Facts & Figures

Montana’s farmers feed the world. Montana exported nearly a billion dollars worth of agricultural products in 2009, creating 7,840 jobs on and off the farm.

Job Creation

Trade supported 133,800 jobs in Montana in 2008, or 20.6% of total jobs, up from 11.3% in 1992. ¹
Over one-ninth (10.6%) of all manufacturing workers in Montana depended on exports for their jobs. ²
In 2008, 7,200 people in Montana were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned. ³

Exports and Growth

Montana exported $1.1 billion in merchandise to 130 foreign markets in 2009 (a 42% increase over 2005). Montana’s largest market in 2009 was Canada ($443 million), followed by Japan ($130 million), South Korea ($78 million), Taiwan ($73 million), and China ($60 million).
In 2008, 886 companies exported goods from Montana. Of these, 87% were small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees. ⁴
Agricultural exports are important to Montana’s economy, totaling $1.2 billion and supporting about 13,899 jobs in 2008. ⁵
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed $2.57 million in exports from 8 companies in 6 communities in Montana. ⁶

Education and Research

In 2008–2009, 699 Montana students studied abroad, a 121.2% increase over the previous academic year. ⁷
During 2009–2010, 1,226 international students were enrolled in Montana colleges and universities and contributed $30 million to the Montana economy. ⁸

Global Engagement

Since 1961, 1,216 Peace Corps volunteers from Montana 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