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    Maine Trade Facts

    • In 2018, Maine exported $2.8 billion of Made-in-America goods to the world. In 2016, exports from Maine supported an estimated 18 thousand jobs.

    Exports from Maine and Jobs

    • Maine was the 45th largest state exporter of goods in 2018.
       
    • In 2018, Maine goods exports were $2.8 billion, a decrease of 6 percent ($180 million) from its export level in 2008.
       
    • Goods exports accounted for 4.4 percent of Maine GDP in 2018.
       
    • Maine goods exports in 2016 (latest year available) supported an estimated 18 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 Maine and Jobs

    • In 2018, Maine exported $1.7 billion of manufactured products.
       
    • Maine exports of manufactured products supported an estimated 9,396 jobs in 2016.
       
    • The state's largest manufacturing export category is paper, which accounted for $356 million of Maine's total goods exports in 2018.
       
    • Other top manufacturing exports are computer & electronic products ($342 million), transportation equipment ($313 million), machinery, except electrical ($127 million), and food & kindred products ($126 million).

    Exports Sustain Thousands of Maine Businesses many of which are SMEs

    • A total of 1,841 companies exported from Maine locations in 2016 (latest year available). Of those, 1,548 (84 percent) were small and medium sized enterprises with fewer than 500 employees.
       
    •  Small and medium-sized firms generated 50.4 percent of Maine's total exports of goods in 2016.

    Maine Depends on World Markets

    • The state’s largest market was Canada. Maine exported $1.4 billion in goods to Canada in 2018, representing 50 percent of the state’s total goods exports.
       
    • Canada was followed by China ($205 million), Malaysia ($122 million), Italy ($87 million), and Japan ($87 million).
       

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

     

    2018 Value

    APEC

    $2.3 billion

    Asia

    $794 million

    European Union

    $370 million

    South/Central America and Caribbean

    $59 million

    Sub-Saharan Africa

    $29 million
     
    • 59 percent of Maine’s exports ($1.7 billion) go to current FTA partners. 

    Agriculture in Maine depends on Exports

    • Maine is the country’s 42nd largest agricultural exporting state, shipping $263 million 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

    $113 million

    32

    other livestock products

    $41 million

    23

    vegetables, processed

    $39 million

    19

    vegetables, fresh

    $21 million

    19

    dairy products

    $18 million

    33
     

    International Investment Creates Jobs in Maine

    • In 2015 (latest data available), foreign-controlled companies employed 34,200 Maine workers. Major sources of foreign investment in Maine included Canada, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
       
    • Foreign investment in Maine was responsible for 6.8 percent of the state's total private-industry employment in 2015.

    Maine’s Major Metropolitan Areas Benefit from Exporting

    • In 2017 (latest data available), the following metropolitan areas in Maine recorded goods exports: Portland ($1.3 billion), Bangor ($120.4 million), Lewiston ($85.2 million).

     

    [1] Estimates 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.