Facts & Figures

Massachusetts’ world class workforce and educational institutions make it a central location for the manufacture and export of cutting edge technology. Massachusetts’ medical equipment, high tech instruments, and industrial machinery are in high demand across the globe, and exports support 28% of all manufacturing jobs in the state.

Job Creation

Trade supported 921,900 jobs in Massachusetts in 2008, or 21.8% of total jobs, up from 10.1% in 1992.¹
More than one quarter (28%) of all manufacturing workers in Massachusetts depended on exports for their jobs.²
In 2008, 188,900 people in Massachusetts were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.³

Exports and Growth

Massachusetts exported $23.6 billion in merchandise to 206 foreign markets in 2009. Massachusetts’ largest market in 2009 was the United Kingdom ($4.0 billion), followed by Canada ($3.1 billion), the Netherlands ($2.0 billion), Germany ($1.8 billion), and Japan ($1.7 billion).⁴
In 2008, 9,161 companies exported goods from Massachusetts. Of these, 90% were small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
Agricultural exports are important to New England’s economy, totaling $711 million and supporting about 8,235 jobs in 2008.⁵
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed $1.3 billion in exports from 109 companies in 64 communities in Massachusetts.⁶

Education and Research

In 2008–2009, 12,752 Massachusetts students studied abroad.⁷
During 2009–2010, 35,313 international students were enrolled in Massachusetts colleges and universities and contributed $1.25 billion to the Massachusetts economy.⁸

Global Engagement

Since 1961, 7,448 Peace Corps volunteers from Massachusetts have served in dozens of countries overseas.⁹
Support from U.S. government grants and contracts to private voluntary organizations engaged in foreign assistance and development in Massachusetts totaled over $381 million in 2008.¹⁰

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
http://www.pvo.net/usaid