Facts & Figures

Rhode Island’s manufacturing exports are a key part of local production and job growth. Rhode Island exported to 208 foreign destinations in 2010. The state’s largest market that year by far was NAFTA member Canada,
which received goods exports of $586 million, or 30 percent of Rhode Island’s total exports that year.

Job Creation

Trade supported 133,600 jobs in Rhode Island in 2008, or 22.2% of total jobs, up from 9.3% in 1992.¹
Over one-sixth (17.7%) of all manufacturing workers in Rhode Island depended on exports for their jobs.²
In 2008, 21,300 people in Rhode Island were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.³

Exports and Growth

Rhode Island exported $1.5 billion in merchandise to more than 150 foreign markets in 2009. Rhode Island’s largest market in 2009 was Canada ($500 million), followed by the United Kingdom
($85 million), Mexico ($84 million), China ($69 million), and Germany ($50 million).⁴
In 2008, 1,468 companies exported goods from Rhode Island. Of these, 89% were small- and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
Agricultural exports are important to Rhode Island’s economy, totaling $711 million and supporting about 18,235 jobs in 2008.⁵
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed $33.8 million in exports from 18 companies in 12 communities in Rhode Island.⁶

Education and Research

In 2008–2009, 2,693 Rhode Island students studied abroad, a 8% increase over the previous academic year.⁷
During 2009–2010, 4,318 international students were enrolled in Rhode Island colleges and universities and contributed $151.3 million to the Rhode Island economy.⁸

Global Engagement

Since 1961, 921 Peace Corps volunteers from Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island totaled over $11 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/