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29 ''cyberstates'' see tech export growth between 2006 and 2007, says industry group

WASHINGTON, DC – 09/24/08 – US high-tech merchandise exports decreased in 2007, down a full 3% from $220 billion in 2006 to $214 billion last year, according to the Trade in the Cyberstates 2008 study recently released by the AeA, the national high-tech industry association. 

The annual study analyzes high-tech trade flows at the national level and tech goods exports for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

High tech is the single largest merchandise export sector in the US, reaching $214 billion, or 18% of all US exports to the world in 2007. High-tech imports totaled $333 billion in 2007, up by 3%, resulting in a high-tech trade deficit of $118 billion, the study said.

Topping the list of exports were computers and peripheral equipment, consumer electronics, communications equipment, electronic components, semiconductors, industrial electronics, electro-medical equipment, and photonics.

Despite the drop in exports, it said, the volume of tech exports actually grew in 29 states, supporting an estimated 900,000 jobs throughout the country.

The largest growth was in the so-called “cyber-states” of Virginia, Florida, Idaho, New Jersey, and Utah, as measured by dollar increase.

California held its top listing as the country's leading high-tech export state with $48.2 billion in exports in 2007.

The state had the most high-tech exports of any state in the country – $48.2 billion in 2007 – and saw its overseas tech sales decrease by $3.5 billion, the largest numeric decline of any state.

California did, however, lead the nation in exports in six of the eight high-tech sectors with computers and peripheral equipment ($12.3 billion) and semiconductors ($12.2 billion) leading the list.

Currently, high tech products make up almost 36% of the state’s total export volume, the report said.

Texas with $35.9 billion. Florida, New York, and Massachusetts rounded out the report’s top five.

The largest overseas markets for US high-tech exports in 2007, the study said, were the European Union ($46.6 billion), Canada ($29.4 billion), Mexico ($26.0 billion), China ($14.5 billion), Japan ($11.9 billion), and Singapore ($9.2 billion).

The fastest growing large export markets (defined as having $1 billion or more in US tech exports) for U.S. tech exports between 2006 and 2007 were Portugal (+204%), the Dominican Republic (+45%), Belgium (+41%), Colombia (+28%), and Argentina (+21%).

On the other side of the trade picture, the US imported the most high-tech products from China ($112.3 billion), Mexico ($51.3 billion), the European Union ($33.4 billion), Japan ($29.2 billion), and Malaysia ($25.1 billion).

High tech was the second largest import sector, just behind energy-related products.

The largest high-tech import sub-sectors in 2007, the study said, were computers and peripheral equipment ($103.2 billion), communications equipment ($74.0 billion), and consumer electronics ($54.4 billion).

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