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    Alaska Trade Facts

    • In 2018, Alaska exported $4.8 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world. In 2016, exports from Alaska supported an estimated 37 thousand jobs.

    Exports from Alaska and Jobs

    • Alaska was the 40th largest state exporter of goods in 2018.
       
    • In 2018, Alaska goods exports were $4.8 billion, an increase of 37 percent ($1.3 billion) from its export level in 2008.
       
    • Goods exports accounted for 9.0 percent of Alaska GDP in 2018.
       
    • Alaska goods exports in 2016 (latest year available) supported an estimated 37 thousand jobs. Nationally, jobs supported by goods exports pay up to an estimated 18 percent above the national average.

    Made-in-America Manufacturing Exports from Alaska and Jobs

    • In 2018, Alaska exported $383 million of manufactured products.
       
    • Alaska exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 1,313 jobs in 2016.
       
    • The state's largest manufacturing export category is petroleum & coal products, which accounted for $201 million of Alaska's total goods exports in 2018.
       
    • Other top manufacturing exports are transportation equipment ($68 million), food & kindred products ($23 million), computer & electronic products ($23 million), and machinery, except electrical ($23 million).

    Exports Sustain Thousands of Alaska Businesses many of which are SMEs

    • A total of 746 companies exported from Alaska locations in 2016 (latest year available). Of those, 544 (73 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
       
    • Small and medium-sized firms generated 55.5 percent of Alaska's total exports of goods in 2016.

    Alaska Depends on World Markets

    • The state’s largest market was China. Alaska exported $1.0 billion in goods to China in 2018, representing 21 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
       
    • China was followed by Korea ($907 million), Japan ($797 million), Canada ($647 million), and Netherlands ($263 million).
       

    • Alaska’s exports (2018 Values) to major world areas included:

     

    2018 Value

    APEC

    $3.8 billion

    Asia

    $3.0 billion

    European Union

    $1.0 billion

    South/Central America and Caribbean

    $18 million

    Sub-Saharan Africa

    $3 million
    • 38 percent of Alaska’s exports ($1.8 billion) go to current FTA partners. 

    Agriculture in Alaska depends on Exports

    • Alaska is the country’s 50th largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $17 million in domestic agricultural exports abroad in 2017 (latest data available according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).1

    • Top Agricultural exports (2017 Value) were:

     

    2017 Value

     2017 State Rank

    other plant products

    $14 million

    50

    other livestock products

    $1 million

    50

    feeds and other feed grains

    $945 thousand

    46

    grain products, processed

    $418 thousand

    46

    beef and veal

    $326 thousand

    49
     

    International Investment Creates Jobs in Alaska

    • In 2015 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 17,200 Alaska workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Alaska included Canada, the United Kingdom and Japan.
       
    • Foreign investment in Alaska was responsible for 6.7 percent of the state's total private-industry employment in 2015.

    Alaska’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting

    • In 2017 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Alaska recorded goods exports: Anchorage ($1.7 billion), Fairbanks ($7.7 million).

     

    1Estimates of state exports of agricultural products by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and goods exports by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce are based on different methodologies and are not directly comparable.