Missouri

Missouri Exports & Foreign Investment

 

In 2023, Missouri exported a record $17.9 billion of goods to the world.  In 2021, exports from Missouri supported an estimated 78 thousand jobs.

 

Exports from Missouri and Jobs

• Missouri was the 27^th largest state exporter of goods in 2023.
• In 2023, Missouri goods exports were $17.9 billion, an increase of 38 percent ($4.9 billion) from its export level in 2013 (latest data available).
• Goods exports accounted for 4.2 percent of Missouri GDP in 2023 (latest data available).
• Missouri goods exports in 2021 (latest data available) supported an estimated 78 thousand jobs. Nationally, jobs supported by goods exports pay up to an estimated 18 percent above the national average.

Manufacturing Exports from Missouri and Jobs

• In 2023, Missouri exported $15.6 billion of manufactured products.
• Missouri exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 53 thousand jobs in 2021 (latest data available).
• The state's largest manufacturing export category is transportation equipment, which accounted for $4.4 billion of Missouri's total goods exports in 2023.
• Other top manufacturing exports are chemicals ($3.4 billion), food and kindred products ($1.6 billion), machinery, except electrical ($1.5 billion), and fabricated metal products, not elsewhere specified ($942 million).

 

Exports Sustain Thousands of Missouri Businesses many of which are SMEs

• A total of 6,046 companies exported from Missouri locations in 2022 (latest data available). Of those, 5,100 (84 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
•  Small and medium-sized firms generated 27.4 percent of Missouri's total exports of goods in 2022.

 

Missouri Depends on World Markets

• The state’s largest market was Canada. Missouri exported $6.5 billion in goods to Canada in 2023, representing 37 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
• Canada was followed by Mexico ($3.9 billion), Germany ($734 million), China ($598 million), and Brazil ($482 million).
• Missouri’s exports to major world areas included:

 

• 66 percent of Missouri’s goods exports ($11.8 billion) in 2023 went to current FTA partners.

Agriculture in Missouri depends on Exports

• Missouri is the country’s 9^th largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $6.1 billion in domestic agricultural exports abroad in 2022 (latest data available according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).^[1]
• Top Agricultural exports were:

 

International Investment Creates Jobs in Missouri

• In 2021 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 148,800 Missouri workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Missouri included Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.
• Foreign investment in Missouri was responsible for 6.1 percent of the state's total private-industry employment in 2021.

Missouri’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting

In 2022 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Missouri recorded goods exports: Kansas City ($9.6 billion), Columbia ($2.4 billion), St. Joseph ($637.7 million), Columbia ($368.7 million), Joplin ($293.6 million), and Jefferson City ($280.9 million).