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    Florida Trade Facts 

    • In 2018, Florida exported $57.2 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world.  In 2016, exports from Florida supported an estimated 232 thousand jobs.

    Exports from Florida and Jobs

    • Florida was the 8th largest state exporter of goods in 2018.
       
    • In 2018, Florida goods exports were $57.2 billion, an increase of 6 percent ($3.0 billion) from its export level in 2008.
       
    • Goods exports accounted for 5.5 percent of Florida GDP in 2018.
       
    • Florida goods exports in 2016 (latest year available) supported an estimated 232 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 Florida and Jobs

    • In 2018, Florida exported $52.7 billion of manufactured products.
       
    • Florida exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 220 thousand jobs in 2016.
       
    • The state's largest manufacturing export category is computer & electronic products, which accounted for $13.1 billion of Florida's total goods exports in 2018.
       
    • Other top manufacturing exports are transportation equipment ($10.1 billion), chemicals ($6.5 billion), machinery, except electrical ($5.1 billion), and miscellaneous manufactured commodities ($3.5 billion).

    Exports Sustain Thousands of Florida Businesses many of which are SMEs

    • A total of 58,104 companies exported from Florida locations in 2016 (latest year available). Of those, 55,137 (95 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
       
    • Small and medium-sized firms generated 58.6 percent of Florida's total exports of goods in 2016.

    Florida Depends on World Markets

    • The state’s largest market was Brazil. Florida exported $4.5 billion in goods to Brazil in 2018, representing 8 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
       
    • Brazil was followed by Canada ($3.8 billion), Mexico ($3.3 billion), Colombia ($2.4 billion), and Germany ($2.3 billion).

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

      • APEC $18.7 billion

      • Asia $9.9 billion

      • European Union $9.3 billion

      • South/Central America and Caribbean $27.4 billion

      • Sub-Saharan Africa  $547 million

    • 39 percent of Florida’s exports ($22.2 billion) go to current FTA partners.   

    Agriculture in Florida depends on Exports

    • Florida is the country’s 15th largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $3.2 billion in domestic agricultural exports abroad in 2017 (latest data available according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).1

    • Top Agricultural exports (2017 Values) were:

    • other plant products

      • 2017 Value: $1.7  billion

      • 2017 State Rank: 2

    • fruits, fresh

      • 2017 Value: $331 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 3

    • fruits, processed

      • 2017 Value: $289 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 3

    • vegetables, processed

      • 2017 Value: $265 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 5

    • vegetables, fresh

      • 2017 Value: $141 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 5

    International Investment Creates Jobs in Florida

    • In 2015 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 348,800 Florida workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Florida included the United Kingdom, Canada and France.
       
    • Foreign investment in Florida was responsible for 4.6 percent of the state's total private-industry employment in 2015.

    Florida’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting

    • In 2017 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Florida recorded goods exports: Miami ($34.8 billion), Tampa-St. Pete ($6.3 billion), Orlando ($3.2 billion), Jacksonville ($2.1 billion), Palm Bay ($1.2 billion), Lakeland ($1.1 billion), Pensacola ($899.5 million), North Port ($725.3 million), Cape Coral ($592.3 million), Gainesville ($292.1 million), Deltona ($290.4 million), Tallahassee ($241.1 million), Port St. Lucie ($229.9 million), Naples ($227.1 million), Panama City ($185.1 million), Ocala ($143.4 million), Sebastian ($119.9 million), Crestview ($116.6 million), Punta Gorda ($28.4 million), Homosassa Springs ($12.1 million), Sebring ($11.8 million), The Villages ($6.6 million).

     

    [1] Estimates 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.