Facts & Figures

Export-supported jobs linked to manufacturing account for an estimated 7.6 percent of Nebraska’s total private-sector employment. Over 16% of all manufacturing workers in Nebraska depend on exports for their jobs.

Job Creation

Trade supported 263,500 jobs in Nebraska in 2008, or 21.2% of total jobs, up from 11.2% in 1992.¹
Almost one-sixth (16.1%) of all manufacturing workers in Nebraska depended on exports for their jobs.²
In 2008, 25,200 people in Nebraska were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.³

Exports and Growth

Nebraska exported $4.9 billion in merchandise to 176 foreign markets in 2009 (a 62% increase over 2005). Nebraska’s largest market in 2009 was Canada ($1.4 billion), followed by Mexico ($1.1 billion), Japan ($416 million), China ($209 million), and Australia ($195 million).⁴
In 2008, 1,317 companies exported goods from Nebraska. Of these, 82% were small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
Agricultural exports are important to Nebraska’s economy, totaling $5.9 billion and supporting about 68,339 jobs in 2008.⁵
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed over $174.6 million in exports from 30 companies in 13 communities in Nebraska.⁶

Education and Research

In 2008–2009, 1,749 Nebraska students studied abroad.⁷
During 2009–2010, 4,142 international students were enrolled in Nebraska colleges and universities and contributed $89.7 million to the Nebraska economy.⁸

Global Engagement

Since 1961, 1,201 Peace Corps volunteers from Nebraska 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