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Arizona

Arizona Trade Facts

  • In 2018, Arizona exported $22.5 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world. In 2016, exports from Arizona supported an estimated 95 thousand jobs.

Exports from Arizona and Jobs

  • Arizona was the 21st largest state exporter of goods in 2018.
     
  • In 2018, Arizona goods exports were $22.5 billion, an increase of 14 percent ($2.7 billion) from its export level in 2008.
     
  • Goods exports accounted for 6.5 percent of Arizona GDP in 2018.
     
  • Arizona goods exports in 2016 (latest year available) supported an estimated 95 thousand jobs. Nationally, jobs supported by goods exports pay up to an estimated 18 percent above the national average.

Made-in-America Manufacturing Exports from Arizona and Jobs

  • In 2018, Arizona exported $19.5 billion of manufactured products.
     
  • Arizona exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 81 thousand jobs in 2016.
     
  • The state's largest manufacturing export category is computer & electronic products, which accounted for $6.3 billion of Arizona's total goods exports in 2018.
     
  • Other top manufacturing exports are transportation equipment ($4.0 billion), electrical equipment, appliances & components ($2.2 billion), machinery, except electrical ($1.7 billion), and other fabricated metal products ($1.3 billion).

Exports Sustain Thousands of Arizona Businesses many of which are SMEs

  • A total of 7,405 companies exported from Arizona locations in 2016 (latest year available). Of those, 6,462 (87 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
     
  • Small and medium-sized firms generated 24.7 percent of Arizona's total exports of goods in 2016.

Arizona Depends on World Markets

  • The state’s largest market was Mexico. Arizona exported $7.7 billion in goods to Mexico in 2018, representing 34 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
     
  • Mexico was followed by Canada ($2.2 billion), China ($1.2 billion), United Kingdom ($929 million), and Japan ($755 million).
  • Arizona’s exports (2018 Value) to major world areas included:

    • APEC $15.7 billion

    • Asia $6.6 billion

    • European Union $4.0 billion

    • South/Central America and Caribbean $948 million

    • Sub-Saharan Africa  $161 million

  • 53 percent of Arizona’s exports ($12.0 billion) go to current FTA partners.  

Agriculture in Arizona depends on Exports

  • Arizona is the country’s 27th largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $1.7 billion in domestic agricultural exports abroad in 2017 (latest data available according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).1

  • Top Agricultural exports (2017 Value) were:

    • vegetables, processed

      • 2017 State Value: $384 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 2

    • other plant products

      • 2017 State Value: $368 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 12

    • vegetables, fresh

      • 2017 State Value: $204 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 2

    • cotton

      • 2017 State Value: $145 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 11

    • dairy products

      • 2017 State Value: $118 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 13

International Investment Creates Jobs in Arizona

  • In 2015 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 108,900 Arizona workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Arizona included the United Kingdom, Canada and France.
     
  • Foreign investment in Arizona was responsible for 4.6 percent of the state's total private-industry employment in 2015.

Arizona’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting

  • In 2017 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Arizona recorded goods exports: Phoenix ($13.2 billion), Tucson ($2.7 billion), Yuma ($383 million), Sierra Vista-Douglas ($234.4 million), Flagstaff ($66.6 million), Prescott ($55.2 million), Lake Havasu City ($52 million).

 

[1] Estimates of state exports of agricultural products by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and goods exports by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce are based on different methodologies and are not directly comparable.