• Home
  • State Benefits of Trade

    • Georgia

    Georgia Trade Facts 

    • In 2018, Georgia exported a record $40.6 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world. In 2016, exports from Georgia supported an estimated 182 thousand jobs.

    Exports from Georgia and Jobs

    • Georgia was the 11th largest state exporter of goods in 2018.
       
    • In 2018, Georgia goods exports were $40.6 billion, an increase of 48 percent ($13 billion) from its export level in 2008.
       
    • Goods exports accounted for 6.9 percent of Georgia GDP in 2018.
       
    • Georgia goods exports in 2016 (latest year available) supported an estimated 182 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 Georgia and Jobs

    • In 2018, Georgia exported $36.9 billion of manufactured products.
       
    • Georgia exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 169 thousand jobs in 2016.
       
    • The state's largest manufacturing export category is transportation equipment, which accounted for $10.4 billion of Georgia's total goods exports in 2018.
       
    • Other top manufacturing exports are machinery, except electrical ($4.6 billion), paper ($3.8 billion), chemicals ($3.7 billion), and computer & electronic products ($3.4 billion).

    Exports Sustain Thousands of Georgia Businesses many of which are SMEs

    • A total of 14,068 companies exported from Georgia locations in 2016 (latest year available). Of those, 12,334 (88 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
       
    • Small and medium-sized firms generated 26.4 percent of Georgia's total exports of goods in 2016.

    Georgia Depends on World Markets

    • The state’s largest market was Canada. Georgia exported $6.3 billion in goods to Canada in 2018, representing 16 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
       
    • Canada was followed by Mexico ($3.9 billion), China ($3.0 billion), Germany ($2.3 billion), and Singapore ($1.6 billion).Canada was followed by Mexico ($3.9 billion), China ($3.0 billion), Germany ($2.3 billion), and Singapore ($1.6 billion).

    • Georgia’s exports (2018 value) to major world areas included:

      • APEC $22.0 billion

      • Asia $13.4 billion

      • European Union $8.9 billion

      • South/Central America and Caribbean $4.4 billion

      • Sub-Saharan Africa  $767 million

    • 41 percent of Georgia’s exports ($16.5 billion) go to current FTA partners.  

    Agriculture in Georgia depends on Exports

    • Georgia is the country’s 18th largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $2.8 billion in domestic agricultural exports abroad in 2017 (latest data available according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).1

    • Georgia exports of agricultural products supported roughly an estimated 24 thousand jobs in 2013 (latest data available), both on and off the farm.

    • Top Agricultural exports were:

    • cotton

      • 2017 Value: $660 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 2

    • other oilseeds and products

      • 2017 Value: $535 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 2

    • broiler meat

      • 2017 Value: $455 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 1

    • other plant products

      • 2017 Value: $248 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 19

    • tree nuts

      • 2017 Value: $241 million

      • 2017 State Rank: 2

    International Investment Creates Jobs in Georgia

    • In 2015 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 239,200 Georgia workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Georgia included the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada.
       
    • Foreign investment in Georgia was responsible for 6.3 percent of the state's total private-industry employment in 2015.

    Georgia’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting

    • In 2017 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Georgia recorded goods exports: Atlanta ($21.7 billion), Savannah ($4.5 billion), Chattanooga ($1.4 billion), Augusta ($970.1 million), Gainesville ($759.3 million), Brunswick ($667.5 million), Columbus ($541 million), Dalton ($440.4 million), Hinesville ($398.6 million), Athens ($297.7 million), Albany ($251.9 million), Valdosta ($245 million), Warner Robins ($148.7 million), Macon ($139.3 million), Rome ($83.7 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.