Facts & Figures

Wisconsin is a world leader in industrial machinery and high tech manufacturing, including specialized and complex precision machinery in demand across the world. While Wisconsin aggressively pursues overseas opportunities for new business, NAFTA only strengthened its relationship with Mexico and Canada, its largest trade partners.

Job Creation

Trade supported nearly 750,000 jobs in Wisconsin in 2008, or about 20% of total jobs, up from 10% in 1992.¹
Over one-fifth of all manufacturing workers in Wisconsin depended on exports for their jobs.²
In 2008, almost 85,000 people in Wisconsin were employed by U.S. affiliates of companies that are at least 50% foreign-owned.³

Exports and Growth

Wisconsin exported nearly $19.8 billion in merchandise to foreign markets in 2010. Wisconsin’s largest market in 2010 was Canada ($6.0 billion), followed by Mexico ($2.0 billion), China ($1.3 billion), Germany ($745 million), and Japan ($731 million).⁴
In 2008, almost 7,000 companies exported goods from Wisconsin. Of these, 88% were small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.⁵
Agricultural exports are important to Wisconsin’s economy, totaling over $80 million in 2010.⁶
Since 2007, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed over $600 million in exports from 121 companies in 64 communities in Wisconsin.⁷
Since 1971, Overseas Private Investment Corporation has invested nearly $30 million in companies throughout Wisconsin.⁸

Education and Research

In 2008-2009, over 7,500 Wisconsin students studied abroad, more than a 20% increase over the previous academic year.⁹
During 2009-2010, almost 9,000 international students were enrolled in Wisconsin colleges and universities and contributed over $200 million to the Wisconsin economy.¹⁰

Global Engagement

Since 1961, over 5,300 Peace Corps volunteers from Wisconsin have served in dozens of countries overseas.¹¹
Support from U.S. government grants and contracts to private voluntary organizations engaged in foreign assistance and development in Wisconsin totaled about $16 million in 2008.¹²

Download the Fact Sheet

http://businessroundtable.org/uploads/studies-reports/downloads/Trade_and_American_Jobs.pdf
http://ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/state_reports/
Anderson, Thomas and William J. Zeile. “U.S. Affiliates of Foreign Companies Operations in 2008”. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce. http://www.bea.gov/scb/pdf/2010/11%20November/1110_us_ops.pdf
http://ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/state_reports/
http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/state_reports/index.html
http://www.fas.usda.gov/info/factsheets/WTO/states.html
https://webappsprod01.exim.gov/apps/usmap/usmap.nsf
http://www.opic.gov/sites/default/files/docs/OPIC_local_impact.pdf
Institute of International Education. “Open Doors 2010 Report on International Educational Exchange Institute of International Education”. STUDY ABROAD BY U.S. STATE, 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/