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IMPORTANT: As of July 1st, 2011, functions once performed by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce have been moved to other state agencies and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. The former Commerce web site will continue to exist for the next several months as resources are moved to new web site locations. We will make every attempt possible to direct our users to the new locations as web resources are moved.

Division of Investment and Export
PO Box 7970
Madison, WI 53707-7970
USA
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Vol. 7 #4, March 2008

New Exporting Record
Graphic of Globe being rolled up a graph Wisconsin's exports increased by 11.8 percent to reach a record $19.2 billion in 2007. Wisconsin ranks 19th in exports among the 50 states. "I salute Wisconsin companies for aggressively seeking new markets around the globe," Governor Doyle said. "As Governor, I'm committed to doing all I can to support a climate that encourages success for our exporters."

Exports to Canada, Wisconsin's largest international market, grew by 7.3 percent to $5.8 billion. Mexico continued as Wisconsin's second-largest export market, as exports grew 2 percent to $1.9 billion. China took third place with a 35.4 percent increase to $1.2 billion, topping $1 billion for the first time ever. The United Kingdom took fourth place with a 6 percent increase to $722.8 million. Germany ranked fifth with a 13.4 percent increase to $660.8 billion.

Industrial machinery, including computer equipment, continues to be Wisconsin's top manufacturing export commodity, growing by 11.8 percent to $6.2 billion. Electrical machinery ranked second with a 5.7 percent increase to $2.7 billion. Medical and scientific instruments ranked third with a 0.1 percent decrease to $2.1 billion. Agricultural exports ranked fourth with a 45.1 percent increase to just under $2.1 billion. Transportation equipment ranked fifth with an 18.4 percent increase to $1.7 billion.

The state's agricultural exports have nearly doubled in the past three years, up from $1.1 billion in 2004 - nearly a 100 percent increase. Dairy exports skyrocketed 131 percent, up from $84.7 million in 2006 to $195.8 million in 2007, driven by demand for cheese, whey, and butter. A relatively new export, dried distillers grains, jumped 245 percent, up from $6 million in 2006 to $19.2 million in 2007, driven by strong demand in Asia. A by-product of the state's burgeoning ethanol industry, distillers grains are sought as a high-protein livestock feed. Excel spreadsheets showing Wisconsin exports by destination and product category from 1996 through 2007 are now available on-line.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of the Census is once again releasing data on exports by metropolitan statistical areas, although not on the same schedule as the state-by-state data. Data for metropolitan area exports in 2005 and 2006 were released on January 24. The Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis metropolitan area had exports of $6,849 billion in 2006 and ranked #30 nationally. Other Wisconsin communities on the 2006 list included:
  • Racine, #89, $1.484 billion
  • Madison, #100, $1.310 billion
  • Appleton, #119, $975 million
  • Oshkosh/Neenah, #139, $828 million
  • Janesville, #142, $803 million
  • Fond du Lac, #176, $522 million
  • La Crosse, #180, $512 million (also includes Houston County in Minnesota)
  • Sheboygan, #195, $442 million
  • Green Bay, #197, $432 million
  • Eau Claire, #199, $427 million
  • Wausau, #255, $211 million
Kenosha County is considered part of the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet Metropolitan Area and Superior is considered part of the Duluth Metropolitan Area for statistical purposes. For additional information on metropolitan area exports and to view the complete data series and methodology, visit http://www.trade.gov/metrodata.