What U.S. States Are Leading Exporters of Semiconductors? Some May Surprise You

by Semiconductor Industry Association

The U.S. Census Bureau publishes annual data on exports by state, and the recently published full-year 2014 semiconductor state export numbers provide some interesting takeaways.

First, all 50 U.S. states exported semiconductors in 2014. This reflects the regional diversification of semiconductor manufacturing and the pervasiveness of the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain in the United States. In fact, according to the Census’s annual state export data, all 50 states have exported semiconductors in each of the last 10 years at least.

Second, while some states with high semiconductor exports may be obvious, others may surprise you. For example, if you were to ask a random selection of people what states exported the most semiconductors, most people would likely mention Texas and California, because both are home to thriving tech hubs in Austin and Silicon Valley, respectively, and headquarters of many semiconductor companies. And they would not be incorrect, as Texas led all states in semiconductor exports in 2014 with close to $8.9 billion and California was second with $7.4 billion.

However, some of the other leading semiconductor export states are not so obvious. For example, Oregon, Arizona, Vermont, Massachusetts, Idaho, and Utah rounded out the top eight leading U.S. export states for semiconductors in 2014. What these states have in common is they are homes of significant U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and semiconductor manufacturing jobs. It is no surprise, therefore, that leading semiconductor export states generally overlap with leading semiconductor employment states.

Also, it should be noted that for many of these states, semiconductors actually constitute a leading export product, which shows how some states rely heavily on their semiconductor industry presence for jobs and sales abroad. This was highlighted recently in a Washington Post article that listed the top exports by state using this same Census data.

Finally, one major takeaway from this data is simply the importance of international trade to the U.S. semiconductor industry. All 50 states are perennial exporters of semiconductors, and for some states semiconductors are a leading source of exports and jobs tied to exports. In fact, over 80 percent of all U.S. semiconductor industry sales are to markets outside of the United States. If you needed any further evidence why one of SIA’s persistent top priorities is promoting free and open markets, this data would be it!