You’ll Never Guess New York’s Largest Export – I Was Wrong at First Too

It's a super basic question about my home state that I got wrong. My whole family got it wrong too, and we're all New Yorkers, so I don’t feel so terrible about it.

Yesterday, I came across a Parade Magazine list of the biggest exports in each state of the USA. I quizzed myself before taking a peek, and I thought for sure that I knew what New York's would be. Connecticut’s was fairly easy, as it’s airplane parts (one would assume helicopter parts as well).

But what's New York’s biggest export? My first guess was dairy products, my mom’s was travel & tourism, my husband said entertainment with lots of Broadway, TV and movie making going on in New York, and my daughter said apples and fruit. None of these are correct.

The Correct answer is -- drum roll please -- diamonds!

24/7 Wall St, a financial news source says diamonds are our biggest export. They also say diamonds are our number one import, thanks to New York City’s world famous Diamond District. People travel from all parts of the world to purchase in the district. It’s a real paradise for diamond lovers.

FreeEnterprise.com  says the diamond industry provides 2.7 million jobs for the Empire State. Diamonds are not only used in jewelry making but also for industrial purposes. The Diamond District, is little more than a city block that generates more global sales than McDonald’s does internationally, according to BusinessInsider.Com. Exporting diamonds earns the state upwards of $25 billion annually.

More than 90 percent of the nation’s diamonds move through New York City according to DiamondDistrict.org. They are often imported as loose gems, then cut and  exported as jewelry or cut gems.

There is another correct answer to this question though. New York’s other greatest export is definitely it’s people. Fugggettabout it!