Nicknamed the “Pelican State” or the “Bayou State” and found in America’s southeastern region, Louisiana shipped US$100.2 billion worth of exported products around the globe in 2023.

That dollar amount reflects a 71% acceleration from $121.4 billion four years earlier in 2020.

Year over year, the overall value of Louisianian exports fell by -17.4% compared to $121.4 billion during 2022.

Louisiana was America’s third-biggest exporter by state behind front-runners Texas and California, but ahead of fourth-place New York state.

The value of Louisiana’s exports equals 5% of United States’ overall exported products for 2023 ($2.019 trillion), down from 5.9% for 2022.

Based on research from IBIS World, Louisiana’s exported products represent 45.7% of the state’s total economic output or Gross Domestic Product ($219.1 billion) in 2023.

Given Louisiana’s population of 4.57 million people, its total $100.2 billion in 2023 exports translates to roughly $21,900 for every resident in the Bayou State. That dollar metric lags the average $26,600 per capita one year earlier during 2022.

Louisiana’s unemployment rate was 4.4% at March 2024, up from 3.6% in February 2023 per YCharts.

Louisiana’s Top 10 Exports

The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Louisianian global shipments during 2023. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Louisiana.

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

Louisiana’s biggest edible export is a soya beans, one of America’s most valuable exported food products.

1. Natural gas (liquid): US$22.2 billion (22.2% of Louisiana’s total exports)
2. Miscellaneous petroleum oils excluding biodiesel: $16.3 billion (16.2%)
3. Soya beans: $14.4 billion (14.3%)
4. Crude petroleum oils: $11.5 billion (11.4%)
5. Corn: $6.1 billion (6.1%)
6. Light petroleum oils: $3.6 billion (3.6%)
7. Solid residues including soya bean oil-cake: $3.4 billion (3.4%)
8. Petroleum coke, uncalcined: $1 billion (1%)
9. Wheat (excluding durum): $976.4 million (1%)
10. Non-agglomerated bituminous coal: $880.2 million (0.9%)

Louisiana’s top 10 exports generated four-fifths (80.1%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Crude oil represents the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 53.4% from 2022 to 2023.

The other commodity recording higher export sales was solid residues including soya bean oil-cake, appreciating by 24%.

The severest year-over-year declines among Louisiana’s top 10 export product categories were for corn exports (down -34.5% from 2022), wheat and meslin (down -32.9%), liquefied natural gas (down -30.3%), uncalcined petroleum coke (down -27.9%), and light petroleum oils (down -27.2%).

More Key Facts about Louisiana’s International Trade

Louisiana recorded an overall US$68.6 billion trade surplus exporting and importing products during 2023. That dollar amount results from a -17.6% deceleration from $83.2 billion in black ink one year earlier in 2022.

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 Louisiana’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2023 accounting for 51.3% of total Louisianian spending.

1. Crude petroleum oils: US$5.8 billion (18.3% of Louisiana’s total imports)
2. Refined petroleum oils excluding biodiesel: $4.6 billion (14.7%)
3. Refined copper cathodes: $1.3 billion (4.1%)
4. Coffee (unroasted, caffeinated): $906.2 million (2.9%)
5. Aluminum (unwrought, non-alloyed): $822.9 million (2.6%)
6. Refined palm oil: $673.3 million (2.1%)
7. Urea: $640 million (2%)
8. Diammonium hydrogenorthophosphate: $518.7 million (1.6%)
9. Iron ores (agglomerated): $492.2 million (1.6%)
10. Cyclic amides, derivates, salts: $423.8 million (1.3%)

Louisiana has highly positive net exports in the international trade of liquid natural gas, petroleum oils, soya beans and corn. In turn, these cashflows indicate Louisiana’s strong competitive advantages under these product categories competing on the global marketplace.

Louisiana’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased approaching three-fifths (58.1%) worth of the total value of products exported from Louisiana during 2023.

1. mainland China: US$15.4 billion (12.6% of Louisiana’s total exports)
2. Mexico: $9.3 billion (7.6%)
3. United Kingdom: $7.1 billion (5.8%)
4. Netherlands: $6.7 billion (5.5%)
5. Brazil: $5.8 billion (4.8%)
6. Japan: $5.4 billion (4.4%)
7. France: $5.4 billion (4.4%)
8. South Korea: $4.9 billion (4%)
9. Canada: $4.8 billion (3.9%)
10. Chile: $4.3 billion (3.5%)

China 13,979,331,655 14.0%
Mexico 6,931,336,721 6.9%
Netherlands 6,920,880,975 6.9%
United Kingdom 5,294,948,738 5.3%
Germany 5,031,731,050 5.0%
Canada 4,792,667,504 4.8%
Japan 4,237,133,332 4.2%
France 4,168,440,446 4.2%
Colombia 3,736,093,476 3.7%
Brazil 3,096,009,891 3.1%
Louisiana’s top trade partners in Asia (mainland China, Japan and South Korea) imported a combined 21% of the overall value for goods shipped from the Bayou State in 2023.

This compares with a much smaller 11.6% worth of exported goods sent from Louisiana to its North American trade partners, Mexico and Canada. Another 15.6% was sold to leading importers in Europe.
North Am Asia Europe
11.1% 18.2% 21.4%

Louisianian Export Companies

Four of the corporations located in Louisiana rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses.

• Albemarle Corporation (specialty chemicals)
• CenturyLink (telecommunications)
• Entergy Corp (electricity, natural gas)
• POOLCORP (swimming pool supplies)

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

Louisiana’s capital is Baton Rouge, the city nicknamed “B.R.” and the “Red Stick” (the latter a translation for le bâton rouge in French).

See also Alabama’s Top 10 Exports, Florida’s Top 10 Exports, California’s Top 10 Exports, Top 10 Exports from Texas and Hawaii’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on April 20, 2024

Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on April 20, 2024

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2020 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on April 20, 2024

IBIS World, Louisiana Economic Overview (GDP, population). Accessed on April 20, 2024

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 20, 2024

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 20, 2024

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Louisiana. Accessed on April 20, 2024

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on April 20, 2024

Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Louisiana. Accessed on April 20, 2024

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on April 20, 2024

Wikipedia, Louisiana. Accessed on April 20, 2024

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on April 20, 2024