(ST. PAUL, MINN) — Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) today announced that exports increased 7% overall between 2023 and 2024, exceeding national export growth of 2% in the same period. Minnesota exported nearly $27 billion in agricultural, mining, and manufactured goods to about 200 countries, ranking 13th highest for export growth and 23rd highest in export value among all states.
“Minnesota has been a consistent leader in the delivery and production of high-demand goods, driven by strong global ties and a workforce of world-class growers, problem-solvers, and innovators,” said Governor Walz. “As President Trump threatens the partnerships that contribute billions of dollars to our economy, Minnesota will fight to protect relationships abroad and ensure continued economic growth.”
Exports of mineral fuel, oil (up $1.1 billion), optical, medical (up $463 million), plastics (up $243 million), and sugar (up $80 million) were major drivers of last year’s success. A resurgence of Minnesota’s mineral fuel and oil exports to Canada – which jumped 122 percent to $2.2 billion – was the dominant contributor to the state’s export growth.
Optical and medical goods grew a robust 11 percent, led by strong performances in Taiwan, Mexico, Korea, and China. Plastics reversed some of the decline of recent years with a gain of 24 percent, with high growth in markets such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Ireland, and Belgium. Exports of sugar products (up 85 percent) were propelled by sales to Mexico (up 178 percent to $136 million).
Overall, Minnesota exports saw growth across major world regions in 2024. Exports to North America saw notable gains (up 13 percent to $11.7 billion), fueled by both Canada and Mexico. Exports also saw growth across Asia (up eight percent to $7 billion) and the Middle East (up 24 percent to $577 million). While exports saw the greatest growth in established markets such as Mexico, Canada, Taiwan, Thailand, and Korea, they also saw vigorous growth to emerging export markets such as UAE, Qatar, and Vietnam.
