Alabama’s international engagement fuels job growth and increases exports. Alabama companies exported $25.6 billion in goods last year, which helped support more than 530,000 jobs in the state. The majority of companies that export from Alabama are small and medium sized businesses.

• In Alabama, 530,100 jobs were supported by international trade in 2019, representing 19.4% of all jobs in the state.^1,2
• In 2020, 4,105 companies exported goods from Alabama of which 80% were small- and medium-sized enterprises. In 2018, 116,900 people were employed by affiliates of companies at least 50% foreign-owned.^3,4

• Alabama exported $20.9 billion in goods to foreign markets in 2021, a 22% increase compared to 2020 driven by continued economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy.⁵
  • Germany ($4.3 billion)
  • Canada ($3.8 billion)
  • China ($3.2 billion)
  • Mexico ($2.8 billion)
  • Japan ($1 billion)
• Agricultural exports are important to Alabama's' economy, totaling $1.6 billion in 2020, according to the USDA.⁶
• Since 2014, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed $419 million in exports from 53 companies in Alabama.⁷
• Since 1992, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency has helped facilitate $237 million in exports from Alabama companies.⁹

• During 2020, 8,138 international students were enrolled in Alabama colleges and universities and contributed $262 million to the Alabama economy.¹⁰

• Since 1961, 1,253 Peace Corps volunteers from Alabama have served in dozens of countries overseas.¹¹

1. https://tradepartnership.com/reports/trade-and-american-jobs-the-impact-of-trade-on-u-s-and-state-level-employment-update-2020/
2. https://www.businessroundtable.org/policy-perspectives/trade-international/benefits-of-trade-data
3. https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/edb/2019/index.html
4. https://www.bea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/imne1120.pdf
5. https://www.trade.gov/data-visualization/state-economy-and-trade-factsheets
6. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets.aspx#.U2ERwbQzqX8
7. https://www.exim.gov/customer-map/
8. https://www.opic.gov/sites/default/files/docs/OPIC_local_impact.pdf
9. https://ustda.gov/ustda-success-by-state/
10. https://opendoorsdata.org/fact_sheets/
11. https://www.peacecorps.gov/news/library/peace-corps-announces-top-volunteer-producing-states-2018/