U.S. Census Bureau News

U.S. Department of Commerce  Washington, D.C. 20230


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
8:30 A.M. EDT Friday, April 5, 2013

For information contact: 						CB13-56		
Phone: (301) 763-3629, 	Email: ftd.profile.list@census.gov
Joe Kafchinski, Joseph DeCampo, Ryan Coleman or Sherri Ewing


A Profile of U.S. Importing and Exporting Companies, 
2010 - 2011


The U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Commerce, releases the report, A Profile of U.S. Importing and Exporting Companies, 2010 - 2011. It provides information on identified companies and their known export or import value. Identified U.S. companies are defined as companies that can be linked to import or export transactions. The known value is the value of export or import transactions linked to specific companies. The increases in known export and import values correspond with the overall increase of trade in 2011; total export value increased by 15.8 percent and total import value increased by 15.4 percent. The number of identified exporters increased by 2.8 percent in 2011 and the known export value increased by 15.7 percent compared to 2010. The number of identified importers increased by 1.3 percent in 2011 and the known import value increased by 15.8 percent.

In 2011 the identified U.S. exporters accounted for $1,320 billion in exports or 89.2 percent of the total value of exported goods ($1,480 billion). In 2011 the number of identified U.S. exporters was 302.3 thousand, up from 294.0 thousand in 2010 (revised). In 2010, the known value was revised to $1,140 billion.










In 2011 identified U.S. importers accounted for $1,945 billion in imports or 88.1 percent of the total value of imported goods ($2,208 billion). The number of identified U.S. importers was 184.0 thousand, up from 181.6 thousand in 2010 (revised).

Because not all shipments 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 totaled 10.8 percent in both 2011 and 2010. This portion of the total export value includes exports by individuals, governments, low-value estimates, and information filed with missing, unknown, or incomplete company identifiers. The total import value that could not be linked to specific companies totaled 11.9 percent in 2011 and 12.2 percent in 2010. This portion of the total import value includes imports by individuals, articles exported and returned (the condition was not advanced), low-value estimates, electricity and natural gas imports from Canada, and information filed with missing, unknown, or incomplete company identifiers. Export and import values are taken from the detailed transactions used to compile the official U.S. trade statistics. Company size and type information are taken from administrative records and census or survey data on file with the Census Bureau.

The overall findings for 2011 and 2010 are shown in Table 1, which shows the proportion of exports and imports that were successfully matched to companies in the 2010 and 2011 Business Registers. The 2010 exporter figures in this report are revised from data released in the 2009-2010 exporter profile. The revisions are based on the ability to match additional export records by company name. Unlike exports, all import records have unique numeric importer identifiers, so additional matching by the company name is not performed. Therefore no revisions are made to imports. Please refer to the Methodology section of the Technical Documentation at the end of this report. 

Who Exports and Imports?

During 2011, 8.7 percent (26.4 thousand) of all identified exporters were multiple location companies; these companies accounted for 74.4 percent of the known export value (Exhibit 1a). In contrast, 275.8 thousand single location companies (making up 91.3 percent of the exporting companies) contributed 25.6 percent of the known export value. 

In 2011, 9.7 percent of all identified importers were multiple location companies; these companies accounted for 76.6 percent of the known import value (Exhibit 1d). Single location companies, making up 90.3 percent of the importing companies, contributed 23.4 percent of the known import value. 

Trade with related parties accounted for 35.4 percent of the known export value by multiple location companies compared to 16.5 percent by single location companies (Exhibit 3a). 

Exhibit 1a shows that manufacturers accounted for the largest portion of the 2011 known value, 59.7 percent, with 24.4 percent of the identified exporters. Wholesalers accounted for 22.9 percent and other companies accounted for 16.9 percent of the known export value, respectively; unclassified exporters accounted for the remainder.

For imports, manufacturers accounted for the largest portion of 2011 known value, 44.3 percent with 19.8 percent of the known importers. Wholesalers accounted for 31.4 percent and other companies accounted for 23.8 percent of the known import value, respectively; unclassified companies accounted for the remainder of the known value. 

The other companies category includes manufacturers of prepackaged software and books; brokers or freight forwarders and other transportation and warehousing firms, which often act as agents for the true exporter; business, engineering, and management services; oil and gas extraction companies; coal mining companies; and communication services companies. 

The number of multiple location exporting companies fell by 1.4 percent in 2011. All company types decreased. Manufacturers decreased by 2.9 percent, wholesalers by 0.6 percent, other companies by 0.7 percent and unclassified companies by 1.3 percent (Exhibit 1c).

The number of multiple location importing companies decreased by 1.3 percent in 2011. The number of manufacturers decreased 0.9 percent, wholesalers 1.4 percent, and other companies by 1.9 percent. Unclassified companies increased by 26.7 percent (Exhibit 1f).



Figure 2 shows the concentration by percent of known export and import values. Of the known export value for 2011, 60.5 percent was accounted for by the top 500 companies. The top 250 companies accounted for 51.1 percent of the known export value. For imports, 68.9 percent of the known value was accounted for by the top 500 companies and 60.9 percent of the total known import value was accounted for by the top 250 importers.

For exports, the top 100 manufacturers contributed 32.6 percent of the total known export value and 54.7 percent of all exports by manufacturers (Exhibit 2a). For imports, the top 100 manufacturers contributed 30.3 percent of the total known import value and 68.5 of all imports by manufacturers (Exhibit 2c).

Among the company types, the top 50 manufacturers accounted for 44.3 percent of the known export value of the manufacturing sector. The top 50 companies represented 34.5 percent of the known export value for wholesalers and 41.1 percent of the known value for other companies (Exhibit 2a).

For imports, the top 50 importing manufacturers accounted for 58.9 percent of the known value of this sector. The top 50 companies represented 36.9 percent of the known import value for wholesalers and about 67.4 percent of the known value for other companies (Exhibit 2c).

Figure 3 shows the number of identified companies with both exports and imports. During 2011, 83,050 companies both exported and imported goods, 219,210 companies only exported goods, and 100,910 companies only imported goods. The companies that both exported and imported in 2011 accounted for 84.4 percent of the known export value and 92.5 percent of the known import value. Among companies that both imported and exported goods, 30.5 percent were manufacturers, 47.6 percent were wholesalers, and 21.4 percent were other (Exhibits 1a, 1d, and 1g). 



Large-Sized Companies 

Large identified companies (those employing 500 or more workers) were responsible for 66.7 percent of the known export value and 69.3 percent of known import value. They represented only 2.2 percent of all identified exporters and 2.8 percent of all known importers (Exhibits 1a and 1d). 

Large companies dominated manufacturers exports, with 3.3 percent of manufacturing exporters (2,453 of 73,861) accounting for 81.1 percent of manufacturing export value ($639 billion of $788 billion). Similarly, large wholesalers, who comprise 0.7 percent of the wholesalers who export, accounted for 37.9 percent of the value of known exports by wholesalers. Large companies in the other category represented 2.9 percent of the identified exporters in the other category, and 56.2 percent of the known value. Large manufacturers export value to related parties represented 31.1 percent of the manufacturers total known export value (Exhibit 3a).

Large companies comprised 6.1 percent of manufacturing importers (2,219 of 36,348) accounting for 86.0 percent of manufacturing import value ($740 billion of $861 billion). Large wholesalers, who comprise approximately 0.8 percent of the wholesalers who import, accounted for 44.2 percent of the value of known imports by wholesalers. (Exhibit 1d). 

Large companies accounted for 5.4 percent of those that both exported and imported goods in 2011. These large companies represented 77.2 percent of the known export value and 74.5 percent of the known import value. (Exhibit 1g). 

Small- and Medium-Sized Companies

Small- and medium-sized companies (those employing fewer than 500 workers, including number of employees unknown) comprised 97.8 percent of all identified exporters and 97.2 percent of all identified importers. They account for 33.3 percent and 30.7 percent of the known export and import value, respectively. The following findings were extracted from Exhibits 1a, 1d, 1g, and 7a:

* 96.7 percent of manufacturing exporters were small- and medium-sized companies and they contributed 18.9 percent of the sector's $788 billion in exports. 93.9 percent of manufacturing importers were small- and medium-sized; they accounted for 14.0 percent of the sectors $861 billion in imports.

* 99.3 percent of exporting wholesalers were small- and medium-sized companies; they accounted for 62.1 percent of the sectors $303 billion in exports. 99.2 percent of wholesaler importers were small- and medium-sized; they contributed 55.8 percent of the sectors $611 billion in imports.

* 97.1 percent of other companies with exports were small- and medium-sized companies. 96.4 percent of importing other companies were small- and medium-sized.

* Among companies that both exported and imported in 2011, small- and medium-sized companies accounted for 94.6 percent of such companies, accounting for 22.8 percent of the known export value and 25.5 percent of the known import value.

* Among 3-digit NAICS for wholesale industries, Nondurable Goods Merchant Wholesalers (NAICS 424) experienced the largest percent increase in export value by small- and medium-sized companies from 2010 to 2011 at 23.5 percent. For 3-digit manufacturing industry NAICS, Petroleum & Coal Products Manufacturing (NAICS 324) saw the largest percent increase in export value by small- and medium-sized companies at 85.7 percent. 

Export and Import Markets

The country groups used in the 2011 Profile have been revised from those used in earlier Profiles (Exhibits 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, and 5h). Please refer to the Technical Documentation for country grouping definitions.

Most identified companies exported to (58.2 percent) or imported from (60.3 percent) only one foreign country. A small percentage of exporters, 0.4 percent, shipped to 50 or more countries; these companies accounted for 48.8 percent of the known export value (Exhibit 4a). Less than 0.1 percent of importing companies imported from 50 or more countries, accounting for 21.5 percent of the known import value (Exhibit 4c).
 
In 2011, 81.3 percent of all exporting companies exported to at least one of the top 25 U.S. trading partners. The largest number of identified companies exported to Canada, followed by Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia (Exhibit 5a). 90.3 percent of all importing companies imported from at least one of the top 25 trading partners. The largest number of identified companies imported from China, followed by Taiwan, Germany, Italy and India (Exhibit 5d).

U.S. companies that both exported to and imported from Canada represented 71.2 percent of known export value to Canada in 2011 ($153 billion of $215 billion). Companies exporting to and importing from China represented 68.8 percent of known import value from China ($259 billion of $376 billion). In 2011, Canada, Mexico, China, Japan and the United Kingdom were the top 5 countries with the largest number of identified U.S. companies which both exported to and imported from the specific country (Exhibits 5a, 5d, and 5g).

Exports and Imports by State

The Census Bureau releases data on exports by state based on the origin of movement (OM). The OM data series is based on where the goods began their journey to the port of export as reported with the electronic export information. Similarly, import statistics by state are based on the state of destination (SD). This is the reported state, U.S. territory or U.S. possession where the merchandise is destined. Exhibit 6 shows the number of companies exporting from and importing to each state during 2010 and 2011 based upon these definitions. (Note that the same company can be shown as exporting from or importing to multiple states.) This is the first year which exports from small- and medium-sized companies by state is included in Exhibit 6a.

* In 2011, the top five states, based on the number of identified exporting companies, were California, Florida, New York, Texas, and Illinois. Exporters in these five states represented 43.3 percent of the total known export value. For importing companies, the top five states were California, New York, Florida, Texas, and New Jersey. Importers in these states accounted for 46.4 percent of the total known import value.

* States recording the largest increases in known export value in 2011 were West Virginia (42.3 percent), Utah (40.2 percent), New Mexico (37.5 percent), North Dakota (35.9 percent), and Nevada (35.3 percent). Oklahoma (80.8 percent), Utah (40.0 percent), Louisiana (35.6 percent), New Hampshire (34.9 percent), and South Carolina (31.7 percent) had the largest increases in known import value. 

* In 2011, 72,039 small- and medium-sized companies exported from California. Florida was second with 57,381 small- and medium-sized companies exporting from that state. California also had the highest proportion of small- and medium-sized exporters, with 95.9 percent; followed by Florida with 95.3 percent; and New York with 94.4 percent.

Comparison of 2010 and 2011 Results

The relative proportions of exports and imports accounted for by manufacturers, wholesalers, and other companies based upon both number of companies and known value remained consistent from 2010 to 2011. Below are a number of noteworthy year-to-year changes (Exhibits 1c, 1f, 5c, and 5f):

* The known export value increased by 15.7 percent. The number of identified exporting companies increased by 8,272 (2.8 percent). Single location companies increased by 8,650 and multiple location companies decreased by 378.

* The known import value rose by 15.8 percent. The number of identified importing companies increased by 2,312 (1.3 percent). Single location companies increased by 2,539 and multiple location companies decreased by 227.

* The number of small- and medium-sized exporting companies increased by 2.8 percent, from 287.5 thousand in 2010 to 295.6 thousand in 2011, while the number of large companies increased by 2.7 percent, from 6,490 to 6,666.

* The number of exporting wholesalers rose by 3.1 percent from 98.1 thousand in 2010 to 101.1 thousand in 2011. Additionally, the number of exporting manufacturers increased by 2.1 percent from 72.3 thousand in 2010 to 73.9 thousand in 2011.

* The number of importing wholesalers increased 0.6 percent from 82,053 in 2010 to 82,522 in 2011. Additionally, the number of importing manufacturers increased 2.1 percent from 35.6 thousand in 2010 to 36.3 thousand in 2011.

* Of the top 25 U.S. export trading partners, all saw increases in the number of identified exporting companies between 2010 and 2011. Among the top 25 U.S. export trading partners, Australia (8.6 percent), Turkey (8.4 percent), Chile (8.1 percent), and the Netherlands (7.4 percent) showed the largest percentage increases in the number of identified exporting companies. 

* Among the top 25 U.S. import trading partners, Saudi Arabia (8.3 percent), Canada (6.3 percent), the Netherlands (3.5 percent), and France (3.3 percent) showed the largest percentage increases in the number of identified importing companies.

Some portion of these changes may reflect changes in the match rate rather than an actual change in the number of companies. During the process of identifying individual companies, it was not possible to investigate every unmatched case. Priority was given to identifying unmatched companies having high values of trade. As a result, the information on small importers and exporters is most likely understated. Also, users should not assume that the unidentified companies reflected the same distribution of company types and sizes as the identified (known) exporters and importers. Comparisons between the number of companies importing and exporting in given categories or different years might be somewhat misleading due to differences in the percent of value we were able to match to specific companies. 

Table 1: Distribution of Exports and Imports by Identified and Unidentified Companies
(Value in millions of dollars.  Details may not sum to total due to rounding.)

2011 Value
% of 2011 Value
2010 Value
% of 2010 Value
Total exports
1,480,432
100.0 
1,278,263
100.0 
Low-value estimates
32,288  
2.2 
33,079
2.6 
US & foreign governments
61  
<0.1 
132
<0.1 
Identified exporters* (known value)
1,319,942
89.2
1,140,406
89.2 
   Exported merchandise in
   both 2010 and 2011
1,285,194
86.8 
1,096,380
85.8
   Exported merchandise in
   only 2010 or only 2011
34,748
2.3 
44,026
3.4
Unidentified exports
128,141 
8.7 
104,646
8.2
Total Imports
2,207,824
100.0
1,913,160
100.0
Low-value estimates
14,043
0.1
13,727
0.7
Articles exported and returned, not advanced or improved in condition
41,515
1.9
38,504
2.0
Identified importers* (known value)
1,945,307
88.1
1,679,522
87.8
   Imported merchandise in
   both 2010 and 2011
1,891,105
85.7
1,642,578
85.9
   Imported merchandise in
   only 2010 or only 2011
54,202
2.5
36,944
1.9
Unidentified imports /1
206,958
9.4
181,407
9.5
*Number of Identified Companies

2011
2010
Both Years
2011 Only
2010 Only
Exporters
302,260
293,988
199,237
103,023
94,751
Importers
183,960
181,648
130,872
53,088
50,776
* Note: Percentages may not add up to 100.0 percent due to rounding
/1 Includes Canadian electricity and natural gas imports


NOTICE

Effective with this release, the U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division has added data on small- and medium-sized exporting companies by state to Exhibit 6a. To accommodate the additional columns in Exhibit6a, data on the percent difference between 2010 and 2011 export results for small and medium sized companies were moved to a new exhibit, 6c.

Copies of the importer and exporter profile are available by calling (301)763-2311 or at http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/aip/index.html#profile.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Exhibit 1a.	2011 Exports by Company Type and Employment Size	11

Exhibit 1b.	2010 Exports by Company Type and Employment Size	13

Exhibit 1c.	Percent Difference Between the 2010 and 2011 Export Results	15

Exhibit 1d.	2011 Imports by Company Type and Employment Size	17

Exhibit 1e.	2010 Imports by Company Type and Employment Size	19

Exhibit 1f.	Percent Difference Between the 2010 and 2011 Import Results	21

Exhibit 1g.	2011 Exports and Imports by Company Type and Employment Size for 
	Companies that both Export and Import	23

Exhibit 1h.	2010 Exports and Imports by Company Type and Employment Size for 
	Companies that both Export and Import	25

Exhibit 2a.	Top Companies Share of the 2011 Export Market by Company Type	27

Exhibit 2b.	Top Companies Share of the 2010 Export Market by Company Type	28

Exhibit 2c.	Top Companies Share of the 2011 Import Market by Company Type	29

Exhibit 2d.	Top Companies Share of the 2010 Import Market by Company Type	30

Exhibit 3a.	2011 Exports to Related Parties by Company Type and Employment Size	31

Exhibit 3b.	2010 Exports to Related Parties by Company Type and Employment Size	33

Exhibit 4a.	2011 Exports by Company Type and Employment Size to Number of Partner Countries	35

Exhibit 4b.	2010 Exports by Company Type and Employment Size to Number of Partner Countries	36

Exhibit 4c.	2011 Imports by Company Type and Employment Size to Number of Partner Countries	37

Exhibit 4d.	2010 Imports by Company Type and Employment Size to Number of Partner Countries	38

Exhibit 5a.	2011 Exports by Company Employment Size to World Areas and Selected Countries	39

Exhibit 5b.	2010 Exports by Company Employment Size to World Areas and Selected Countries	40

Exhibit 5c.	Percent Difference Between 2010 and 2011 Exports to World Areas and Selected 
	Countries 	41

Exhibit 5d.	2011 Imports by Company Employment Size from World Areas and Selected Countries	42

Exhibit 5e.	2010 Imports by Company Employment Size from World Areas and Selected Countries	43

Exhibit 5f.	Percent Difference Between 2010 and 2011 Exports to World Areas and Selected 
	Countries 	44

Exhibit 5g.	2011 Exports and Imports for Selected Countries and World Areas by Employment Size,
	Only for Companies that both Imported from and Exported to Listed Countries and
	World Areas 	45

Exhibit 5h.	2010 Exports and Imports for Selected Countries and World Areas by Employment Size,
	Only for Companies that both Imported from and Exported to Listed Countries and
	World Areas	46

Exhibit 6a.	2011 Exports by State of the Origin of Movement, Number of Exporting Companies, 
	and Value	49

Exhibit 6b.	2010 Exports by State of the Origin of Movement, Number of Exporting Companies, 
	and Value	50

Exhibit 6c.	Percent Difference Between 2010 and 2011 Exports from Small- and Medium- Sized Companies 	51

Exhibit 6d.	2011 Imports by State of Destination, Number of Importing Companies, Value,
	and Percent Difference Between the 2010 and 2011 Results	52

Exhibit 6e.	2010 Imports by State of Destination, Number of Importing Companies, and Value 	53

Exhibit 7a.	2011 Exports by 3-Digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 
	for Small and Medium Sized Companies	54

Exhibit 7b.	2010 Exports by 3-Digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 
	for Small and Medium Sized Companies	56


Technical Documentation

This section contains critical information on sources and reliability of data, as well as definitions of terms and methodological procedures that users should consider before attempting to interpret or analyze the statistical data presented in this report. Failure to do so may affect the result. 










NOTE: All percentages given for company size are based on known value.





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