025
Houston Chronicle, Texas’ biggest companies, according to Forbes, by Fernando Ramirez. Accessed on April 22, 2025
IBIS World, State Economic Profile (including GDP). Accessed on April 22, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 22, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 22, 2025
Office of the Texas Governor, The Largest Companies Headquartered in Texas. Accessed on April 22, 2025
United States Census Bureau, Foreign Trade (State by 6-Digit HS Code). Accessed on April 22, 2025
United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Texas. Accessed on April 22, 2025
USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on April 22, 2025
Wikipedia, Economy of Texas. Accessed on April 22, 2025
Wikipedia, Texas. Accessed on April 22, 2025
Wikipedia, List of Texas Companies. Accessed on April 22, 2025
YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on April 22, 2025