A super-sized economy
Despite having around a third of the population of other economic superpowers such as China or India, the USA continues to be the driving force in the global economy. To put things into perspective, if California alone were a country, it would have the sixth largest economy in the world.
There are also cultural differences between the north, south, east and west coasts to consider. To think of the US as one market is a mistake. When trading with America it's advisable to divide focus region by region.
Import importance
America imported US$2.25trn worth of goods from around the globe in 2016, up by 40.6% from 2015. US imports represented 13.7% of the estimated US$16.473trn in total global imports in 2015.
So how do you get in on the action? Top imports include electrical goods and computers, machinery, and vehicles. For the top three growth areas, download our Country Guide to the USA.
The USA’s top 10 imports
1. Electrical machinery, equipment: US$336bn (14.9% of total imports)
2. Machinery including computers: US$315.4bn (14% of total imports)
3. Vehicles: US$285bn (12.7% of total imports)
4. Mineral fuels including oil: US$163.4bn (7.3% of total imports)
5. Pharmaceuticals: US$92.5bn (4.1% of total imports)
6. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: US$80.8bn (3.6% of total imports)
7. Gems, precious metals: US$67.3bn (3% of total imports)
8. Furniture, bedding, lighting, signs, prefab buildings: US$63.1bn (2.8% of total imports)
9. Plastics, plastic articles: US$50.4bn (2.2% of total imports)
10. Organic chemicals: US$49.8bn (2.2% of total imports)