What’s Arizona’s most lucrative international export? Think sky-high
Feb 19, 2017, 4:41 PM
PHOENIX — Civilian aircraft, including engines and other parts, make up the highest-valued export in Arizona.
According to the United States Census Bureau data on foreign trade, $2.97 billion in aircraft goods were exported from Arizona, making up 13 percent of the state’s total exports in 2015. That was more money than copper ores and concentrates, the second highest-valued export coming out of Arizona that was worth $2.5 billion in 2015 and accounted for 11 percent of the state’s economy.
The lucrative aircraft industry isn’t unique to Arizona, as Business Insider illustrates. It was also the biggest export in California, Washington, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Connecticut and Ohio.
But unlike non-border states, Arizona unsurprisingly exports heavily to Mexico. Forty percent of Arizona’s exports — or $9.16 billion in 2015 — went to Mexico, which is well ahead of the $2.3 billion that goes to Canada and $1.2 billion that heads to China.
