Facts & Figures

Kentucky has made sizeable inroads into global export markets largely on the strength of its transportation equipment and chemical industries. While more than a fifth of all Kentucky manufacturing jobs are dependent on exports, other sectors, such as Kentucky’s renowned livestock and world-famous bourbon distilleries, generate millions in profits and thousands of jobs through international trade.

Job Creation

Trade supported 488,800 jobs in Kentucky in 2008, or 20.0% of total jobs, up from 10.3% in 1992.¹
More than one-fifth (22.1%) of all manufacturing workers in Kentucky depended on exports for their jobs.²
In 2008, 95,200 people in Kentucky were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.³

Exports and Growth

Kentucky exported $19.3 billion in merchandise to foreign markets in 2010. Kentucky’s largest market in 2010 was Canada ($5.8 billion), followed by the United Kingdom ($1.4 billion), Mexico ($1.3 billion), Japan (1.2 billion) and Germany (878 million).⁴
In 2008, 3,269 companies exported goods from Kentucky. Of these, 79% were small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
Agricultural exports are important to Kentucky’s economy, totaling $1.6 billion and supporting about 18,532 jobs in 2008.⁵
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed over $286.7 million in exports from 33 companies in 12 communities in Kentucky.⁶

Education and Research

In 2008–2009, 2,946 Kentucky students studied abroad.⁷
From 2008–2009, three Kentucky institutions sent more than 80% of their students abroad at some point during their undergraduate careers.⁸
During 2009–2010, 4,669 international students were enrolled in Kentucky colleges and universities and contributed $97.4 million to the Kentucky economy.

Global Engagement

Since 1961, 1,319 Peace Corps volunteers from Kentucky 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