Facts & Figures

Missouri’s machinery, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, rubber and aircraft industries all profit from international trade. While Canada and Mexico continue to import billions in Missouri manufactured products every year, trade ties with China are expanding at a rapid pace. The Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is set to become a Midwest hub for trade, increasing the $1 billion in goods that Missouri exports to China annually.

Job Creation

Trade supported 774,300 jobs in Missouri in 2008, or 21.1% of total jobs, up from 10% in 1992.¹
Over one-sixth (18.3%) of all manufacturing workers in Missouri depended on exports for their jobs.²
In 2008, 91,300 people in Missouri were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.³

Exports and Growth

Missouri exported $9.5 billion in merchandise to almost 200 foreign markets in 2009. Missouri’s largest market in 2009 was Canada ($3.2 billion), followed by Mexico ($1.0 billion), China ($688 million), Japan ($531 million), and Germany ($385 million).
In 2008, 4,710 companies exported goods from Missouri. Of these, 85% were small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.⁴
Agricultural exports are important to Missouri’s economy, totaling $3.2 billion and supporting about 37,065 jobs in 2008.⁵
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed almost $800 million in exports from 73 companies in 29 communities in Missouri.⁶

Education and Research

In 2008–2009, 5,054 Missouri students studied abroad, a 2.6% increase over the previous academic year.⁷
During 2009–2010, 13,360 international students were enrolled in Missouri colleges and universities, up 18.4% since the previous year, and contributed $335.9 million to the Missouri economy.⁸

Global Engagement

Since 1961, 2,876 Peace Corps volunteers from Missouri 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 Missouri totaled over $15.1 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/