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    Utah Trade Facts​

    • In 2018, Utah exported $14.4 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world. In 2016, exports from Utah supported an estimated 51 thousand jobs.

    Exports from Utah and Jobs

    • Utah was the 27th largest state exporter of goods in 2018.
       
    • In 2018, Utah goods exports were $14.4 billion, an increase of 40 percent ($4.1 billion) from its export level in 2008.
       
    • Goods exports accounted for 8.1 percent of Utah GDP in 2018.
       
    • Utah goods exports in 2016 (latest year available) supported an estimated 51 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 Utah and Jobs

    • In 2018, Utah exported $13.6 billion of manufactured products.
       
    • Utah exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 50 thousand jobs in 2016.
       
    • The state's largest manufacturing export category is primary metal manufacturing, which accounted for $6.4 billion of Utah's total goods exports in 2018.
       
    • Other top manufacturing exports are computer & electronic products ($1.6 billion), chemicals ($1.2 billion), food & kindred products ($1 billion), and transportation equipment ($884 million).

    Exports Sustain Thousands of Utah Businesses many of which are SMEs

    • A total of 3,503 companies exported from Utah locations in 2016 (latest year available). Of those, 3,006 (86 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
       
    • Small and medium-sized firms generated 49.3 percent of Utah's total exports of goods in 2016.

    Utah Depends on World Markets

    • The state’s largest market was United Kingdom. Utah exported $5.1 billion in goods to United Kingdom in 2018, representing 35 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
       
    • United Kingdom was followed by Canada ($1.8 billion), Japan ($811 million), Hong Kong ($738 million), and Mexico ($725 million).
       

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

     

    2018 Value

    APEC

    $6.6 billion

    Asia

    $4.1 billion

    European Union

    $6.8 billion

    South/Central America and Caribbean

    $339 million

    Sub-Saharan Africa

    $60 million
     

    • 25 percent of Utah’s exports ($3.6 billion) go to current FTA partners.  

    Agriculture in Utah depends on Exports

    • Utah is the country’s 38th largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $418 million in domestic agricultural exports abroad in 2017 (latest data available according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).1

    • Utah exports of agricultural products supported roughly an estimated 4 thousand jobs in 2013 (latest data available), both on and off the farm.

    • Top Agricultural exports (2017 value) were:

     

    2017 Value

     2017 State Rank

    other plant products

    $97 million

    37

    dairy products

    $55 million

    21

    pork

    $53 million

    15

    beef and veal

    $53 million

    29

    other livestock products

    $36 million

    27
     

    International Investment Creates Jobs in Utah

    • In 2015 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 47,800 Utah workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Utah included the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
       
    • Foreign investment in Utah was responsible for 3.6 percent of the state's total private-industry employment in 2015.

    Utah’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting

    • In 2017 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Utah recorded goods exports: Salt Lake City ($7.9 billion), Provo ($2.1 billion), Ogden ($1.6 billion), Logan ($504.2 million), St. George ($57.4 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.