Seattle Metro Area is #6 Exporter in the Nation

By Seattle Business Magazine March 6, 2012

The Seattle metropolitan area was the sixth largest exporter in the United States in 2010 with merchandise shipments totaling $35.4 billion. The Seattle metro area accounted for 76.9 percent of the state’s exports. It’s unclear if the figure includes products produced elsewhere in the state and but shipped out through the Port of Seattle. Here’s…

The Seattle metropolitan area was the sixth largest exporter in the United States in 2010 with merchandise shipments totaling $35.4 billion. The Seattle metro area accounted for 76.9 percent of the state’s exports. It’s unclear if the figure includes products produced elsewhere in the state and but shipped out through the Port of Seattle.

Here’s the rest of the press release from the International Trade Administration:

For the top 50 U.S. merchandise export destinations, Seattle ranks among the major metropolitan area exporters to China ($5.2 billion), Japan ($3.6 billion), Canada ($3.3 billion), Germany ($1.7 billion)and South Korea ($1.6 billion).

Seattle ranks among the major metropolitan area exporters of Computer and Electronic Products ($2.9billion), Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping ($2.1 billion), Miscellaneous Manufactured Commodities($1.1 billion), Food and Kindred Products ($922 million) and Forestry and Logging ($150 million).

In 2010, Seattle benefited from existing trade agreements, exporting $4.3 billion to the NAFTA regionand $86 million to the CAFTA-DR region.

12 percent of Seattles merchandise exports go to NAFTA countries.

TOP SECTORS TOP COUNTRIESSector Value Share Country Value ShareComputer and ElectronicProducts$2.9 billion 8 % China $5.2 billion 15%Fishing, Hunting, andTrapping$2.1 billion 6 % Japan $3.6 billion 10%Miscellaneous ManufacturedCommodities$1.1 billion 3 % Canada $3.3 billion 9%Machinery $1.1 billion 3 % Germany $1.7 billion 5%Transportation Equipment suppressed Ireland suppressedNote: The order in which sectors and countries are displayed does not necessarily reflect the true rank ordering of thetop countries. The suppressed data may, in fact, be rightfully anywhere in the ranking.

1. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA

2. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX

3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA

4. Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI

5. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL

6. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

7. Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI

8. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

9. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

10. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

11. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

12. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH