That dollar amount results from a 44.9% acceleration from $1.425 trillion five years earlier in 2020.
Year over year, the overall value of goods exported from the U.S. slowed to a 2.2% increase compared to $2.019 trillion for 2023.
America’s 5 leading export products by value in 2024 were crude oil, refined petroleum oils, petroleum gases, cars and blood fractions including antisera. In aggregate, those major exported goods accounted for one fifth (20%) of overall exports sold by the United States. That relatively low percentage suggests a diversified range of exported goods–albeit 3 of America’s most valuable exports are energy-related commodities.
America’s Most Valuable Trade Partners
The latest available country-specific data shows that 67.8% of products exported from the U.S. was bought by importers in: Canada (16.9% of the American total), Mexico (16.2%), mainland China (7%), Netherlands (4.3%), United Kingdom (3.87%), Japan (3.86%), Germany (3.7%), South Korea (3.2%), Brazil (2.4%), Singapore (2.23%), France (2.15%) and Taiwan (2.05%).
From a continental perspective, 33.1% of America’s exports by value was delivered to fellow North American trade partners while 30% was sold to importers in Asia. The United States shipped another 23.5% worth of goods to buyers in Europe.
Smaller percentages went to customers in Latin America (9.9%) plus the Caribbean but excluding Mexico, Oceania (1.9%) led by Australia and New Zealand, then those in Africa (1.6%).
Given America’s population of 336.8 million people, its total $2.064 trillion in export sales during 2024 translates to roughly $6,150 for every U.S. resident. That metric exceeds the average $6,000 for 2023.
United States Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups categorize the highest dollar value in American global shipments during 2023. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from the United States.
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$320.1 billion (15.5% of total exports)
- Machinery including computers: $252.4 billion (12.2%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $213.9 billion (10.4%)
- Vehicles: $143.8 billion (7%)
- Aircraft, spacecraft: $134.2 billion (6.5%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $106.3 billion (5.1%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $94.4 billion (4.6%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $80.1 billion (3.9%)
- Gems, precious metals: $73.8 billion (3.6%)
- Organic chemicals: $51.9 billion (2.5%)
America’s top 10 export product categories represent 71.2% of the overall value of U.S. global shipments.
Machinery including computers was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 8.3% year over year.
In second place for improving export sales was aircraft and spacecraft which was up by 7.5%.
Shipments of electrical machinery and equipment from the United States posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 6.6%.
The leading decliner among America’s top 10 export categories was vehicles via a -5.9% slowdown.
Note that the results listed above are at the categorized two-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level. For a more granular view of exported goods at the four-digit HTS code level, see the section below.
America’s Most Valuable Export Products: A Detailed View
The following searchable table displays 25 of the most in-demand goods shipped from the United States during 2024. Shown beside each product label is its total export value then the percentage increase or decrease from 2023 to 2024.
- Crude oil: US$118.5 billion (up 1.1% since 2023)
- Processed petroleum oils: $117.5 billion (up 4.1%)
- Petroleum gases: $62.2 billion (down -8%)
- Cars: $59.2 billion (down -6.1%)
- Blood fractions (including antisera): $54.6 billion (up 9.4%)
- Integrated circuits/microassemblies: $50.6 billion (up 16.2%)
- Automobile parts/accessories: $45.1 billion (down -5.1%)
- Computers, optical readers: $40.1 billion (up 31.2%)
- Phone devices including smartphones: $39 billion (up 4.5%)
- Electro-medical equipment (e.g. xrays): $36.8 billion (up 0.6%)
- Medication mixes in dosage: $33.7 billion (down -2.4%)
- Gold (unwrought): $29.7 billion (up 14%)
- Soya beans: $24.6 billion (down -12.3%)
- Computer parts, accessories: $24 billion (up 70.6%)
- Trucks: $21.2 billion (down -6.8%)
- Machinery for making semi-conductors: $19.7 billion (down -1.8%)
- Ethylene polymers: $16.5 billion (up 3.4%)
- Corn: $14.3 billion (up 4.8%)
- Coal, solid fuels made from coal: $14.2 billion (down -7.7%)
- Taps, valves, similar appliances: $14.1 billion (up 5%)
- Turbo-jets: $14.1 billion (up 23.8%)
- Orthopedic appliances: $13 billion (down -0.5%)
- Insulated wire/cable: $12.6 billion (down -0.3%)
- Diamonds (unmounted/unset): $12.4 billion (down -26.2%)
- Lower-voltage switches, fuses: $12.4 billion (down -0.6%)
These 25 exported goods were worth a subtotal of US$887 billion or 43% by value for all products exported from the U.S. during 2024.
Products Generating Greatest Trade Surpluses for the United States
The following types of American product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.
In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Aircraft, spacecraft: US$98.3 billion (Up by 3.8% since 2023)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $69 billion (Up by 22%)
- Oil seeds: $27 billion (Down by -12%)
- Cereals: $21 billion (Up by 6.5%)
- Other chemical goods: $13.1 billion (Up by 11.4%)
- Food industry waste, animal fodder: $9 billion (Down by -16.1%)
- Meat: $7.4 billion (Down by -21%)
- Cotton: $5.4 billion (Down by -17.3%)
- Ores, slag, ash: $4.8 billion (Up by 3%)
- Woodpulp: $3.8 billion (Down by -19.1%)
The United States has highly positive net exports in the international trade of aircraft launching gear and other on-deck landing equipment. In turn, these cashflows indicate America’s strong competitive advantages under the aerospace-related product category.
Products Causing Biggest Trade Deficits for the United States
America incurred a -US$1.295 trillion trade deficit for 2024, expanding by 12.3% from the -$1.153 trillion in red ink for all products one year earlier in 2023.
Below are product categories from the United States that are negative net exports or product trade balance deficits for 2023. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on American goods trail U.S. importer spending on foreign products.
- Machinery including computers: -US$278.7 billion (Up by 23.2% since 2023)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$272 billion (Up by 3.5%)
- Vehicles: -$247.7 billion (Up by 8.5%)
- Pharmaceuticals: -$118.3 billion (Up by 35.1%)
- Furniture, bedding, lighting, signs, prefab buildings: -$63 billion (Up by 7%)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: -$44.1 billion (Up by 5.3%)
- Toys, games: -$36.5 billion (Down by -1.1%)
- Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): -$33.6 billion (Up by 0.4%)
- Articles of iron or steel: -$29.7 billion (Down by -2.9%)
- Footwear: -$27 billion (Up by 6.3%)
United States has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits for electronics-related equipment, notably consumer electronics.
The resulting cashflow deficiency clearly exemplifies U.S. competitive disadvantages in the international markets for machinery and electronics, but also represents key opportunities for entrepreneurs in the United States to improve the home country’s position in the global economy through focused innovations and creative employment initiatives.
Major American Export Companies
Wikipedia lists many of the larger international trade players from the United States.
- AbbVie (pharmaceuticals)
- Apple (computer hardware)
- Boeing (aerospace)
- Chevron Corporation (oil, gas)
- Cisco Systems (communications equipment)
- ConocoPhillips (oil, gas)
- Eli Lilly and Company (pharmaceuticals)
- Exxon Mobil (oil, gas)
- Intel (semiconductors)
- Johnson & Johnson (medical equipment, supplies)
- Merck & Co (pharmaceuticals)
- Occidental Petroleum (oil, gas)
- PepsiCo (beverages)
- Pfizer (pharmaceuticals)
- Philip Morris International (tobacco)
- Procter & Gamble (household, personal care items)
- Qualcomm (semiconductors)
- Schlumberger (oil, gas)
- The Coca-Cola Company (beverages)
In macroeconomic terms, the United States’ total exported goods represent 7.1% of its overall Gross Domestic Product ($29.2 trillion valued in Purchasing Power Parity U.S. dollars). That 7.1% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2023 compares to 7.5% for 2023. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for America’s total economic performance, at least in the short term.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its jobless rate. America’s unemployment rate published by the International Monetary Fund averaged 4.081% for 2024, up from the average 3.625% jobless rate one year earlier.
Related Read: United States Top 100 Consumer Product Exports
See also United States Top 10 Imports, America’s Top Trading Partners, Top United States Trade Balances, America’s Top 20 Export States and United States Top 10 Major Export Companies and World’s Top Food Exports Special Data Report
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on February 24, 2025
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on February 24, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 24, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on February 24, 2025
Richest Country Reports, Key Statistics Powering Global Wealth. Accessed on February 24, 2025
SHIPHUB, HS Code for Food. Accessed on February 24, 2025
USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on February 24, 2025
Wikipedia, List of Companies of United States. Accessed on February 24, 2025