Census Reports U.S. Import & Export Values Decreased in 2008 - 2009
On April 12, 2011, the Census Bureau released a report profiling U.S. importing and exporting companies from 2008 to 2009. This is Census' first report to include information regarding U.S. importers and also provides information on identified companies1 and the known value2 of their export or import transactions.
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Total U.S. Import & Export Values Decreased from 2008 to 2009
In 2009 total import value fell by 25.9% and total export value decreased by 18%, from 2008 values.
Census reports that these decreases correspond to the overall decrease of trade in 2009. Census states that the identified U.S. importers accounted for $1,350 billion in imports, or 86.6% of the total value of imported goods in 2009 as compared to a value of $1,764 billion for 2008. The identified U.S. exporters accounted for $939 billion in exports, or 88.9% of the total value of exported goods in 2009, and $1,151 billion in 2008.
The following are the import and export values for identified companies, in millions of dollars:
| 2009 Value | 2008 Value | |
| Total Exports | 1,056,043 | 1,287,442 |
| Low-value estimates | 23,911 | 29,982 |
| U.S. & foreign governments | 1,462 | 1,889 |
| Identified Exporters | 938,794 | 1,150,903 |
| Total Imports | 1,559,625 | 2,103,641 |
| Low-value estimates | 16,963 | 22,788 |
| Articles exported and returned, not advanced or improved in condition | 34,474 | 37,360 |
| Identified Importers | 1,350,406 | 1,763,879 |
China, Canada, Mexico Among Top U.S. Import & Export Trading Partners
The top five countries from which U.S. companies imported in 2008 and 2009 are China, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Germany.
These are the same top five destination countries for U.S. exports, only with Canada, Mexico, and China being the top three.
Most Importing Firms Were Wholesalers and Manufacturers
Of the 179,831 companies that imported in 2009, 19.6% were manufacturers, 45.6% were wholesalers, 33.3% were classified as other (brokers or freight forwarders and other transportation and warehousing firms, etc), and 1.5% were unclassified.
Most Exporting Firms were Brokers, Freight Forwarders, Etc.
Of the 275,843 companies that exported in 2009, 25.5% were manufacturers, 33.9% were wholesalers, 37.6% were classified as other (brokers or freight forwarders and other transportation and warehousing firms, etc), and 2.9% were unclassified.
Other Import & Export Highlights from Census' Report
The following are additional highlights from Census' report on U.S. imports and exports in 2008 and 2009:
- Small and medium-sized companies3 comprised 97.1% of all identified importers and 97.6% of all identified exporters, accounting for 31.9% and 32.8% of the known import and export value, respectively.
- Most identified companies imported from (60.8%) or exported to (58%) only one foreign country. Less than 0.1% of importing companies imported from 50 or more countries, but account for 18.9% of the known import value. A small percentage of exporters (0.4%) shipped to 50 or more countries, and accounted for 48.3% of the known export value.
- U.S. companies that both imported from and exported to Canada represented 69% of known export value to Canada in 2009. Companies importing from and exporting to China represented 67.1% of known import value from China.
1Census notes that because these numbers reflect all shipments that can be linked to specific companies, the number of exporters and importers may be understated. The total export value that could not be linked to specific companies was 11.1% in 2009 and 10.6% in 2008, and 13.4% and 16.2%, respectively, for imports.
2The majority of the import data comes from transactions filed electronically by importers or their licensed brokers via the Automated Broker Interface (ABI) or the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). Other sources include electronic or paper documents for foreign trade zone (FTZ) admission and paper import entry summaries.
3Those employing fewer than 500 workers.