Chicago exports grow 17 percent to $39.5B
BY DAVID ROEDER Business Reporter September 13, 2012 5:38PM
Updated: October 15, 2012 10:00AM
The Chicago area kept its slot as the nation’s seventh largest export producer in 2011, with the value of its overseas shipments increasing 17 percent to $39.5 billion, the U.S. Commerce Department said Thursday.
While the increase was significant, other top exporting regions showed more growth for the year. The metro areas of New York, Houston and Miami, which outrank Chicago in the export standings, had increases of 20 percent to nearly 30 percent in 2011, according to the department.
Leading export categories for the Chicago area were chemicals, computers and electronics, machinery other than electrical, transportation equipment and petroleum and coal products. The report by the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration said the top markets for Chicago area products were Canada, Mexico, China, Germany and India.
