As the fifth largest exporting state in the U.S. – and the largest in the Midwest – exports are a major part of the Illinois economy. In 2023, Illinois exported $78.7 billion worth of goods, with international trade supporting more than 1.6 million jobs in the state.

• In Illinois, 1,632,000 jobs were supported by international trade in 2019, representing 20.5% of all jobs in the state.^1,2
• In 2020, 22,478 companies exported goods from Illinois of which 90% were small- and medium-sized enterprises. In 2018, 376,700 people were employed by affiliates of companies at least 50% foreign-owned.^3,4

• Illinois exported $78.7 billion in goods to foreign markets in 2023. Illinois’s largest markets were:⁵
  • Canada ($20.6 billion)
  • Mexico ($12.9 billion)
  • Germany ($4.5 billion)
  • China ($4.4 billion)
  • Australia ($4.4 billion)
• Agricultural exports are important to Illinois's' economy, totaling $13.7 billion in 2020, according to the USDA.⁶
• Since 2014, the U.S. Export-Import Bank has financed $6 billion in exports from 241 companies in Illinois.⁷
• Since 1992, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency has helped facilitate $2.5 billion in exports from Illinois companies.⁹

• During 2020, 55,337 international students were enrolled in Illinois colleges and universities and contributed $2.1 billion to the Illinois economy.¹⁰

• Since 1961, 9,274 Peace Corps volunteers from Illinois have served in dozens of countries overseas.¹¹

1. https://tradepartnership.com/reports/trade-and-american-jobs-the-impact-of-trade-on-u-s-and-state-level-employment-update-2020/
2. https://www.businessroundtable.org/policy-perspectives/trade-international/benefits-of-trade-data
3. https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/edb/2019/index.html
4. https://www.bea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/imne1120.pdf
5. https://www.trade.gov/data-visualization/state-economy-and-trade-factsheets
6. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets.aspx#.U2ERwbQzqX8
7. https://www.exim.gov/customer-map/
8. https://www.opic.gov/sites/default/files/docs/OPIC_local_impact.pdf
9. https://ustda.gov/ustda-success-by-state/
10. https://opendoorsdata.org/fact_sheets/
11. https://www.peacecorps.gov/news/library/peace-corps-announces-top-volunteer-producing-states-2018/