Pharmaceuticals were NC’s top trade commodity in 2025
On both the import and export side, pharmaceuticals are the No. 1 trade commodity in North Carolina, according to year-to-date data from the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC). A further examination of the data reveals the state’s top commodities and trade partners in 2025.
Pharmaceutical exports were at $8.6 billion year-to-date through August, according to data from the EDPNC. On the import side, pharmaceuticals generated $19.6 billion year-to-date through August. Compared to last year, exports are up by 13.3% and imports are up by 74.2%.
“North Carolina’s top three commodity categories are identical for both imports and exports — pharmaceuticals, industrial machinery, and electric machinery,” Joseph Harris, fiscal policy analyst for the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “Yet despite this overlap, year-to-date through August, overall imports have surged by 21.9%, while exports have slipped by 2.6%.”
Industrial machinery, including computers, is No. 2 for both exports and imports. Exports of industrial machinery are at $3.7 billion, a 1.5% decrease from the previous year; while imports are at $12.3 billion, a 9.4% increase from the prior year.
Electrical equipment, including sound and TV equipment and parts, is No. 3 for both exports and imports. Exports in this category are at almost $2 billion, down 4.3% from last year; while imports are at $6.7 billion, up $11.4% from last year.
No. 4 & 5 for North Carolina’s exports are plastics and vehicles, respectively. Plastics are at $1.2 billion, down 6% from last year; and vehicles are at $1 billion, down 17.5% from last year, according to data from the EDPNC.
On the import side, vehicles are at No. 4, and natural pearls and precious stones, and metals are at No. 5. Vehicles are at $3.5 billion, down 28.3% from last year, and natural pearls and precious stones, and metals are at $2.9 billion, up 2,658.2% from the previous year.
Mexico and China are among the top five trade partners for both imports and exports; however, their rankings vary.
On the export side, Canada is the No. 1 trade partner, with $5.8 billion in trade, down 0.3% from last year. China is ranked No. 2 at $4.1 billion, down 6.8% from the previous year. Mexico ranks No. 3 at $3.6 billion, a 0.5% decrease from last year. France ranks No. 4 at $1.3 billion, a 1.9% decrease from last year. Finally, the Netherlands is ranked No. 5 at $900 million, up 34.7% from last year.
“Both of North Carolina’s top trading partners are in North America. Mexico is the state’s largest source of imports, sending approximately $9.1 billion in goods through August — an increase of 22.9% from last year,” continued Harris. “Canada has long been the largest purchaser of North Carolina exports, and despite global trade tensions, that trend has continued. North Carolina producers have shipped $5.8 billion in commodities to Canada this year, a slight dip of just 0.3% compared to last year.”
Mexico is the No. 1 trade partner on the import side, with $9.1 billion in imports, up 22.9% from last year. Germany is No. 2 at $8.76
“Much of the discussion around trade this year has focused on rising tensions between the United States and China,” concluded Harris. “Consequently, North Carolina’s trade with China has cooled noticeably: Chinese imports into the state are down 13.8% to $4.1 billion, and North Carolina’s exports to China have fallen 6.8% to roughly the same amount. These shifts mirror a broader national trend in which geopolitical uncertainty and tariff pressures are limiting the flow of American goods into Chinese markets while reducing the volume of Chinese products reaching US consumers.”
All data is from the EDPNC, year-to-date through August.
“Pharmaceuticals were NC’s top trade commodity in 2025” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.
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