Virginia

Virginia Exports and Foreign Investment

In 2025, Virginia exported $19.0 billion of goods to the world. In 2023, exports from Virginia supported an estimated 73 thousand jobs (latest data available).

Exports from Virginia and Jobs

• Virginia was the 25th largest state exporter of goods in 2025.
• In 2025, Virginia goods exports were $19.0 billion, an increase of 7 percent ($1.2 billion) from its export level in 2015.
• Virginia goods exports in 2023 supported an estimated 73 thousand jobs (latest data available). Nationally, jobs supported by goods exports pay up to an estimated 18 percent above the national average.

Manufacturing Exports from Virginia and Jobs

• In 2025, Virginia exported $14.8 billion of manufactured products.
• Virginia exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 54 thousand jobs in 2023 (latest data available).
• The state's largest manufacturing export category was chemicals, which accounted for $2.4 billion of Virginia total goods exports in 2025.
• Other top manufacturing exports were computer & electronic products ($2.2 billion), transportation equipment ($2.1 billion), machinery, except electrical ($1.3 billion), and food & kindred products ($1.2 billion).

Exports Sustain Thousands of Virginia Businesses many of which are SMEs

• A total of 7,111 companies exported from Virginia locations in 2023 (latest data available). Of those, 5,980 (84 percent) were small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
• Small and medium-sized firms generated 38.0 percent of Virginia total exports of goods in 2023.

Virginia's Largest Export Markets

• The state’s largest export market was Canada. Virginia exported $2.9 billion in goods to Canada in 2025, representing 15 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
• Canada was followed by Mexico ($1.4 billion), Germany ($935 million), India ($929 million), and South Korea ($875 million).
• Virginia goods exports to major world areas included:

• 38 percent of Virginia goods exports ($7.2 billion) in 2025 went to current FTA partners.

Virginia's Top Agricultural Exports

• Virginia was the country’s 33rd largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $1.3 billion in domestic agricultural exports abroad in 2024 (latest data available according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture). 1
• Top agricultural exports were:

	2024 Value	2024 State Rank
other plant products	$326 million	18
soybeans	$136 million	20
other livestock products	$118 million	11
broiler meat	$117 million	13
tobacco	$102 million	3

International Investment Creates Jobs in Virginia

• In 2023 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed an estimated 209 thousand Virginia workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Virginia included the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany.

Virginia’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting

• In 2024 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Virginia recorded goods exports: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria ($13.3 billion), Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk ($7.8 billion), Kingsport-Bristol ($3.7 billion), Richmond ($2.7 billion), Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford ($1.6 billion), Roanoke ($959.8 million), Harrisonburg ($541.1 million), Lynchburg ($480.7 million), Winchester ($339 million), Staunton-Stuarts Draft ($215.9 million), and Charlottesville ($149.6 million).