Nicknamed the “Keystone State” or “Quaker State” and located in America’s northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions, Pennsylvania shipped US$52.9 billion worth of exported products around the globe in 2023.

That dollar amount results from a 41.2% advance from $37.5 billion four years earlier in 2020.

Year over year, the overall value of Pennsylvanian exports increased by 6.2% compared to $49.8 billion during 2022.

Pennsylvania ranks as America’s 11th biggest exporter by state lagging front-runners including Texas, California, Louisiana, New York state and Illinois.

The value of Pennsylvania’s exports equals 2.6% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2023, up from 2.4% one year earlier.

Based on statistics from IBIS World, Pennsylvania’s exported products represent 7.2% of the state’s total economic output or Gross Domestic Product in 2023 ($736.3 billion).

Given Pennsylvania’s population of 12.972 million people, its total $52.9 billion in 2023 exports translates to roughly $4,050 for every resident in the Quaker State. That dollar metric exceeds the average $3,800 per capita for 2022.

Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was 3.4% at the end of March 2024, down from 3.5% one year prior per YCharts.

Pennsylvania’s Top 10 Exports

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

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

1. Miscellaneous medications: US$2.45 billion (4.6% of Pennsylvania’s total exports)
2. Human medicine vaccines: $2.33 billion (4.4%)
3. Coal (non-agglomerated, bituminous): $2.22 billion (4.2%)
4. Liquified propane: $2.16 billion (4.1%)
5. Immunological goods for retail sale: $1.74 billion (3.3%)
6. Smartphones: $922.6 million (1.7%)
7. Small portable computers: $850 million (1.6%)
8. Saturated acyclic hydrocarbons: $774.3 million (1.5%)
9. Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $693.7 million (1.3%)
10. Civilian aircraft, engines and other parts: $628.1 million (1.2%)

Pennsylvania’s top 10 exports generated over one-quarter (27.9%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.

Immunological goods for retail sale represent the fastest grower among the leading Pennsylvanian exports, increasing by 111.8% from 2022 to 2023.

In second place was non-agglomerated, bituminous coal (up 64.7%) ahead of exported human medicine vaccines (up 62.3%), smartphones (up 53.2%) then small portable computers (up 24.5%) and modems or similar reception and transmission devices (up 13.4%).

There were 3 decliners among Pennsylvania’s top 10 export products: saturated acyclic hydrocarbons (down -10.3% from 2022), liquified propane (down -8.6%), and miscellaneous medications (down -4.3%).

More Key Facts about Pennsylvania’s International Trade

Pennsylvania incurred an overall -US$59.8 billion trade deficit exporting and importing products during 2023. That dollar amount reflects a -1.8% year-over-year drop from -$60.9 billion in red 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 Pennsylvania’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2023.

1. Miscellaneous medications: US$12.7 billion (11.3% of Pennsylvania’s total imports)
2. Immunological products in dosage for retail sale: $6.8 billion (6%)
3. Smartphones: $5.6 billion (4.9%)
4. Crude petroleum oils: $5.1 billion (4.5%)
5. Small portable computers: $4.1 billion (3.6%)
6. Human medicine vaccines: $3.2 billion (2.9%)
7. Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): $2.8 billion (2.5%)
8. Modems, similar reception/transmission devices: $1.9 billion (1.7%)
9. Large automobiles (piston engine): $1.36 billion (1.2%)
10. Hormones: $1.3 billion (0.8%)

Pennsylvania has highly negative net exports especially in the international trade of a wide variety of medicines, mobile phones and crude petroleum oils. In turn, these cashflows indicate Pennsylvania’s strong competitive disadvantages under those product categories showing the strong impact of foreign goods on the Pennsylvanian global balance sheet.

Pennsylvania’s Major Trade Partners

The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased 69.6% worth of the total value of products exported from Pennsylvania during 2023.

1. Canada: US$14.3 billion (27% of Pennsylvania’s total exports)
2. Mexico: $5.4 billion (10.2%)
3. Netherlands: $3.24 billion (6.1%)
4. mainland China: $3.04 billion (5.8%)
5. Japan: $2.23 billion (4.2%)
6. United Kingdom: $2.1 billion (3.9%)
7. Germany: $2 billion (3.8%)
8. India: $1.7 billion (3.3%)
9. France: $1.5 billion (2.8%)
10. Belgium: $1.33 billion (2.5%)

Pennsylvania’s top trade partners in North America–Canada and Mexico–accounted for 37.2% of the overall value of the state’s exported goods.

That percentage compares to 13.2% bought by Asia’s leading importers (mainland China, Japan and India) of Pennsylvanian exports.

Another 15.3% worth went to Pennsylvania’s biggest customers in Europe. The major European customers consuming Pennsylvanian exports were the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Belgium.

Pennsylvanian Export Companies

Forty-six of Pennsylvania-headquartered corporations rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that includes America’s largest businesses. Selected examples are shown below.

• Armstrong World Industries (walls, ceilings)
• Carpenter Technology Corp (stainless steel, alloys)
• Dentsply Sirona (dental supplies, equipment)
• EnerSys (batteries)
• EQT Corp (petroleum, natural gas)
• GNC (vitamins, other health-related foods)
• Kennametal (tools, industrial materials)
• Unisys Corp (IT software, technology, services)
• United Refining Company (petroleum, gasoline)
• Vishay Intertechnology (electronic components, semiconductors)

Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of the international trade-related products or services which each business sells.
 
Pennsylvania’s capital is Harrisburg, a city literally nicknamed “Pennsylvania’s Capital City”.

See also Oklahoma’s Top 10 Exports, Alaska’s Top 10 Exports, Top 10 Exports from Massachusetts, Louisiana’s Top 10 Exports and Virginia’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on May 5, 2024

Forbes, 2016 Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 5, 2024

GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List, Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on May 5, 2024

IBIS World, Real gross domestic product of Pennsylvania. Accessed on May 5, 2024

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 5, 2024

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 5, 2024

United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Pennsylvania. Accessed on May 5, 2024

USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on May 5, 2024

Wikipedia, Category:Companies based in Pennsylvania. Accessed on May 5, 2024

Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on May 5, 2024

Wikipedia, Pennsylvania. Accessed on May 5, 2024

YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on May 5, 2024