Top US imports and exports

New figures show that the U.S. trade deficit in March was the nation’s largest in six years. But what, exactly, is the nation buying and selling? Maps by Fixr.com, the cost-estimating website, depict the top imports and exports by dollar value for each state. Natural resources including coal, crude and petrol are the most lucrative products sold by states including Texas, North Dakota and Montana while seeds, beef and cattle are sought by northern states. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Daniel Ramirez

The U.S. buys far more products than it sells to the rest of the world and in March, the nation’s trade deficit ballooned to its largest level since the 2007-09 financial crisis. The U.S. imported $51.4 billion more in goods than it sold to foreign markets in that month alone.

The latest figures reported this week also show that the U.S. imported 7.7 percent more goods than just a month earlier, and exports grew by less than 1 percent over the same period, Financial Times reports. The import data may be slightly skewed by the February slowdown of West Coast ports due to labor conflicts, and it’s important to keep in mind that demand for services, which make up two-thirds of the U.S. economy, is on the rise, Reuters reports.

Still, though, plenty of goods are moving back and forth every day between U.S. companies and overseas customers or suppliers. Fixr, a website that analyzes consumer costs, compiled 2014 data from the U.S. Census Bureau to show the top imports and exports by dollar value for each state. The data highlight the major goods that contribute to both sides of the trade deficit data on a state-by-state basis.

The top exports by dollar value for each U.S. state, according to 2014 data by the U.S. Census Bureau. Photo: Fixr.com

From the data, it's clear that the U.S. remains a major manufacturing hub for the world’s airplanes, which Fixr says are primarily sold to Britain, China, Japan, France and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. also specializes in refining fuels and Texas, New Jersey and Mississippi report their major export to be either petrol or gasoline. Other exports reflect major industries that are particularly active in a given state - Michigan exports trucks, Maine sends lobsters and Iowa supplies the world with corn.

The latest trade figures show that Americans imported 20 percent more consumer goods in March and 10 percent more vehicles than in February. The graph of top imports by state shows that cars are the highest-value import for several states including California, Oregon, New Jersey and Georgia.