U.S. Census Bureau News

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


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10:00 A.M. EDT TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015

For information contact: 						CB15-51		
Phone: (301) 763-3629, 	Email: ftd.profile.list@census.gov
Glenn Barresse, Benjamin Shelak, Jessica Fernandez or Sherri Ewing


A Profile of U.S. Importing and Exporting Companies, 
2012 - 2013



The U.S. Census Bureau, Department of 
Commerce, releases the report, A Profile of U.S. 
Importing and Exporting Companies, 2012 - 2013. 
It provides information on identified companies 
and their known import or export 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 import or export 
transactions linked to specific companies. The 
increases or decreases in known export and import 
values correspond with the overall direction of 
trade in 2013; total export value increased by 2.2 
percent and total import value decreased by 0.3 
percent. The number of identified exporters 
decreased by 0.5 percent in 2013 and the known 
export value increased by 1.4 percent compared to 
2012. The number of identified importers 
decreased by 0.8 percent in 2013 and the known 
import value decreased by 1.1 percent.

In 2013 the identified U.S. exporters accounted for 
$1,401 billion in exports or 88.7 percent of the 
total value of exported goods ($1,580 billion). In 
2013 the number of identified U.S. exporters was 
304.2 thousand, down from 305.7 thousand in 
2012 (revised). In 2012, the known value was 
revised to $1,382 billion.

 



 


 

In 2013 identified U.S. importers accounted for 
$1,986 billion in imports or 87.6 percent of the 
total value of imported goods ($2,268 billion). The 
number of identified U.S. importers was 184.2 
thousand, down from 185.7 thousand in 2012 
(revised).

Because not all shipments can be linked to specific 
companies, the number of exporters and importers 
may be understated (Table 1). The total export 
value that could not be linked to specific 
companies totaled 11.3 percent in 2013 and 10.6 
percent in 2012. 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 
12.4 percent in 2013 and 11.8 percent in 2012. 
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 2013 and 2012 are shown 
in Table 1, which shows the proportion of exports 
and imports that were successfully matched to 
companies in the 2012 and 2013 Business 
Registers. The 2012 exporter figures in this report 
are revised from data released in the 2011-2012 
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 2013, 9.4 percent (28.5 thousand) of all 
identified exporters were multiple location 
companies; these companies accounted for 75.6 
percent of the known export value (Exhibit 1a). In 
contrast, 275.7 thousand single location companies 
(making up 90.6 percent of the exporting 
companies) contributed 24.4 percent of the known 
export value. 

In 2013, 10.6 percent of all identified importers 
were multiple location companies; these 
companies accounted for 77.6 percent of the 
known import value (Exhibit 1d). Single location 
companies, making up 89.4 percent of the 
importing companies, contributed 22.4 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 17.0 percent by 
single location companies (Exhibit 3a). 

Exhibit 1a shows that manufacturers accounted for 
the largest portion of the 2013 known value, 59.9 
percent, with 24.5 percent of the identified 
exporters. Wholesalers accounted for 21.7 percent 
and other companies accounted for 18.4 percent of 
the known export value.

For imports, manufacturers accounted for the 
largest portion of 2013 known value, 46.0 percent 
with 19.7 percent of the known importers. 
Wholesalers accounted for 29.8 percent and other 
companies accounted for 24.1 percent of the 
known import value (Exhibit 1d). 

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; 
communication services companies; and 
companies for which an industry could not be 
determined. 


The number of multiple location exporting 
companies decreased by 0.8 percent in 2013. 
Manufacturers increased by 0.3 percent, 
wholesalers decreased by 0.4 percent as well as 
other companies by 2.2 percent (Exhibit 1c).

The number of multiple location importing 
companies decreased by 1.0 percent in 2013. The 
number of manufacturers increased 0.2 percent, 
wholesalers decreased by 0.2 percent, as well as  
other companies by 3.0 percent (Exhibit 1f).

 

Figure 2 shows the concentration by percent of 
known export and import values. Of the known 
export value for 2013, 61.6 percent was accounted 
for by the top 500 companies. The top 250 
companies accounted for 52.2 percent of the 
known export value. For imports, 67.3 percent of 
the known value was accounted for by the top 500 
companies and 58.9 percent of the total known 
import value was accounted for by the top 250 
importers.

For exports, the top 100 manufacturers contributed 
33.3 percent of the total known export value and 
55.6 percent of all exports by manufacturers 
(Exhibit 2a). For imports, the top 100 
manufacturers contributed 31.5 percent of the total 
known import value and 68.4 of all imports by 
manufacturers (Exhibit 2c).

Among the company types, the top 50 
manufacturers accounted for 45.2 percent of the 
known export value of the manufacturing sector. 
The top 50 companies represented 34.7 percent of 
the known export value for wholesalers and 42.7 
percent of the known value for other companies 
(Exhibit 2a).

For imports, the top 50 importing manufacturers 
accounted for 58.7 percent of the known value of 
this sector. The top 50 companies represented 32.4 
percent of the known import value for wholesalers 
and about 61.1 percent of the known value for 
other companies (Exhibit 2c).

Figure 3 shows the number of identified 
companies with both exports and imports. During 
2013, 83,199 companies both exported and 
imported goods, 221,024 companies only exported 
goods, and 101,009 companies only imported 
goods. The companies that both exported and 
imported in 2013 accounted for 85.3 percent of the 
known export value and 92.7 percent of the known 
import value. Among companies that both 
imported and exported goods, 30.4 percent were 
manufacturers, 47.6 percent were wholesalers, and 
22.0 percent were other (Exhibits 1a, 1d, and 1g). 

 

Large-Sized Companies 

Large identified companies (those employing 500 
or more workers) were responsible for 66.4 percent 
of the known export value and 68.9 percent of 
known import value. They represented only 2.3 
percent of all identified exporters and 2.9 percent 
of all known importers (Exhibits 1a and 1d). 

Large companies dominated manufacturers 
exports, with 3.5 percent of manufacturing 
exporters (2,584 of 74,398) accounting for 80.9 
percent of manufacturing export value ($679 
billion of $839 billion). Similarly, large 
wholesalers, who comprise 0.8 percent of the 
wholesalers who export, accounted for 35.2 
percent of the value of known exports by 
wholesalers. Large companies in the other 
category represented 2.7 percent of the identified 
exporters in the other category, and 55.8 percent 
of the known value. Large manufacturers export 
value to related parties represented 30.8 percent of 
the manufacturers total known export value 
(Exhibit 3a).

Large companies comprised 6.5 percent of 
manufacturing importers (2,351 of 36,366) 
accounting for 86.7 percent of manufacturing 
import value ($792 billion of $914 billion). Large 
wholesalers, who comprise approximately 0.9 
percent of the wholesalers who import, accounted 
for 40.0 percent of the value of known imports by 
wholesalers. (Exhibit 1d). 

Large companies accounted for 5.7 percent of 
those that both exported and imported goods in 
2013. The large companies represented 76.3 
percent of the known export 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 97.7 
percent of all identified exporters and 97.1 percent 
of all identified importers. They account for 33.6 
percent and 31.1 percent of the known export and 
import value, respectively. The following findings 
were extracted from Exhibits 1a, 1d, 1g, and 7a:

*	96.5 percent of manufacturing exporters were 
small- and medium-sized companies and they 
contributed 19.1 percent of the sector's $839 
billion in exports. 93.5 percent of 
manufacturing importers were small- and 
medium-sized; they accounted for 13.4 percent 
of the sectors $914 billion in imports.

*	99.2 percent of exporting wholesalers were 
small- and medium-sized companies; they 
accounted for 64.8 percent of the sectors $303 
billion in exports. 99.1 percent of wholesaler 
importers were small- and medium-sized; they 
contributed 60.0 percent of the sectors $593 
billion in imports.
	
*	97.3 percent of other companies with exports 
were small- and medium-sized companies. 
96.5 percent of importing other companies 
were small- and medium-sized.

*	Among companies that both exported and 
imported in 2013, small- and medium-sized 
companies accounted for 94.4 percent of such 
companies, accounting for 23.7 percent of the 
known export value.

*	Among 3-digit NAICS for wholesale 
industries, Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable 
Goods (NAICS 424) experienced the largest 
percent increase in export value by small- and 
medium-sized companies from 2012 to 2013 
at 10.1 percent. For 3-digit manufacturing 
industry NAICS, Computer & Electronic 
Product Manufacturing (NAICS 334) saw the 
largest percent increase in export value by 
small- and medium-sized companies at 43.9 
percent. 

	Export and Import Markets
	
	The country groups used in the 2013 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 (58.5 
percent) or imported from (60.1 percent) only one 
foreign country. A small percentage of exporters, 
0.4 percent, shipped to 50 or more countries; these 
companies accounted for 49.9 percent of the 
known export value (Exhibit 4a). Less than 0.1 
percent of importing companies imported from 50 
or more countries, accounting for 18.9 percent of 
the known import value (Exhibit 4c).
	 
	In 2013, 81.4 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, China and Germany 
(Exhibit 5a). 91.1 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 72.1 percent of known 
export value to Canada in 2013 ($160 billion of 
$222 billion). Companies exporting to and 
importing from China represented 70.0 percent of 
known import value from China ($287 billion of 
$416 billion). In 2013, China, Germany, Canada, 
the United Kingdom, and Mexico 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 2012 and 2013 based upon these 
definitions. (Note that the same company can be 
shown as exporting from or importing to multiple 
states.) 
	
*	In 2013, the top five states, based on the 
number of identified exporting companies, 
were California, Florida, Texas, New York, 
and Illinois. Exporters in these five states 
represented 43.0 percent of the total known 
export value. For importing companies, the top 
five states were California, New York, Texas, 
Florida, and New Jersey. Importers in these 
states accounted for 46.1 percent of the total 
known import value.
	
*	States recording the largest increases in known 
export value in 2013 were New Hampshire 
(22.9 percent), District of Columbia (18.2 
percent), Kentucky (16.6 percent), New York 
(7.8 percent), and Washington (7.5 percent). 
District of Columbia (28.1 percent), Missouri 
(13.1 percent), Vermont (10.7 percent), South 
Dakota (10.1 percent), and Kentucky (9.3 
percent) had the largest increases in known 
import value. 

*	In 2013, 72,032 small- and medium-sized 
companies exported from California. Florida 
was second with 58,626 small- and medium-
sized companies exporting from that state. 
California also had the highest proportion of 
small- and medium-sized exporters, with 95.8 
percent; followed by Florida with 95.3 
percent; and New York with 94.2 percent.

	Comparison of 2012 and 2013 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 2012 to 2013. Below are a number of 
noteworthy year-to-year changes (Exhibits 1c, 1f, 
5c, and 5f):

*	The known export value increased by 1.4 
percent. The number of identified exporting 
companies decreased by 1,446 (0.5 percent). 
Single location companies decreased by 1,209 
and multiple location companies decreased by 
237.

*	The known import value dropped by 1.1 
percent. The number of identified importing 
companies decreased by 1,521 (0.8 percent). 
Single location companies decreased by 1,328 
and multiple location companies decreased by 
193.

*	The number of small- and medium-sized 
exporting companies decreased by 0.5 percent, 
from 298.8 thousand in 2012 to 297.3 
thousand in 2013, while the number of large 
companies decreased by 0.1 percent, from 
6,887 to 6,880.

*	The number of exporting wholesalers dropped 
by 0.7 percent from 102.2 thousand in 2012 to 
101.5 thousand in 2013. Additionally, the 
number of exporting manufacturers decreased 
by 0.3 percent from 74.7 thousand in 2012 to 
74.4 thousand in 2013.

*	The number of importing wholesalers 
decreased 0.7 percent from 83.1 thousand in 
2012 to 82.5 thousand in 2013. Additionally, 
the number of importing manufacturers 
decreased 1.0 percent from 36.7 thousand in 
2012 to 36.4 thousand in 2013.

*	Of the top 25 U.S. export trading partners, 
Mexico (3.0 percent), and United Arab 
Emirates (2.0 percent) showed the largest 
increases in the number of identified exporting 
companies between 2012 and 2013. Venezuela 
(13.8 percent), India (4.0 percent), and Japan 
(3.4 percent) showed the largest percentage 
decreases. 

*	Among the top 25 U.S. import trading 
partners, Vietnam (5.5 percent) showed the 
largest percentage increase in the number of 
identified importing companies. Venezuela 
(14.6 percent) and Israel (4.3 percent) showed 
the largest percentage decreases.

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.)

2013 Value
% of 2013 Value
2012 Value
% of 2012 Value
Total exports
1,579,593
100.0 
1,545,703
100.0 
Low-value estimates
34,705  
2.2 
33,617
2.2 
US & foreign governments
20  
<0.1 
33
<0.1 
Identified exporters* (known value)
1,400,955
88.7
1,381,728
89.4 
   Exported merchandise in
   both 2012 and 2013
1,370,828
86.8 
1,347,979
87.2
   Exported merchandise in
   only 2012 or only 2013
30,126
1.9 
33,748
2.2
Unidentified exports
143,911
9.1 
130,325
8.4
Total Imports
2,268,321
100.0
2,276,302
100.0
Low-value estimates
13,442
0.6
12,985
0.6
Articles exported and returned, not 
advanced or improved in condition
52,270
2.3
48,688
2.1
Identified importers* (known value)
1,986,142
87.6
2,007,762
88.2
   Imported merchandise in
   both 2012 and 2013
1,944,072
85.7
1,967,595
86.5
   Imported merchandise in
   only 2012 or only 2013
42,069
1.9
40,167
1.8
Unidentified imports /1
216,466
9.5
204,901
9.0
*Number of Identified Companies

2013
2012
Both Years
2013 Only
2012 Only
Exporters
304,223
305,669
205,326
98,897
100,343
Importers
184,208
185,729
134,372
49,836
51,357
* Note: Percentages may not add up to 100.0 percent due to rounding
/1 Includes Canadian electricity and natural gas imports



	TABLE OF CONTENTS
	
	
	Exhibit 1a.	2013 Exports by Company Type and Employment Size	11
	
	Exhibit 1b.	2012 Exports by Company Type and Employment Size	13
	
	Exhibit 1c.	Percent Difference Between the 2012 and 2013 Export Results	15
	
	Exhibit 1d.	2013 Imports by Company Type and Employment Size	17
	
	Exhibit 1e.	2012 Imports by Company Type and Employment Size	19
	
	Exhibit 1f.	Percent Difference Between the 2012 and 2013 Import Results	21
	
	Exhibit 1g.	2013 Exports and Imports by Company Type and Employment Size for 
		Companies that both Export and Import	23
	
	Exhibit 1h.	2012 Exports and Imports by Company Type and Employment Size for 
		Companies that both Export and Import	25
	
	Exhibit 2a.	Top Companies Share of the 2013 Export Market by Company Type	27
	
	Exhibit 2b.	Top Companies Share of the 2012 Export Market by Company Type	28
	
	Exhibit 2c.	Top Companies Share of the 2013 Import Market by Company Type	29
	
	Exhibit 2d.	Top Companies Share of the 2012 Import Market by Company Type	30
	
	Exhibit 3a.	2013 Exports to Related Parties by Company Type and Employment Size	31
	
	Exhibit 3b.	2012 Exports to Related Parties by Company Type and Employment Size	33
	
	Exhibit 4a.	2013 Exports by Company Type and Employment Size to Number of Partner Countries	35
	
	Exhibit 4b.	2012 Exports by Company Type and Employment Size to Number of Partner Countries	36
	
	Exhibit 4c.	2013 Imports by Company Type and Employment Size to Number of Partner Countries	37
	
	Exhibit 4d.	2012 Imports by Company Type and Employment Size to Number of Partner Countries	38
	
	Exhibit 5a.	2013 Exports by Company Employment Size to World Areas and Selected Countries	39
	
	Exhibit 5b.	2012 Exports by Company Employment Size to World Areas and Selected Countries	40
	
	Exhibit 5c.	Percent Difference Between 2012 and 2013 Exports to World Areas and Selected 
		Countries 	41
	
	Exhibit 5d.	2013 Imports by Company Employment Size from World Areas and Selected Countries	42
	
	Exhibit 5e.	2012 Imports by Company Employment Size from World Areas and Selected Countries	43
	
	Exhibit 5f.	Percent Difference Between 2012 and 2013 Exports to World Areas and Selected 
		Countries 	44
	
	Exhibit 5g.	2013 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.	2012 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.	2013 Exports by State of the Origin of Movement, Number of Exporting Companies, 
		and Value	49
	
	Exhibit 6b.	2012 Exports by State of the Origin of Movement, Number of Exporting Companies, 
		and Value	50
	
	Exhibit 6c.	Percent Difference Between 2012 and 2013 Exports from Small- and Medium- Sized 
Companies 	51
	
	Exhibit 6d.	2013 Imports by State of Destination, Number of Importing Companies, Value,
		and Percent Difference Between the 2012 and 2013 Results	52
	
	Exhibit 6e.	2012 Imports by State of Destination, Number of Importing Companies, and Value 	53
	
	Exhibit 7a.	2013 Exports by 3-Digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 
		for Small and Medium Sized Companies	54
	
	Exhibit 7b.	2012 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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