• Home

    • Virgina

    The Trans-Pacific Partnership Would Expand Market Access

    The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) offers tremendous opportunities for U.S. exporters.  TPP members comprise a population of roughly 800 million and these dynamic economies generate nearly 40 percent of global GDP. The United States already has strong trade and investment ties to this region; we exported $697.8 billion in goods to all TPP markets in 2013, or about 44 percent of total U.S. exports, and are seeking through TPP to further deepen our economic relations.

    Virginia Trade Facts

    • In 2017, Virginia exported $16.5 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world.  In 2016, exports from Virginia supported an estimated 78 thousand jobss.

    Exports from Virginia and Jobs

    • Virginia was the 24th largest state exporter of goods in 2017.

    • In 2017, Virginia goods exports were $16.5 billion, an increase of 2 percent ($356 million) from its export level in 2007.

    • Goods exports accounted for 3.2 percent of Virginia GDP in 2017.

    • Virginia goods exports in 2016 (latest year available) supported an estimated 78 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 Virginia and Jobs

    • In 2017, Virginia exported $13.8 billion of manufactured products.

    • Virginia exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 71 thousand jobs in 2016.

    • The state's largest manufacturing export category is chemicals, which accounted for $2.4 billion of Virginia's total goods exports in 2017.

    • Other top manufacturing exports are computer & electronic products ($2.0 billion), transportation equipment ($1.9 billion), machinery, except electrical ($1.5 billion), and paper ($1.1 billion).

    Exports Sustain Thousands of Virginia Businesses many of which are SMEs

    • A total of 7,250 companies exported from Virginia locations in 2016 (latest year available). Of those, 6,127 (85 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.

    •  Small and medium-sized firms generated 29.7 percent of Virginia's total exports of goods in 2015.

    Virginia Depends on World Markets

    • The state’s largest market was Canada. Virginia exported $3.0 billion in goods to Canada in 2017, representing 18 percent of the state’s total goods exports.

    • Canada was followed by China ($1.7 billion), Mexico ($1.1 billion), United Kingdom ($920 million), and Germany ($818 million).

    • Virginia’s exports (2017 value) to major world areas included:

     

    2017 Value

    APEC

    $8.8 billion

    Asia

    $4.7 billion

    European Union

    $4.2 billion

    South/Central America and Caribbean

    $1.4 billion

    Sub-Saharan Africa

    $233 million

    • 37 percent of Virginia’s exports ($6.0 billion) go to current FTA partners.  

    Agriculture in Virginia depends on Exports

    • Virginia is the country’s 33rd largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $1.0 billion in domestic agricultural exports abroad in 2016 (latest data available according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).1

    • Top Agricultural exports (2016 value) were:

     

    2016 Value

     2016 State Rank

    other plant products

    $180 million

    26

    soybeans

    $116 million

    20

    tobacco

    $90 million

    3

    other livestock products

    $89 million

    9

    broiler meat

    $81 million

    12

    International Investment Creates Jobs in Virginia

    • In 2015 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 182,400 Virginia workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Virginia included the United Kingdom, France and Japan.

    • Foreign investment in Virginia was responsible for 5.8 percent of the state's total private-industry employment in 2015.

    Virginia’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting

    • In 2016 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Virginia recorded goods exports: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria ($13.6 billion), Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol ($3.7 billion), Richmond ($3.5 billion), Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News ($3.3 billion), Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford ($795 million), Roanoke ($613 million), Harrisonburg ($513 million), Lynchburg ($460 million), Winchester ($315 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.