Export Focus of Manufacturing

Manufacturing export sales per manufacturing worker.

Why Is This Important? Trade has become an integral part of the United States and world economies. The combined total of U.S. exports and imports has increased from less than 5.5 percent of GDP in 1950, to 11 percent in 1970, to 24 percent in 1999. Moreover, the United States is increasingly specializing in more complex, higher-value-added goods and services, which is reflected in the fact that the average weight of a dollar's worth of American exports is less than half of what it was in 1970. That focus on higher-value-added goods and services benefits many American workers. Workers employed in export-oriented firms earn 10 percent more than workers in similar firms that export less, or don't export at all.12 As a result, metropolitan areas whose companies are not global traders will be left behind.

The Rankings: There are two types of metropolitan areas with high rankings in the export orientation indicator: areas such as Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, Portland, and Austin, which export high-tech equipment; and areas such as Detroit, Cincinnati, and Hartford, which produce high-value-added, durable manufactured goods or chemicals. Some rank high for unique reasons. Richmond has high rankings apparently because of exports of tobacco products, and Miami is high because of links to Latin America.

100th-76th Percentile

75th-51st Percentile

50th-26th Percentile

25th-1st Percentile

METRO AREAS BY RANK
Rank	Metro Area	Score
1	Seattle	$129,000
2	Miami	$127,000
3	Richmond	$86,000
4	San Francisco	$80,000
5	Houston	$75,000
6	San Diego	$62,000
7	New Orleans	$55,000
8	Detroit	$55,000
9	Memphis	$55,000
10	New York	$52,000
11	Portland	$48,000
12	Austin	$47,000
13	Phoenix	$46,000
14	Washington	$43,000
15	Cincinnati	$40,000
16	Minneapolis	$40,000
17	Hartford	$39,000
18	Indianapolis	$36,000
19	Rochester	$36,000
20	Philadelphia	$35,000
21	Atlanta	$34,000
22	Kansas City	$33,000
23	Los Angeles	$33,000
24	Chicago	$32,000
25	Dallas	$31,000
26	Boston	$31,000
27	Raleigh-Durham	$30,000
28	Salt Lake City	$29,000
29	West Palm Beach	$29,000
30	San Antonio	$29,000
31	Sacramento	$29,000
32	Pittsburgh	$28,000
33	Tampa	$26,000
34	Cleveland	$26,000
35	Orlando	$26,000
36	Buffalo	$25,000
37	Louisville	$25,000
38	Greensboro	$24,000
39	Norfolk	$22,000
40	Dayton	$22,000
41	St. Louis	$21,000
42	Jacksonville	$19,000
43	Grand Rapids	$19,000
44	Nashville	$19,000
45	Milwaukee	$19,000
46	Charlotte	$18,000
47	Columbus	$18,000
48	Denver	$17,000
49	Oklahoma City	$10,000
50	Las Vegas	$0
	U.S. Average	$48,000
	Top 50 Metro Average	$42,000

ALPHABETICALLY
Metro Area	Rank	Score
Atlanta	21	$34,000
Austin	12	$47,000
Boston	26	$31,000
Buffalo	36	$25,000
Charlotte	46	$18,000
Chicago	24	$32,000
Cincinnati	15	$40,000
Cleveland	34	$26,000
Columbus	47	$18,000
Dallas	25	$31,000
Dayton	40	$22,000
Denver	48	$17,000
Detroit	8	$55,000
Grand Rapids	43	$19,000
Greensboro	38	$24,000
Hartford	17	$39,000
Houston	5	$75,000
Indianapolis	18	$36,000
Jacksonville	42	$19,000
Kansas City	22	$33,000
Las Vegas	50	$0
Los Angeles	23	$33,000
Louisville	37	$25,000
Memphis	9	$55,000
Miami	2	$127,000
Milwaukee	45	$19,000
Minneapolis	16	$40,000
Nashville	44	$19,000
New Orleans	7	$55,000
New York	10	$52,000
Norfolk	39	$22,000
Oklahoma City	49	$10,000
Orlando	35	$26,000
Philadelphia	20	$35,000
Phoenix	13	$46,000
Pittsburgh	32	$28,000
Portland	11	$48,000
Raleigh-Durham	27	$30,000
Richmond	3	$86,000
Rochester	19	$36,000
Sacramento	31	$29,000
Salt Lake City	28	$29,000
San Antonio	30	$29,000
San Diego	6	$62,000
San Francisco	4	$80,000
Seattle	1	$129,000
St. Louis	41	$21,000
Tampa	33	$26,000
Washington	14	$43,000
West Palm Beach	29	$29,000

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The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI)
Technology, Innovation, and New Economy Project
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