Press Release

77 U.S. Cities Boast Billion Dollar Export Markets

Mid-Year 2007 Data Emphasizes Positive Impact Exports Have on Metropolitan Economies

DETROIT—U.S. Commerce Department today announced new data that shows through the first half of 2007, 77 metropolitan areas across the nation recorded U.S. product sales of $1 billion or more to markets around the world illustrating the economic value of open markets. The numbers are part of a series of data that precisely measures export values for metropolitan areas.

“Booming exports underscore the strength of American workers and American companies in the world marketplace,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez said. “This new data shows the benefits of dynamic and open trade with global partners to regional economies, and our more current national export data indicates that exports continue to support American jobs and stimulate our economy in communities across the country.”

In a speech before the Detroit Economic Club, Secretary Gutierrez announced that the Detroit metro area was the fifth largest export market in the United States with sales totaling $24.3 billion. Three quarters of the exports were to free trade agreement countries, with $18.2 billion headed to Canada and Mexico, and $71 million to the Central America and the Dominican Republic.

Highlights from Metro Area Export series for the first half of 2007 include:

• The top ten U.S. metropolitan areas posted total export sales of $207 billion. These exports accounted for 37 percent of total U.S. exports over this period. The top ten markets include New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island; Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana; Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue; Detroit-Warren-Livonia; Chicago-Naperville-Joliet; San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara; Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington; and Boston-Cambridge-Quincy.
• Five metropolitan areas posted impressive export sales of $20 billion or more. Sixteen other U.S. metro areas exported between $5 and $20 billion. Combined, these top 21 metro areas accounted for 51 percent of total U.S. merchandise exports.

Background
The data series contains merchandise export values for 369 metropolitan areas. Service export values are not included in this series. Available for 2005, 2006, and now first half 2007, this data also contains metro area exports as a percent of the state total, where possible; product exports to individual countries for the 50 largest metropolitan areas; top global export product categories; and total exports to ten regional destinations.

For additional information and to view the complete data series and methodology, visit www.trade.gov/metrodata.