Top 5 US Imports from Countries of the Worlds

Top 5 US Imports from Countries of the Worlds

The United States of America imported US$2.409 trillion worth of goods from around the globe in 2017. That dollar amount reflects a 3.6% uptick since 2013 and a 7.2% gain from 2016 to 2017. From January to September 2018, America’s imported goods were valued at $1.938 trillion. This 9-month metric puts US imports on track for an annualized $2.584 trillion estimated for all 2018. From a continental perspective, 45.9% of America’s total imports by value in 2017 were purchased from providers in Asia. Fellow North American trade partners supplied 25.9% of import sales to the U.S. while 21.1% worth originated from Europe.

At 5%, suppliers from Latin America (excluding Mexico) plus the Caribbean account for a smaller percentage of American import purchasea, with an even tinier 1.4% coming from shippers in Africa.That's right, appearing on both lists are motor vehicles, cellphones, computers, motor vehicle parts, gasoline and computer chips. It is safe to assume that these are different things, with the exception of the cellphones and quite possibly some percentage of the computers. Both of those are likely able to save on overall duties required when the "combined" product is exported. But it is telling, nonetheless. Here's a look at the nation's top 10 imports, the fourth post in a series on the nation's top 10 exports, top 10 trade partners, and top 10 airports, seaports and border crossings. All of the data is from the U.S. Census Bureau, as analyzed by WorldCity, the company where I serve as president.

#1 Electrical hardware, gear: US$356.8 billion (14.8% of complete imports) 

#2 Hardware including PCs: $349.1 billion (14.5%) 

#3 Vehicles: $294.6 billion (12.2%) 

#4 Mineral energizes including oil: $204.2 billion (8.5%) 

#5 Pharmaceuticals: $96.4 billion (4%)