Florida is the United States of America’s third-most highly populated state after California and Texas. Nicknamed the Sunshine State, Florida imported a total US$76.5 billion worth of products in 2020.

That dollar amount represents a -6.4% decline from 2019 to 2020 but a 1.5% gain over the 4-year period starting in 2017.

Florida’s total spending on imports equals 3.2% of America’s overall amount spent on products imported into the United States during 2020. Overall US imports cost $2.407 trillion for 2020.

Given Florida’s population of 21.5 million people, its total $76.5 billion for purchasing imported goods in 2020 translates to $3,550 for each Floridian resident.

The southernmost of America’s mainland states and located along the southeastern coastline, Florida is strategically located in a warm climate environment. Florida benefits from the proximity of its coastal areas to maritime shipping lanes in the Gulf of Mexico to its west, Atlantic Ocean to its east, and the Straits of Florida to its north.

The northern borders of Florida serve as boundaries with the southern areas of neighboring states Alabama and Georgia.

Florida’s Leading Imports (NAIC)

Based on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) classifications, Florida’s spending on computers and electronic products represent 11.6% of the state’s total imports by value. About 91.5% of households in Florida own computers, according to 2019 data from the United States Census Bureau.

Other leading imports for Florida organized under NAIC classifications are transportation equipment (11.5%), chemicals (10.2%), machinery excluding electrical (6.4%), primary manufactured metal (5.3%), electrical equipment, appliances and components (5.2%), beverages and tobacco products (5.1%), agricultural products (5%), miscellaneous manufactured items (4.4%), and food (4.3%).

Florida’s Leading Imports (HTS)

At the more detailed 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level, Florida’s most valuable imported products are: nucleic acids and salts; mid-sized automobiles powered by piston engine; cell phones; gold; processors and controllers for integrated circuits; Pacific salmon; bananas excluding plantains; and miscellaneous textile items.

Most of the above detailed imports are at least partially consumer products. Exceptions are nucleic acids and salts, processors and controllers for integrated circuits. Those commodities are intermediate products or raw materials which must be further processed before purchase in final form by consumers.

Florida’s Top Consumer Imports

Listed below are the top imported final products that are typically used by consumers.

The product descriptions shown correspond with those at the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level.

1. Mid-sized automobiles (piston engine): US$3.3 billion (4.4%)
2. Cell phones: $2.7 billion (3.6%)
3. Gold (unwrought): $2 billion (2.7%)
4. Pacific salmon: $1.2 billion (1.6%)
5. Bananas excluding plantains: $995 million (1.3%)
6. Miscellaneous textile items: $968 million (1.3%)
7. Miscellaneous petroleum oils: $827 million (1.1%)
8. Motorboats without outboard motors: $789 million (1%)
9. Large automobiles (piston engine): $685 million (0.9%)
10. Miscellaneous made-up textile items: $597 million (0.8%)
11. Perfumes, toilet waters: $532 million (0.7%)
12. Frozen shrimps, prawns: $491 million (0.6%)
13. Fresh-cut roses including buds: $470 million (0.6%)
14. Small portable digital computers: $463 million (0.6%)
15. Jewelry articles clad in precious metal: $453 million (0.6%)
16. Light petroleum oils: $444 million (0.6%)
17. Liquor $444 million (0.6%)

Collectively, Florida’s top 17 imported consumer products above approach one-quarter (23%) of the overall value of the state’s total imported goods.

From 2019 to 2020, importers in Florida increased their purchases of miscellaneous textile goods at the fastest pace via a 556% gain.

In second place for higher growth year over year was Florida’s imported liquor (up 322.9%), gold (up 115.7%), large automobiles with piston engine (up 28.8%), motorboats without outboard motors (up 26.4%) and small portable digital computers (up 23.7%), digital, video and television cameras (3.2%) and wheeled toys including tricycles, scooters and carriages (3%).

Floridian imports of mobile phones slowed to a 4.7% gain from 2019 to 2020. That metric suggests that Florida is a market approaching the saturation point for buying imported cell phones.

Leading the decliners year over year among these consumer-oriented imported products are miscellaneous petroleum oils (down -61.2%), light petroleum oils (down -49%), perfumes and toilet waters (down -25.4%), mid-sized automobiles with piston engines (down -16.2%) and jewelry clad in precious metal (down -7.7%).

Main Suppliers for Florida’s Imports by Country

From an international trade perspective, Florida imported about seven-tenths (69.8%) worth of the total value of its products from its top 15 international suppliers below.

1. China: $11.2 billion (14.7% of Florida’s total imports)
2. Mexico: $6.2 billion (8.1%)
3. Canada: $4.3 billion (5.6%)
4. Ireland: $3.7 billion (4.9%)
5. Germany: $3.6 billion (4.7%)
6. Vietnam: $3.3 billion (4.3%)
7. Brazil: $3.2 billion (4.2%)
8. Colombia: $2.9 billion (3.8%)
9. France: $2.8 billion (3.6%)
10. Chile: $2.6 billion (3.4%)
11. United Kingdom: $2.3 billion (3%)
12. Italy: $2.1 billion (2.8%)
13. Japan: $1.9 billion (2.5%)
14. India: $1.8 billion (2.4%)
15. Dominican Republic: $1.4 billion (1.8%)

Almost one-quarter (23.9%) of Florida’s spending on imported goods went were collected by major sources in 4 Asian countries. Florida imported another 19% worth was imported from top European trade partners while 13.7% came from North American suppliers Mexico and Canada.

Florida’s imports from 4 main trade partners increased in value from 2019 to 2020 namely Ireland (up 204.3%), Vietnam (up 14.6%), Colombia (up 11.4%) and Dominican Republic (up 3.2%).

See also

More great research: California’s Top Imported Consumer Products by Value, Bangladesh’s 100 Most Valuable Imported Consumer Products, United Kingdom’s Top 100 Imported Consumer Products, Saudi Arabia’s 100 Main Imported Consumer Products by Sales, Chile’s 100 Most Valuable Imported Consumer Products

References

Independent insights and analysis presented in this article are based on researched facts and statistics sourced from the following educational portals.

Department of Numbers, Florida GDP (dollars shown in real terms).

Forbes, The World’s Biggest Public Companies.

International Trade Centre, Trade Map.

IPL, States Ranked by Size & Population.

Pixabay, Florida state flag.

United States Census Bureau, Foreign Trade (State by 6-Digit HS Code),QuickFacts: Florida and USA Trade Online.

Wikipedia, Florida.

Wikipedia, List of states and territories of the United States by population.