Nicknamed “The Cornhusker State” located in America’s Midwestern and Great Plans regions, Nebraska shipped US$8 billion worth of exported products around the globe in 2023.

That dollar amount results from a 14.2% rise from $7 billion four years earlier in 2020.

Year over year, the total value of Nebraska’s exported goods fell by -10.3% compared to $8.9 billion for 2022.

Nebraska ranks as America’s 35th most lucrative exporter by state behind front-runners including Texas, California, Louisiana, New York state and Illinois.

The value of Connecticut’s exports equals 0.4% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2023.

Based on research from IBIS World, Nebraska’s exported products represent 6.3% of the state’s total economic output or Gross Domestic Product in 2023 ($126.4 billion).

Given Nebraska’s population of 1.99 million people, its total $8 billion in 2023 exports translates to roughly $4,000 for every resident in the Cornhusker State. That dollar metric lags the average $4,500 per capita in 2022.

Nebraska’s unemployment rate was 2.5% at the end of April 2024, up from 2% one year prior per YCharts.

Nebraska’s Top 10 Exports

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

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

1. Beef (boneless, fresh/chilled): US$980.6 million (12.3% of Nebraska’s exports)
2. Combine harvester-threshers: $561.2 million (7%)
3. Beef (boneless, frozen): $480.9 million (6%)
4. Soya beans: $471.3 million (5.9%)
5. Solid residues including soya bean oil-cake: $314.5 million (3.9%)
6. Corn: $221.9 million (2.8%)
7. Natural gas (gaseous state): $221.7 million (2.8%)
8. Frozen pork: $202.6 million (2.5%)
9. Veterinary vaccines: $161.8 million (2%)
10. Syringes, parts or accessories: $138.5 million (1.7%)

Nebraska’s top 10 exports approached half (47%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Posting gains from 2022 to 2023 was the value of Nebraskan exports of frozen pork (up 40.1%), combine harvester-threshers (up 29.9%), fresh or chilled boneless beef (up 16.5%), then exports of veterinary vaccines (up 0.6%).

Recording the severest declines since 2022 were exported natural gas in gaseous state (down -55.3%), corn (down -52.8%), and soya beans (down -31.6%).

More Key Facts about Nebraska’s International Trade

Nebraska earned an overall US$2.1 billion surplus exporting and importing products during 2023. That dollar amount reflects a -34% year-over-year reduction from $3.2 billion in black ink for 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 Nebraska’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2023.

1. Road tractors for semi-trailers: US$273.9 million (4.6% of Nebraska’s imports)
2. Nucleic acids, salts: $267.8 million (4.5%)
3. Heterocyclics with unfused pyrazole ring: $254.7 million (4.3%)
4. Parts for harvesters, threshers, mowers: $210.2 million (3.6%)
5. Colza seed oilcake, other solid residues: $170.9 million (2.9%)
6. Internal combustion piston engines: $124.8 million (2.1%)
7. Components with pyrimidine or piperazine ring: $113.2 million (1.9%)
8. Heterocyclics with unfused thiazole ring: $111.6 million (1.9%)
9. Live cattle not for purebred breeding: $109.6 million (1.9%)
10. Miscellaneous harvesting machinery: $91 million (1.5%)

Nebraska has positive net exports notably in the international trade of agricultural commodities including beef, soya beans and corn. In turn, these cashflows indicate Nebraska’s competitive advantages under those product categories.

Nebraska’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased almost four-fifths (77.5%) worth of the total value of products exported from Nebraska during 2023.

1. Canada: US$1.7 billion (21.3% of Nebraska’s exports)
2. Mexico: $1.5 billion (18.2%)
3. Japan: $699 million (8.8%)
4. mainland China: $666.4 million (8.3%)
5. South Korea: $669.7 million (7.1%)
6. Australia: $298.9 million (3.7%)
7. Belgium: $263.6 million (3.3%)
8. Taiwan: $196.2 million (2.5%)
9. Hong Kong: $171.2 million (2.1%)
10. Netherlands: $165.6 million (2.1%)

Nebraska’s top trade partners in North America (Canada and Mexico) bought 39.5% of the overall value of exported goods from the Cornhusker State.

In comparison, 28.8% of Nebraska’s exported goods were consumed by its major trade partners in Asia (Japan, mainland China, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong).

Nebraskan Export Companies

Eleven of Nebraska-based corporations rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Selected examples are listed below.

• Cabela’s Inc (outdoor recreational equipment)
• ConAgra Foods (food processing, packaging)
• Green Plains (ethanol)
• TD Ameritrade Holding Corp (brokerage firm)
• Union Pacific Corp (rail transportation)
• Valmont Industries (irrigation, windmill, lighting, traffic equipment)
• Werner Enterprises (freight transportation, logistics)
• West Corp (telecommunications)

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

Nebraska’s capital is Lincoln, a city nicknamed “Star City”.

See also North Dakota’s Top 10 Exports, Montana’s Top 10 Exports, Wisconsin’s Top 10 Exports, Delaware’s Top 10 Exports and Vermont’s Top 10 Exports

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

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

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

IBIS World, Nebraska Economic Profile (gross domestic product, population). Accessed on May 20, 2024

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

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

State Symbols USA, State Nicknames. Accessed on May 20, 2024

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Nebraska. Accessed on May 20, 2024

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

Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Nebraska. Accessed on May 20, 2024

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

Wikipedia, Nebraska. Accessed on May 20, 2024

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