Take a look at this fascinating map of what each state imports the most. Utah brings in a lot of gold.
In fact, Utah and New York are the only states whose top imports are precious stones and metals. Fixr.com produced the map using census data.
For most states, the #1 import is crude oil. That's not surprising given how reliant Americans are on motor transportation.
Many states’ most imported commodity is crude oil. For the last 40 years, the U.S. has had a ban on the export of crude oil, and therefore all oil produced in the country must be refined in the country. There are refineries situated all over the U.S. to refine crude oil produced in the country, but also crude oil from Mexico, Canada, and to a lesser extent the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. The Northeast states do not have refining capacity and therefore their largest import is gasoline.
Nebraska and the Dakotas import a lot of livestock or agricultural items.
Some other oddities stand out:
- Wisconsin imports a lot of sweaters.
- West Virginia's top import is "polyester component."
- North Carolina uses a lot of laptop computers.
