North Carolina is a major player in the world economy, exporting more than $72 billion worth of goods and services to global markets like Mexico and China each year. North Carolina’s exports include chemicals, automotive, and transportation goods, which are increasingly important to economic growth and job creation. In fact, international trade supports over 1.3 million North Carolina jobs.

• In North Carolina, 1,300,000 jobs were supported by trade, representing 20.0% of all jobs in the state.^1,2
• In 2023, 10,986 companies exported goods from North Carolina, of which 87% were small- and medium-sized enterprises. In 2022, 321,400 people were employed by affiliates of companies at least 50% foreign-owned.^3,4

• North Carolina exported $72 billion in goods and services to foreign markets in 2023. ^{1, 5}
  • Canada ($10.0 billion)
  • China ($7.2 billion)
  • Mexico ($6.8 billion)
  • Ireland ($4.1 billion)
  • United Kingdom ($3.7 billion)
• Agricultural exports are important to North Carolina's economy, totaling $4.6 billion annually, according to the USDA.⁶
• Since 2014, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed $2 billion in exports from 161 companies in North Carolina.⁷
• Since 1992, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency has helped facilitate $147 million in exports from North Carolina companies.⁹

• From 2023-2024, 24,468 international students were enrolled in North Carolina colleges and universities, contributing $914 million to the North Carolina economy.¹⁰

• Since 1961, 4,949 Peace Corps volunteers from North Carolina have served in dozens of countries overseas.¹¹

1. https://www.uschamber.com/international/trade-agreements/trade-means-growth-for-america?state=
2. https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/edb/edbrel2023.pdf
3. https://www.bea.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/imne-1124.pdf
4. https://www.uschamber.com/international/trade-agreements/trade-means-growth-for-america
5. https://www.trade.gov/data-visualization/state-trade-and-economy-factsheets
6. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-agricultural-trade-data
7. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-agricultural-trade-data/annual-state-agricultural-exports
8. https://www.exim.gov/customer-map/
9. https://www.mcc.gov/work-with-us/contracts-map
10. https://files.peacecorps.gov/documents/Home_states_of_Peace_Corps_volunteers.pdf
11. https://opendoorsdata.org/fact_sheets/state-fact-sheets/