In 2020, the US exported more than $1.4 trillion worth of goods and imported a whopping $2.3 trillion.

Fast-forward to now, however, and everything from the coronavirus pandemic to growing tensions with China have affected the state of US trade. But what are the country's top commodities?

Read on as we count down America's 20 biggest imports and exports, according to the most recent complete data from the US Census Bureau. 

Although it still supplies more than a quarter of America's cotton clothing imports, China's market share is slipping due to sanctions.

In September 2020, the Trump administration banned the import of products from five Chinese apparel and tech suppliers that operate in Xinjiang, where forced labor and ethnic oppression are rife. To make up the shortfall, America is now importing more apparel products from Bangladesh, Vietnam, and India.

Non-monetary gold isn't held as reserve assets by the authorities and is most often in the form of bullion or gold powder. The US imported $35.1 billion worth of non-monetary gold in 2020, a huge increase from the $10 billion worth it imported the year before.

In April 2020 alone, America imported 111.7 tonnes of gold from Switzerland, its biggest monthly import total on record. As COVID-19 began to spark national lockdowns, the demand for bullion skyrocketed as it was seen as a stable investment that could weather a potential economic storm.

With General Motors and Fiat Chrysler increasing their manufacturing base south of the border, Mexico has seen a dramatic increase in its exports of trucks, buses, and special purpose vehicles to the US.

The country now supplies around 80% of America's imports in this category, which worked out to around $29.9 billion worth of vehicles back in 2020. 

The US imported industrial supplies worth $36 billion in 2020. China remains America's largest foreign provider when it comes to tools, equipment, and materials for MRO (maintenance, repair and operations), which encompasses everything from hoists to mops.

Canada and Mexico follow in second and third place.

According to the Journal of Commerce Online, many of America's biggest importers operate in the furniture and household goods sector, including Target, The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Ashley Furniture.

The total value of the goods imported in this category in 2020 was $37.9 billion, a small increase from the $37.5 billion that was imported in 2019. 

Despite US sanctions on Chinese trade, China still dominates the market when it comes to toys, games, and sporting goods in America.

In 2020, the US imported more than $27.85 billion worth of the products from China alone, representing almost 68.5% of its total stock. Vietnam, Mexico, and Japan were the next biggest importers of toys and games that year. 

Finished metal shapes – a category that includes metal products in their final form as opposed to raw materials – are also among America's biggest imports.

In 2020, the US imported a bumper $45.6 billion worth of the supplies. It sources many of its finished steel products from South Korea and Canada, which together account for 30% of America's steel pipes and tubes. 

According to the Observatory for Economic Complexity (OEC), the United States was the globe's biggest importer of medical equipment in 2019.

In 2020, the nation imported $46.9 billion worth of medical supplies, which was an increase of around $1.4 billion from the year before. According to data from Statista, America's 2019 imports included over $213 million worth of nitrile and sterile medical gloves from China.

Tariffs that had been placed on these goods were swiftly lifted on 6 March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic necessitated the import of record amounts ($427 million worth, to be precise) of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical workers.

In 2020, Mexico was the largest exporter to the US for equipment or fittings that operate electricity, such as motors, switches, and fuses, among others. These can range from industrial to home; the category works as a catch-all for non-generating components.

Data shows that Mexico accounted for a massive 47% of the electrical apparatus imported to the US in 2020, followed by Canada with a market share of 9.48%, and China with a market share of 7.93%.

This category includes all non-electric machines that do not retail to consumers.

China has overtaken Japan as the largest exporter to the US in the last five years, coinciding with its increased focus on the western market. In 2020, America imported $55.89 billion worth of industrial machines. 

Despite rising tensions with China, the People's Republic has consistently provided half of all computer accessories sold in the US.

In 2020, America imported $56.7 billion worth of computer accessories, an increase of around 6.8% from 2019. 

In February 2020, the news site Semiconductor Engineering aired concerns that the world was heading for a semiconductor shortage – and by the first quarter of 2021, the lack of semiconductors was wreaking havoc on global supply chains.

While 2021 figures are likely to be significantly lower, the US imported around $58.57 billion worth of semiconductors in 2020, primarily from China, Malaysia, and Japan. 

Within the last decade or so, the US has doubled its imports of the hardware that enables us to make phone calls and send text messages, which includes transmission lines and multiplexers.

However, between 2018 and 2020, these imports fell by a massive 20%, dropping from $73.978 billion worth to $58.582 billion. According to Statista, China is the world's leading telecommunications exporter, shipping out $690 billion worth of the equipment in 2020. 

From 2019 to 2020, America's imports of nonwool or cotton apparel and textiles rocketed by 15.5%, an increase of over $8.3 billion.

Previously, goods from China accounted for nearly half of these imports. But the People's Republic and nearby Vietnam are claiming a smaller market share year-on-year, mainly due to US sanctions. 

Global demand for crude oil dropped dramatically due to the coronavirus pandemic and in 2020, America imported 'just' $76.51 billion worth of the commodity.

This represents a significant decline from 2019, when the country imported crude oil worth a whopping $126,521 billion. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the US was a net importer of crude oil in 2020. However, some of its imports were refined to create petroleum products for export, such as gasoline and diesel. 

According to the OEC, America was the largest importer of computers in the world in 2019, importing an enormous $81.9 billion worth of the machines. Considering this figure rocketed to $89.17 billion in 2020, the country is likely to have held onto its crown.

So where are these computers coming from? Between them, China, Mexico, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Canada account for over $76 billion of America's computer imports, with over $40 billion worth coming from China alone. 

This wide-ranging category includes everything from kitchenware, bicycles, and musical instruments to art, clothing, and cleaning equipment.

In 2019, the US imported $107.793 billion worth of household goods, so imports in this category fell by almost 9% the following year. According to Counterpoint Research, US smartphone sales declined by 6% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic continuing to affect demand. 

Mexico is far and away the largest exporter to the US for this category, providing nearly $48 billion in parts and accessories in 2018.

Why? Automobile giants General Motors and Fiat Chrysler both have a manufacturing presence in Mexico. China and Canada are also significant sources for US imports, selling $16.4 billion and $11.8 billion respectively in 2019.

Imports in this category dropped slightly in 2020, falling below $100 billion for the first time in years, presumably due to a lack of demand sparked by COVID-19 and restrictions.

The automotive industry accounts for around 3% of America's total GDP, so it's perhaps unsurprising that passenger cars were the country's second biggest import in 2020.

The US imports the majority of its passenger cars from Japan, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, and Germany. Between them, automakers from these countries earned a whopping 83.4% of the money spent on cars delivered to the US that year. 

For the first time ever, America's biggest imports in 2020 were pharmaceutical preparations: drugs intended for human or veterinary use in their final form, ready for consumption.

It's not hard to see why 2020 was a record-breaking year. By the end of December, the US had bought around 400 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna.

Although both companies are headquartered in America, some Pfizer vaccines were imported from the European Union.

These components display the temperature, pressure, or flow of any type of media in any type of process. In 2018, Mexico, Canada, and China were the top three importers of America's exports of these instruments instruments, with each buying approximately $3 billion worth.

America wasn't just importing non-monetary gold in 2020. It also exported more than $23 billion worth of the stuff, marking a significant increase from the $18.7 billion it exported in 2019. 

The US exports barely a quarter of what it imports in this category because there are no longer any cell phones manufactured here. Canada is the leading importer of household goods, with $4.8 billion last year.

Meanwhile, exports to Hong Kong have grown tenfold since 2009, bringing it to the position of second highest importer in 2018. Among the household goods manufactured in the US are Pyrex, Anchor glassware, and KitchenAid stand mixers.

America is one of the five biggest exporters of computer accessories in the world, along with China, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Between them, these five countries accounted for almost three-quarters of the computer accessories that were exported around the globe in 2020. The largest computer accessory manufacturers in the US currently are Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Lenovo. 

Unlike the similarly-named import category, this category refers to non-agricultural industrial materials rather than goods.

In 2020, America exported $25.6 billion worth of other industrial supplies, mainly to Mexico, Canada and China. Collectively, this trio makes up nearly two-thirds of the market. 

According to OEC data, the US is the second-largest exporter of organic chemicals worldwide after Denmark.

Mexico, followed by Canada, spends the most on US chemicals, and the same is true for the smaller inorganic category. Other big names among America's top chemical companies include Dow, DuPont, ExxonMobil, Mosaic, and Eastman Chemical.

As of 2020, soybeans are one of America's most popular exports. The US exported a massive $26.6 billion worth of the legume that year, up from $18.6 billion in 2019.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, China alone spent more than $14 billion on American soybeans – more than all of the other importers combined. 

Mexico is not only the biggest importer for the US telecom market – spending between $4 and $6 billion each year over the last decade – but is also deemed the “best prospect” for exports by the US Department of Commerce.

In 2020, America exported $31 billion worth of telecommunications equipment, down from $35.8 billion in 2019 and $37.2 billion in 2018. 

This category is for products that fall outside of the fertilizer, organic, and inorganic categories, with Mexico, Canada, and China the top three destinations for these chemicals.

According to the US Commerce Department, the US chemical industry as a whole supplies 18% of global chemical shipments, and saw total sales exceed $765 billion in 2017.

Combined, Mexico and Canada make up 40% of the import market of US plastic. Foreign companies opening new plants in Mexico are driving increased demand for plastic materials including resins, especially for supplying auto parts to nearby car manufacturers.  

As the coronavirus pandemic worsened, the US came under fire for exporting crucial medical equipment such as PPE and respirators while its own hospitals were running low on supplies.

In April 2020, it was announced that medical exports could be seized before leaving the country, enabling authorities to redistribute them domestically if necessary. Despite the controversy, America still exported $36.7 billion of medical equipment that year. 

Mexico has long been the top importer of American electric apparatus, and it has seen its sales more than double over the last decade.

In 2020, Mexico accounted for 38% of electrical exports from the US, spending $3.36 billion. It was followed by Canada, which spent $1.26 billion on 14.4% of exports in this category. 

In 2020, America exported $38.7 billion worth of petroleum products, down from $56.3 billion worth in 2019, as global demand dropped during the coronavirus pandemic.

The US exported more than 194 million barrels of refined petroleum products to Mexico in 2017, which is more than 50% of Mexico’s domestic gasoline consumption. Canada is the next largest trade partner, spending about half of what Mexico does.  

Global exports of vehicle parts and accessories totalled $339.8 billion in 2020, with America accounting for $44.9 billion of that figure.

Canada has been one of the top importers of vehicle parts and accessories from the US for most of the past decade but Mexico has been catching up fast, as it now supplies manufacturers such as General Motors and Fiat Chrysler. 

US exports of passenger cars fell by almost 20% between 2019 and 2020. Despite the drop, Canada remained America's top importer, followed by Germany and China.

The US exported 142,452 new passenger vehicles and light trucks to China in 2020, according to data from Statista. 

The oil-bearing Bakken shale in North Dakota and Montana has created a boom over the last decade, with exports soaring from less than a billion dollars in 2009 to $49.5 billion in 2020.

In March 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic began to gain ground, America was exporting around 3,625 barrels of crude oil a day, mostly to Canada and South Korea.

Continental Resources, Whiting Petroleum and ExxonMobil are among the companies active in the Bakken Shale, though the most prolific state is actually Texas, which accounted for 86.4% of America's total crude oil exports in 2020. 

Mexico has doubled its imports of semiconductors since 2009, with $9.4 billion in goods purchased last year. China is the second largest importer, spending $7 billion in 2018.

In the interests of security, however, the US announced in May 2020 that semiconductors made using American design software couldn't be sold to Huawei or any of its affiliate businesses. 

American exports of industrial machines have doubled since 2009, with the largest importer, Canada, consistently spending between $8 billion and $9 billion. In the same period, Mexico has doubled its spending from $3.3 billion to $7.9 billion, while China's spending has increased nearly three-fold.

This export category is one of the few that saw modest growth in 2020, recording sales of $57.3 billion compared to sales of $57.1 billion in 2019. 

Pharmaceutical preparations were America's second biggest exports in 2020. Typically, the Netherlands is the largest importer of US pharmaceuticals, buying nearly $5 billion worth of drugs in 2018. During the pandemic, American companies such as Pfizer and Moderna have led the way when it comes to vaccines, but the US has exported relatively few doses.

By May 2021, shared by the Financial Times showed that the US had exported just three million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, despite having made 268 million. The UK, which produced 23 million, had exported just one million. China, meanwhile, had exported around 200 million of its 415 million vaccines. 

Civilian aircraft, engines, equipment, and parts have collectively been America's top export for years. But the coronavirus pandemic has seriously dented their value.

In 2019, the US exported a whopping $130.7 billion worth of civilian aircraft. This number plummeted to just $71.9 billion in 2020 as global air travel ground to a halt.

Now discover the six major factors that are threatening the wealth of Americans.