Nicknamed the “Peace Garden State” and the “Roughrider State” located in America’s midwestern and northern regions, North Dakota shipped US$7.52 billion worth of products around the globe in 2023.

That dollar amount reflects a 45.4% increase from $5.2 billion four years earlier in 2020.

Year over year, the overall value of North Dakota’s exports accelerated via a 43.5% uptick starting from $5.25 billion for 2022.

North Dakota ranks as America’s 37th most lucrative exporter by state lagging front-runners including Texas, California, Louisiana, New York State and Illinois.

The value of North Dakota’s exports equals 0.4% of the United States’ overall export sales for 2023, up from 0.3% one year prior.

Based on research from IBIS World, North Dakota’s exported products represent 13.6% of the state’s total economic output or Gross Domestic Product in 2023 ($55.1 billion).

Given North Dakota’s population of 788,888 people, its total $7.52 billion in 2023 exports translates to roughly $9,500 for every resident in the Peace Garden State. That dollar metric exceeds the average $6,700 per capita in 2022.

North Dakota’s unemployment rate was 2% at the end of April 2024, up from 1.9% one year earlier per YCharts.

North Dakota’s Top 10 Exports

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

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

1. Light petroleum oils: US$3 billion (40.2% of North Dakota’s exports)
2. Crude petroleum oils: $570.2 million (7.6%)
3. Corn: $314.6 million (4.2%)
4. Mechanical front-end shovel loaders: $289 million (3.8%)
5. Large tractors: $254 million (3.4%)
6. Ethyl alcohol, other denatured spirits: $243.4 million (3.2%)
7. Biodiesel, petroleum mixes: $205.4 million (2.7%)
8. Track-laying tractors: $182.6 million (2.4%)
9. Wheat, meslin: $159.9 million (2.1%)
10. Soya beans: $118.3 million (1.6%)

North Dakota’s top 10 exports approached three-quarters (71.3%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Posting triple-digit growth among North Dakota’s top 10 export categories were shipments of light petroleum oils (up 110.5% from 2022).

Other leading gainers were soya beans (up 90.9%), crude petroleum oils (up 74.1%), track-laying tractors (up 71.7%) then mechanical front-end shovel loaders (up 62.6%).

The lone year-over-year loser was North Dakotan exports of wheat and meslin, pulled down by a -33.7% drop.

More Key Facts about North Dakota’s International Trade

North Dakota posted a $2.85 billion trade surplus exporting and importing products during 2023. That dollar amount reflects a 353.9% acceleration compared to $628.2 million 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 North Dakota’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2023.

1. Electronic integrated circuits: US$292 million (6.3% of North Dakota’s imports)
2. Crude petroleum oils: $275 million (5.9%)
3. Internal combustion piston engines: $216.5 million (4.6%)
4. Colza oilseed, rapeseed (low erucic acid): $140.1 million (3%)
5. Platinum scrap: $119.6 million (2.6%)
6. Anhydrous ammonia: $109.7 million (2.4%)
7. Air or gas pumps, compressors, fans: $104.9 million (2.2%)
8. Iron or steel casing for energy drilling: $90.5 million (1.9%)
9. Processed petroleum excluding biodiesel: $89.7 million (1.9%)
10. Urea: $76.3 million (1.6%)

Overall, North Dakota has positive net exports in the international trade of petroleum oils. In turn, these cashflows indicate North Dakota’s competitive advantages under petroleum-related categories.

North Dakota’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased 94.6% worth of the total value of products exported from North Dakota during 2023.

1. Canada: US$5.9 billion (78.6% of North Dakota’s exports)
2. Mexico: $538.9 million (7.2%)
3. Australia: $217.6 million (2.9%)
4. Brazil: $113.4 million (1.5%)
5. Czech Republic: $93.8 million (1.2%)
6. Belgium: $67.2 million (0.9%)
7. Germany: $59.2 million (0.8%)
8. Japan: $40.9 million (0.5%)
9. South Africa: $40.9 million (0.5%)
10. mainland China: $32.9 million (0.4%)

North Dakota’s top trade partners in North America (Canada and Mexico) bought 85.7% of the overall value of exports sold from the Peace Garden State.

North Dakotan Export Companies

Just one North Dakota-based corporation ranks among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Headquartered in the North Dakotan capital city of Bismarck, MDU Resources Group delivers regulated energy, construction materials plus related goods and services to its customers.

According to Zippia, below are examples of other relatively large companies based in North Dakota.

• Border States (electrical supplies, related products)
• RDO Equipment Co. (industrial machinery)
• Titan Machinery (agricultural, construction equipment)

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

North Dakota’s capital is Bismarck, a city nicknamed after Otto von Bismarck–former chancellor of the German Empire.

See also Nevada’s Top 10 Exports, Montana’s Top 10 Exports, Wisconsin’s Top 10 Exports, Arizona’s Top 10 Exports and Maryland’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on May 22, 2024

Forbes, 2020 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 22, 2024

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List for 2020 , Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on May 22, 2024

IBIS World, North Dakota Economic Overview (gross domestic product, population). Accessed on May 22, 2024

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 22, 2024

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 22, 2024

State Symbols USA, State Nicknames. Accessed on May 22, 2024

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: North Dakota. Accessed on May 22, 2024

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on May 22, 2024

Wikipedia, List of North Dakota Companies. Accessed on May 22, 2024

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on May 22, 2024

Wikipedia, North Dakota. Accessed on May 22, 2024

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on May 22, 2024

Zippia, These are the 100 largest companies in North Dakota. Accessed on May 22, 2024