Commerce Dept. Study Shows Export Gains

WASHINGTON —  Los Angeles, Detroit, New York and Seattle are America’s export champions, but Biloxi, Miss., and Dubuque, Iowa, are tops in recent gains.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that 80% of the 256 metropolitan areas it surveyed showed export gains in 1994, with total sales of products from those areas totaling $415 billion, an 11.5% increase over 1993.

“One cannot overstate the importance of exports in creating jobs and economic growth in cities throughout the country,” Commerce Undersecretary Stuart Eizenstat said at a news briefing.

According to the report, 77 cities posted gains in export sales of $1 billion or more in 1994. The city with the biggest increase was Detroit, which gained $10.69 billion over the 1993 level.

Other big dollar gains were recorded by San Jose, up $3.77 billion; Chicago, up $2.89 billion; Los Angeles-Long Beach, up $2.21 billion; and Richmond-Petersburg, Va., up $1.25 billion.

According to the report, a number of smaller cities saw the biggest percentage increases in exports. The Biloxi-Gulfport- Pascagoula metropolitan statistical area in Mississippi led the list with an increase of 160.4%.

Other big percentage gains were turned in by Dubuque, Iowa, up 90.8%; Greeley, Colo., up 81.8%; Florence, S.C., up 76.8%; and Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark., up 73.3 %.

While the Biloxi area ranked first in percentage growth in exports, it ranked 145th in terms of total exports, with $281.6 million in 1994 sales.

Detroit, which enjoyed the biggest dollar gain in export sales in 1994, also ranked as the city with the largest total sales at $27.47 billion, an increase of 63.7% over 1993.

It was followed by New York, with 1994 sales of $23.54 billion, a 16.5% drop from 1993. A decline in sales of gold bullion shipments by financial institutions and metals dealers was blamed for the decrease.

The third-largest metropolitan area in terms of exports was Los Angeles-Long Beach, with 1994 sales of $22.22 billion, an 11% increase from 1993. It was followed by Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash., at $21.75 billion, down 8.7%, and San Jose at $19.94 billion, up 23.3%.

The report on exports marks the first time the Commerce Department has tried to break down the benefits from overseas sales by metropolitan area.

The department, whose export promotion activities have come under attack from Republicans seeking targets for budget cuts, said the report should prove useful for state, local and private-sector organizations in developing export strategies.

Eizenstat said it is important for the public to understand that U.S. exports support about 11 million U.S. jobs.

“In order to maintain the consensus for open markets, the American people must see trade as job-creating and not job-destroying,” he said.

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Export Leaders

The 25 leading metropolitan regions in export sales in 1994, and their percentage change from the year before.

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1994 sales Percent Metro (billions) change Detroit $27.5 +63.7 New York 23.5 -16.5 Los Angeles 22.2 +11.0 Seattle 21.8 -8.7 San Jose 19.9 +23.3 Chicago 17.3 +20.0 Houston 13.4 +9.0 San Francisco 9.3 +0.4 Miami 9.3 +12.1 Minneapolis 8.9 -1.6 Washington 8.0 +9.9 Boston 7.1 +9.6 Orange County 6.7 +18.8 Philadelphia 6.5 +11.5 Portland, Ore. 6.4 +13.2 Dallas 5.7 +17.9 Phoenix 5.6 +23.6 Richmond, Va. 5.3 +31.1 Newark, N.J. 5.2 +21.4 Oakland 5.1 +22.3 San Diego 4.9 +11.7 Atlanta 4.7 +22.4 Bergen, N.J. 4.4 +11.8 Laredo, Texas 4.2 +2.4 Cleveland 4.1 +14.3

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