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    Pennsylvania Trade Facts​

    • In 2018, Pennsylvania exported a record $41.2 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world. In 2016, exports from Pennsylvania supported an estimated 177 thousand jobs.

    Exports from Pennsylvania and Jobs

    • Pennsylvania was the 10th largest state exporter of goods in 2018.
       
    • In 2018, Pennsylvania goods exports were $41.2 billion, an increase of 19 percent ($6.5 billion) from its export level in 2008.
       
    • Goods exports accounted for 5.2 percent of Pennsylvania GDP in 2018.
       
    • Pennsylvania goods exports in 2016 (latest year available) supported an estimated 177 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 Pennsylvania and Jobs

    • In 2018, Pennsylvania exported $35.9 billion of manufactured products.
       
    • Pennsylvania exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 162 thousand jobs in 2016.
       
    • The state's largest manufacturing export category is chemicals, which accounted for $8.9 billion of Pennsylvania's total goods exports in 2018.
       
    • Other top manufacturing exports are machinery, except electrical ($4.0 billion), primary metal manufacturing ($3.7 billion), transportation equipment ($3.6 billion), and computer & electronic products ($3.5 billion).

    Exports Sustain Thousands of Pennsylvania Businesses many of which are SMEs

    • A total of 15,015 companies exported from Pennsylvania locations in 2016 (latest year available). Of those, 13,345 (89 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
       
    • Small and medium-sized firms generated 32.0 percent of Pennsylvania's total exports of goods in 2016.

    Pennsylvania Depends on World Markets

    • The state’s largest market was Canada. Pennsylvania exported $10.8 billion in goods to Canada in 2018, representing 26 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
       
    • Canada was followed by Mexico ($4.2 billion), China ($2.6 billion), Japan ($2.2 billion), and United Kingdom ($2.1 billion).
       

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

     

    2018 Value

    APEC

    $24.2 billion

    Asia

    $11.1 billion

    European Union

    $9.9 billion

    South/Central America and Caribbean

    $2.6 billion

    Sub-Saharan Africa

    $458 million
     

    • 45 percent of Pennsylvania’s exports ($18.7 billion) go to current FTA partners.  

    Agriculture in Pennsylvania depends on Exports

    • Pennsylvania is the country’s 21st largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $2.0 billion 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

    $746 million

    6

    dairy products

    $287  million

    6

    soybeans

    $130 million

    19

    feeds and other feed grains

    $101 million

    18

    other poultry products

    $95 million

    7
     

    International Investment Creates Jobs in Pennsylvania

    • In 2015 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 301,000 Pennsylvania workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Pennsylvania included the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany.
       
    • Foreign investment in Pennsylvania was responsible for 5.8 percent of the state's total private-industry employment in 2015.

    Pennsylvania’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting

    • In 2017 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania recorded goods exports: Philadelphia ($21.7 billion), Pittsburgh ($9.3 billion), Allentown ($3.6 billion), Harrisburg ($2.3 billion), York ($2.2 billion), Reading ($1.9 billion), Scranton ($1.5 billion), Erie ($1.3 billion), Youngstown ($1.2 billion), Lancaster ($925.8 million), Lebanon ($526.8 million), Chambersburg-Waynesboro ($519.4 million), Williamsport ($277.6 million), State College ($236.8 million), Altoona ($215.4 million), Bloomsburg-Berwick ($197.5 million), East Stroudsburg ($99.9 million), Johnstown ($69.5 million), Gettysburg ($59 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.