What Does the U.S. Import and Export, and Why?

What Does the U.S. Import the Most? What Are the Most Common Exports?

Top imports into the U.S. are computers, cars, telephones, crude petroleum, pharmaceuticals, and clothing. Top U.S. exports are metals, gold, aircraft parts, and petroleum fuels, followed by chemicals, industrial supplies, machinery, and agricultural products.

Data shows the largest trading partners in each category (goods exported and imported) for the U.S. are Mexico, Canada, China, Germany, and Japan (2024):

In 2026 the U.S. has mostly exported to Mexico (electronics and intermediate goods) and Canada (machinery, vehicles, and electronics). China ranks third, with key markets being aircraft and machinery. 

Top Exports Drive Economic Growth

The U.S. is the world’s largest nation in terms of agricultural product trade (second behind the aggregated European Union). Leading agricultural exports are grains and feeds, soybeans, livestock products, fruits, vegetables, and consumer-oriented food products. Agricultural imports include processed foods, beverages, and tropical products, mostly from Canada, the European Union, and China.

Manufacturing exports are another major driver of U.S. global trade. Key sectors are aircraft components, engines, vehicles, machinery, chemicals, and electronic products. Growth has been significant in these markets, more than doubling over the last two decades, propelled by strong international demand. A significant portion of United States exports includes oil, natural gas, and refined petroleum products, representing substantial U.S. manufacturing inputs into global trade.

World Trade Patterns

Global trade is usually driven by comparative advantage, where countries focus on producing goods with lower opportunity costs, resulting in cheaper, higher-variety goods for consumers. Comparative advantage helps nations build economies of scale, reduce production costs, enhance resource allocation, and reduce consumer prices.

The U.S. trades to access cheaper goods, specialized technologies, and raw materials not available domestically, usually driven by consumer demand and global supply chains. U.S. exports are heavily distributed across high-value sectors, including industrial materials, technology, and energy. The U.S. leverages these strengths to produce goods where it has a technological or resource advantage (as in aerospace and software), while importing more labor-intensive goods, such as clothing.

The U.S. simultaneously imports and exports oil. It imports heavy crude for its refineries and exports refined gasoline and lighter crude, based on economic efficiencies. 

Although the U.S. maintains a trade deficit—importing more goods/services than it exports—this is not inherently harmful and can signal a strong economy, high consumer demand, and serve to increase foreign capital investment. However, in some cases, trade deficits can cause job losses in import-competing manufacturing sectors.

Other Impacts to Global Trade

Resource availability: Resources are a powerful global trade advantage, with unequal distribution causing nations to specialize their export commodities and import essential materials and products. They focus on producing goods where they have lower opportunity costs than their competitors, leading to improved efficiency and lower production costs. Roughly 20% of global merchandise trade consists of natural resources—largely energy, minerals, and forestry products.

Supply chain dynamics: Supply chains play a crucial role in facilitating international trade. Globalized, tech-driven supply chains increase efficiency, shorten delivery times, and reduce transaction costs. Global trade dynamics force companies to become more efficient and innovative to remain competitive, often using new digital technologies to reduce costs. By connecting to global markets, supply chains also provide logistical opportunities for companies to create economies of scale. 

Foreign direct investment (FDI): FDI shapes U.S. global trade by increasing exports, enhancing productivity, and creating jobs through inbound investment (foreign firms in the U.S.) and outbound investment (U.S. firms abroad). FDI-funded companies account for about 20% of U.S. exports, using this capital to better access foreign markets and resources, improving their global competitiveness. Inbound FDI increases U.S. trade by integrating American operations into global value chains. 

Reshoring/nearshoring: The COVID-19 pandemic proved how quickly supply chains can be crippled by unexpected circumstances. To minimize this risk, manufacturers are reshoring in greater numbers. By reducing reliance on imports, reshored manufacturing can improve a country’s trade balance. On the downside, an increase in reshoring may also spur protectionism, damage international trade relations, reduce export volume, and potentially create trade wars. Overall, however, localized supply chains enhance flexibility and make manufacturers less susceptible to the production and shipping risks associated with international disruptions.

Buyer Beware

The shift toward shorter and more agile supply chains is increasingly important to combat the impacts of global crises such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing U.S.-Iran War, which is wreaking havoc on energy prices, supply chains, and financial markets. Such global disruptions can happen very quickly and at a scale that significantly impacts world markets and trade relationships. 

KPMG, in its paper “Key trends impacting supply chains in 2026,” observes that ongoing tariffs, protectionism, and subsequent trade disruptions are likely to recur in 2026. For example, “new duties might change landed costs overnight, causing teams to reconsider the sourcing of materials, shipping routes, and prices to customers,” according to the report.

To be prepared, supply chains should focus on agility, such as “expanding their supplier networks, relocating production closer to vital markets, and holding extra stock in selected key regions,” adds KPMG. The company also advised using AI to manage trade and tariff volatility, such as “scenario simulators to help supply chain leaders simulate alternative flows and test ‘what-if’ possibilities, before policies are implemented.”