Alaska

Alaska’s bountiful natural resources drive its economy, and exports play a huge role in creating prosperity and jobs. While Alaska’s world-renowned seafood drives over half of all exports, its plentiful oil, gas, timber, and precious metals are also in high demand around the world.

Job Creation

Trade supported 97,500 jobs in Alaska in 2008, or 21.6% of total jobs, up from 8.1% in 1992.¹
7.6% of all manufacturing workers in Alaska depended on exports for their jobs.²
In 2008, 12,500 people in Alaska were employed by foreign-controlled companies.³

Exports and Growth

Alaska exported $4.2 billion in merchandise to foreign markets in 2010. Alaska’s largest market in 2010 was Japan ($1.2 billion), followed by China ($923 million), South Korea ($477 million),Canada ($385 million), and Switzerland ($211 million).⁴
In 2008, more than 300 companies exported goods from Alaska. Of these, 76% were small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
Agricultural exports are important to Alaska’s economy, totaling $1.9 million in 2010.⁵
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed $65 million in exports from 7 companies in 4 communities in Alaska.⁶

Education and Research

In 2008–2009, more than 100 Alaska students studied abroad.⁷
During 2009–2010, 515 international students were enrolled in Alaskan colleges and universities and contributed $11 million to the Alaska economy.⁸

Global Engagement

Since 1961, almost 900 Peace Corps volunteers from Alaska have served in dozens of countries overseas.⁹

http://businessroundtable.org/uploads/studies-reports/downloads/Trade_and_American_Jobs.pdf
http://www.trade.gov/mas/ian/statereports/
http://www.bea.gov/scb/pdf/2010/11%20November/1110_us_ops.pdf
http://www.trade.gov/mas/ian/statereports/
http://www.fas.usda.gov/info/factsheets/WTO/states.html
https://webappsprod01.exim.gov/apps/usmap/usmap.nsf
http://www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors/Data/Fact-Sheets-by-US-State
http://www.nafsa.org/publicpolicy/default.aspx?id=23158
http://multimedia.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/stats/homestates.pdf