Facts & Figures

Oklahoma’s aerospace manufacturing is in demand across the world, from Japan to Germany. Industrial exports in general support over a fifth of all manufacturing jobs in the state, and its agricultural exports, especially pork and beef, bring in nearly a billion dollars a year to Oklahoma farmers.

Job Creation

Trade supported 423,300 jobs in Oklahoma in 2008, or 19.2% of total jobs, up from 11.3% in 1992. ¹
More than one-fifth (21.3%) of all manufacturing workers in Oklahoma depended on exports for their jobs.²
In 2008, 36,800 people in Oklahoma were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.³

Exports and Growth

Oklahoma exported $4.4 billion in merchandise to more than 170 foreign markets in 2009. Oklahoma’s largest market in 2009 was Canada ($1.4 billion), followed by Mexico ($528 million), Japan ($283 million), Singapore ($146 million), and China ($137 million). In 2008, 2,587 companies exported goods from Oklahoma. Of these, 84% were small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees. Agricultural exports are important to Oklahoma’s economy, totaling $1.6 billion and supporting about 18,532 jobs in 2008.⁴
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed $382.46 million in exports from 64 companies in 13 communities in Oklahoma.⁵

Education and Research

In 2008–2009, 1,448 Oklahoma students studied abroad, a 3.1% increase over the previous academic year.⁶
During 2009–2010, 8,445 international students were enrolled in Oklahoma colleges and universities and contributed $174.6 million to the Oklahoma economy.⁷

Global Engagement

Since 1961, 1,163 Peace Corps volunteers from Oklahoma have served in dozens of countries overseas.⁸
Support from U.S. government grants and contracts to private voluntary organizations engaged in foreign assistance and development in Oklahoma totaled $2,554,880 in 2008.⁹

http://businessroundtable.org/uploads/studies-reports/downloads/Trade_and_American_Jobs.pdf
http://www.trade.gov/mas/ian/statereports/
://www.bea.gov/scb/pdf/2010/11%20November/1110_us_ops.pdf
http://www.trade.gov/mas/ian/statereports/
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/