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Alabama state flagNicknamed “The Heart of Dixie” and “The Cotton State” located in America’s southeastern region, Alabama shipped US$23.7 billion worth of exported products around the world in 2025.
That dollar amount results from a -8.9% slowdown from $26 billion four years earlier in 2022.
Year over year, the overall value of Alabamian exports dropped -12.2% compared to $26.9 billion during 2024.
Alabama ranks 22nd among America’s 25 biggest exporters by state behind front-runners including Texas, California, New York state, Louisiana, Illinois and Florida.
The value of Alabama’s exports equals 1.1% of the United States’ overall exported products for 2025, down from 1.3% in 2024.
Alabama’s exported products represent 6.9% of the state’s total economic output or nominal Gross Domestic Product ($341.2 billion). That percentage belies slippage from 8.4% for the prior year.
Given Alabama’s population of 5.2 million people, its total US$23.7 billion in 2025 exported goods translates to roughly $4,600 for every resident in the Cotton State. That dollar metric lags the average $5,225 per capita for the prior year.
Alabama’s unemployment rate was 2.8% at the end of April 2026, down from 2.9% for April 2025 per YCharts.
The following export products represent the highest dollar value in Alabama global shipments during 2025. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Alabama.
Figures are shown at the more granular six-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, for more precise product identification.
- Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): US$3.8 billion (15.8% of total Alabamian exports)
- Coal (non-agglomerated, bituminous): $1.6 billion (6.8%)
- Civilian aircraft, engines, other aircraft parts: $1.4 billion (5.7%)
- Larger automobiles (piston engine): $1.1 billion (4.7%)
- Larger automobiles (diesel engine): $915.7 million (3.9%)
- Automobiles with electric motor only: $780.1 million (3.3%)
- Processed petroleum oils excluding biodiesel: $662.3 million (2.8%)
- Chemical woodpulp, soda: $632.2 million (2.7%)
- Automobiles with diesel plus electric motors: $600.9 million (2.5%)
- Automobiles with spark ignition plus electric motors: $563.1 million (2.4%)
Alabama’s top 10 exports represent over half (50.7%) of the overall value of the state’s global shipments.
Processed petroleum oils excluding biodiesel posted the fastest gain from 2024 via a 101.4% advance, ahead of chemical woodpulp and soda (up 11.5%) then automobiles powered by diesel engine plus electric motors (up 7.6%).
Incurring the double-digit percentage declines were for Alabama’s exports of automobiles powered by electric motors only (down -53.1% from 2024), non-agglomerated bituminous coal (down -29.4%), mid-sized automobiles powered by piston engine (down -26.2%), larger automobiles powered by piston engine (down -16.7%), and larger automobiles powered by diesel engine (down -14.6%).
More Key Facts about Alabama’s International Trade
Alabama recorded an overall -US$11.2 billion deficit exporting and importing products during 2025. That dollar amount reflects a -4.8% year-over-year decline from -$11.8 billion in red ink in 2024.
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 Alabama’s top 10 import products highlighting the state’s highest spending on foreign-made goods in 2025.
- Crude petroleum oils: US$2.6 billion (7.4% of total Alabamian imports)
- Airplane or helicopter parts: $1.8 billion (5.2%)
- Large spark-ignition piston engines: $1.4 billion (4%)
- Motor vehicle body parts, accessories: $1.2 billion (3.4%)
- Motor vehicle gear boxes: $1.15 billion (3.3%)
- Motor vehicle parts, accessories: $846.6 million (2.4%)
- Insulated wiring (vehicle, aircraft): $801 million (2.3%)
- Parts of seats: $592.4 million (1.7%)
- Lithium ion batteries: $582.8 million (1.7%)
- :Parts for spark-ignition piston engines: $434.2 million (1.2%)
Alabama has highly negative net exports in the international trade of crude petroleum oils. In turn, these cashflows indicate Alabama’s competitive disadvantages under that mineral fuels-related category.
Alabama’s Major Trading Partners
The following list shows the top 10 customers that purchased about three-quarters (74.9%) worth of the total value of products exported from Alabama during 2025.
- Canada: US$4.3 billion (18.2% of total Alabamian exports)
- Mexico: $4 billion (17%)
- Germany: $3.4 billion (14.3%)
- mainland China: $2 billion (8.5%)
- India: $870.6 million (3.7%)
- Japan: $814.5 million (3.4%)
- South Korea: $711.8 million (3%)
- Brazil: $636.3 million (2.7%)
- United Kingdom: $522.1 million (2.2%)
- Belgium: $453.5 million (1.9%)
Alabama’s top trade partners in North America (Canada and Mexico) bought 35.2% of the overall value of exported goods from the Cotton State.
In comparison, major importers in Asia (mainland China, India, Japan and South Korea) accounted for 18.6% of total Alabamian exports versus 18.5% for leading buyer countries in Europe (Germany, United Kingdom and Belgium).
Alabama Export Companies
Three Alabama-based corporations rank among Fortune 1000 Companies, a list that showcases America’s largest businesses. Those firms are listed below.
- Encompass Health Corp (healthcare services)
- Regions Financial Corp (retail/commercial banking)
- Vulcan Materials Company (crushed stone, gravel, sand)
Shown within brackets for each company is a summary of products or services that each business offers, some of which are related to Alabama’s international trade transactions.
Alabama’s capital is Montgomery, a city nicknamed “The Gump”, “Cradle of the Confederacy” and “Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement”.
See also Utah’s Top 10 Exports, New York State’s Top 10 Exports, Top 10 Exports from Texas and Maine’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
FlagPictures.org, Flags of US States. Accessed on May 31, 2026
Forbes, Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 31, 2026
GeoLounge, Fortune 1000 Companies List, Fortune 1000 by State and Place. Accessed on May 31, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 31, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 31, 2026
IBIS World, Alabama Economic Overview (GDP, population). Accessed on May 31, 2026
United States Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Alabama. Accessed on May 31, 2026
USA Trade Online, Official Source of Trade Statistics. Accessed on May 31, 2026
Wikipedia, Alabama. Accessed on May 31, 2026
Wikipedia, List of Alabama Companies. Accessed on May 31, 2026
Wikipedia, List of U.S. states and territories by GDP. Accessed on May 31, 2026
YCharts, Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Report. Accessed on May 31, 2026
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