Facts & Figures

Home to the major manufacturing bases for state of the art firms like Intel, technology built in Oregon is valued across the globe. Due to its West Coast location, Oregon has benefited tremendously from trade with Asia, including burgeoning trade with China. Although computer chips, semiconductors, and other high tech machinery make up over half of Oregon’s total exports, the state’s agriculture, timber, and wineries are all in global demand.

Job Creation

Trade supported 469,200 jobs in Oregon in 2008, or 20.1% of total jobs, up from 10.5% in 1992. ¹
Almost one-quarter (23.7%) of all manufacturing workers in Oregon depended on exports for their jobs. ²
In 2008, 46,900 people in Oregon were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned. ³

Exports and Growth

Oregon exported $14.9 billion in merchandise to 200 foreign markets in 2009 (a 20% increase over 2005). Oregon’s largest market in 2009 was China ($3.0 billion), followed by Malaysia ($1.9 billion), Canada ($1.9 billion), and Japan ($1.3 billion). ⁴
In 2008, 4,918 companies exported goods from Oregon. Of these, 89% were small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
Agricultural exports are important to Oregon’s economy, totaling $1.5 billion and supporting about 17,374 jobs in 2008. ⁵
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed $275.7 million in exports from 43 companies in 21 communities in Oregon. ⁶

Education and Research

During the 2008–2009 academic year, 3,861 Oregon students studied abroad, a 8.4% increase over the previous academic year. ⁷
In 2009–2010, 7,506 international students were enrolled in Oregon colleges and universities, a 12.9% increase over the previous year. Foreign students contributed $225.5 million to the Oregon economy. ⁸

Global Engagement

Since 1961, 5,399 Peace Corps volunteers from Oregon 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 Oregon totaled over $70.3 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.nafsa.org/publicpolicy/default.aspx?id=23158
http://www.opic.gov/sites/default/files/docs/OPIC_local_impact.pdf
http://multimedia.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/stats/homestates.pdf
http://www.pvo.net/usaid