Houston exports lead nation in 2012
HOUSTON – The Houston metro led the nation in exports in 2012, overtaking New York and ranking well ahead of Los Angeles, Detroit and Seattle, according to the International Trade Administration (ITA).
Houston’s exports have grown from $41.7 billion in 2005 to $110.3 billion in 2012, an increase of more than 164 percent and an all-time high. ITA’s data are based on an export’s “origin of movement.” ITA identifies this as the address from where the good began its export.
| Rank | Metro Area | 2011 Exports | 2012 Exports | Change |
| 1 | Houston | $104.5B | $110.3B | 5.6% |
| 2 | New York | $105.1B | $102.3B | -2.7% |
| 3 | Los Angeles | $72.7B | $75B | 3.2% |
| 4 | Detroit | $49.4B | $55.4B | 12.1% |
| 5 | Seattle | $41.1B | $50.3B | 22.3% |
| 6 | Miami | $43.1B | $47.9B | 11.0% |
| 7 | Chicago | $39.5B | $40.6B | 2.6% |
| 8 | Dallas-Fort Worth | $26.6B | $27.8B | 4.4% |
| 9 | San Jose | $26.7B | $26.7B | -0.1% |
| 10 | Minneapolis | $26.2B | $25.2B | -3.9% |
In a separate study from the Brookings Institute, exports from the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metro area were estimated at $47.9 billion in 2010, up 101.8 percent from $23.7 billion in 2003.
Exports accounted for 14.0 percent of Houston GDP in 2010, up from 7.9 percent in ’03. Exports supported 307,020 Houston-area jobs (141,285 direct, 165,735 indirect), or one in every eight in the region, in 2010.
The Houston area ranked fourth on the list, while the Dallas-Fort Worth area ranked fifth with $41.1 billion in exports.
Read more at the Greater Houston Partnership.
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