Facts & Figures

Delaware is home to some of America’s most important businesses, including DuPont, which drives the state’s chemical manufacturing industry. Nearly one-quarter of all manufacturing workers in Delaware depend on exports for their jobs.

Job Creation

Trade supported 124,500 jobs in Delaware in 2008, or 22.8% of total jobs, up from 9.7% in 1992.¹
Almost one-quarter (23.5%) of all manufacturing workers in Delaware depended on exports for their jobs.²
In 2008, 30,800 people in Delaware were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.³

Exports and Growth

Delaware exported $5 billion in merchandise to foreign markets in 2010. Delaware’s largest market in 2010 was Canada ($1.3 billion), followed by the United Kingdom ($973 million), China ($361 million), Japan ($339 million), and Germany ($298 million).⁴
In 2008, 943 companies exported goods from Delaware. Of these, 85% were small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
Agricultural exports are important to Delaware’s economy, totaling $248 million in 2008.⁵
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed over $213.97 million in exports from 9 companies in 3 communities in Delaware.⁶

Education and Research

In 2008–2009, 1,532 Delaware students studied abroad.⁷
During 2009–2010, 3,005 international students were enrolled in Delaware colleges and universities, up 79.7% from the previous year, and contributed $76.4 million to the Delaware economy ⁸

Global Engagement

Since 1961, 441 Peace Corps volunteers from Delaware 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