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    Delaware Trade Facts

    • In 2018, Delaware exported $4.7 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world. In 2016, exports from Delaware supported an estimated 20 thousand jobs.

    Exports from Delaware and Jobs

    • Delaware was the 41st largest state exporter of goods in 2018.
       
    • In 2018, Delaware goods exports were $4.7 billion, a decrease of 4 percent ($185 million) from its export level in 2008.
       
    • Goods exports accounted for 6.3 percent of Delaware GDP in 2018.
       
    • Delaware goods exports in 2016 (latest year available) supported an estimated 20 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 Delaware and Jobs

    • In 2018, Delaware exported $4.4 billion of manufactured products.
       
    • Delaware exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 19 thousand jobs in 2016.
       
    • The state's largest manufacturing export category is chemicals, which accounted for $1.6 billion of Delaware's total goods exports in 2018.
       
    • Other top manufacturing exports are transportation equipment ($864 million), computer & electronic products ($522 million), machinery, except electrical ($367 million), and petroleum & coal products ($361 million).

    Exports Sustain Thousands of Delaware Businesses many of which are SMEs

    • A total of 1,786 companies exported from Delaware locations in 2016 (latest year available). Of those, 1,545 (87 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
       
    •  Small and medium-sized firms generated 20.5 percent of Delaware's total exports of goods in 2016.

    Delaware Depends on World Markets

    • The state’s largest market was Canada. Delaware exported $720 million in goods to Canada in 2018, representing 15 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
       
    • Canada was followed by the United Kingdom ($404 million), Belgium ($382 million), China ($381 million), and Saudi Arabia ($286 million).

    • Delaware’s exports (2018 Values) to major world areas included:

     

    2018 Value

    APEC

    $2.1 billion

    Asia

    $2.0 billion

    European Union

    $1.3 billion

    South/Central America and Caribbean

    $359 million

    Sub-Saharan Africa

    $102 million
     

    • 32 percent of Delaware’s exports ($1.5 billion) go to current FTA partners.  

    Agriculture in Delaware depends on Exports

    • Delaware is the country’s 41st largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $268 million in domestic agricultural exports abroad in 2017 (latest data available according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture).1

    • Top Agricultural exports (2017 Values) were:

     

    2017 Value

     2017 State Rank

    broiler meat

    $106 million

    8

    soybeans

    $36 million

    26

    other plant products

    $31 million

    48

    corn

    $20 million

    29

    feeds and other feed grains

    $16 million

    38
     

    International Investment Creates Jobs in Delaware

    • In 2015 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 25,000 Delaware workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Delaware included the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada.
       
    • Foreign investment in Delaware was responsible for 7.1 percent of the state's total private-industry employment in 2015.

    Delaware’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting

    • In 2017 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Delaware recorded goods exports: Philadelphia ($21.7 billion), Dover ($247.6 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.