Facts & Figures

Maine exports a diverse range of goods and services to the rest of the world. From state of the art semiconductors to wood and paper products to seafood, Maine exports are big for business, supporting thousands of jobs in a variety of industries. Developing nations such as Malaysia, China, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa are among the top international markets purchasing products made in Maine.

Job Creation

Trade supported more than 180,000 jobs in Maine in 2008, or about 20% of total jobs, up from 7.5% in 1992.¹
Almost one-sixth (15.6%) of all manufacturing workers in Maine depended on exports for their jobs.²
In 2008, nearly 30,000 people in Maine were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.³

Exports and Growth

Maine exported $3.1 billion in merchandise to foreign markets in 2010. Maine’s largest market in 2010 was Canada ($1.0 billion), followed by Malaysia ($850 million), China ($333 million), the Netherlands ($109 million), and South Korea ($99 million).⁴
In 2008, over 1,400 companies exported goods from Maine. Of these, 86% were small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.⁵
Agricultural exports are important to Maine’s economy, totaling more than $470 million in 2010.⁶
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed over $220 million in exports from eight companies in seven communities in Maine.⁷
Since 1971, Overseas Private Investment Corporation has invested nearly $9 million in companies throughout Maine.

Education and Research

In 2008-2009, more than 1,200 students studied abroad, a 6.2% increase over the previous academic year.⁸
During 2009-2010, about 1200 international students were enrolled in Maine colleges and universities and contributed $37 million to the Maine economy.⁹

Global Engagement

Since 1961, nearly 1,700 Peace Corps volunteers from Maine have served in dozens of countries overseas.¹⁰

Download the Fact Sheet

http://businessroundtable.org/uploads/studies-reports/downloads/Trade_and_American_Jobs.pdf
http://ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/state_reports/
Anderson, Thomas and William J. Zeile. “U.S. Affiliates of Foreign Companies Operations in 2008”. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce. http://www.bea.gov/scb/pdf/2010/11%20November/1110_us_ops.pdf
http://ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/state_reports/
http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/state_reports/index.html
http://www.fas.usda.gov/info/factsheets/WTO/states.html
https://webappsprod01.exim.gov/apps/usmap/usmap.nsf
Institute of International Education. “Open Doors 2010 Report on International Educational Exchange Institute of International Education”. STUDY ABROAD BY U.S. STATE, 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