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Today, ATR takes a look at the number of jobs in every state tied to trade and the share of the workforce that trade-related jobs account for. These numbers underscore the importance of international trade when it comes to job creation and the livelihoods of individuals and families across the country. 

Percentage/Number of State Jobs Tied to Trade (2013)

1.

Hawaii

32.29% (201,322)

2.

Florida

31.25% (2,400,000)

3.

Vermont

31.18% (95,502)

4.

Idaho

30.95% (197,537)

5.

California

30.67% (4,700,000)

6.

Montana

30.54% (137,632)

7.

New Jersey

30.54% (1,200,00)

8.

Connecticut

30.49% (507,118)

9.

Washington

30.39% (915,225)

10.

Maryland

30.31% (790,950)

11.

Mississippi

29.91% (335,058)

12.

Tennessee

29.90% (829,452)

13.

South Dakota

29.70% (124,179)

14.

Missouri

29.65% (815,374)

15.

Colorado

29.52% (709,826)

16.

Georgia

29.47% (709,826)

17.

Arizona

29.42% (747,837)

18.

Maine

29.39% (177,519)

19.

Nevada

29.37% (350,466)

20.

North Carolina

29.24% (1,200,000)

21.

Virginia

29.19% (1,100,000)

22.

Illinois

29.17% (1,700,000)

23.

Alabama

29.13% (558,334)

24.

South Carolina

29.11% (559,329)

25.

Michigan

29.08% (1,200,000)

26.

Iowa

29.04% (448,445)

27.

New York

29.00% (2,600,000)

28.

Nebraska

28.92% (284,114)

29.

Arkansas

28.89% (342,335)

30.

Utah

28.76% (374,963)

31.

Kentucky

28.67% (529,278)

32.

Oregon

28.52% (484,067)

33.

Delaware

28.49% (123,312)

34.

Ohio

28.47% (1,500,00)

35.

Kansas

28.39% (392,522)

36.

Massachusetts

28.21% (955,486)

37.

Rhode Island

28.10% (132,416)

38.

New Hampshire

27.88% (179,655)

39.

Pennsylvania

27.79% (1,600,000)

40.

Wisconsin

27.56% (785,186)

41.

Minnesota

27.55% (774,730)

42.

Louisiana

27.46% (539,002)

43.

Indiana

26.87% (796,619)

44.

New Mexico

26.78% (217,198)

45.

Alaska

26.73% (90,572)

46.

Texas

26.49% (3,000,000)

47.

West Virginia

24.44% (186,939)

48.

Oklahoma

24.23% (398,589)

49.

North Dakota

23.98% (108,340)

50.

Wyoming

23.36% (68,436)

(Source: Bureau of Labor Statistic, TradeBenefitsAmerica.org)

Congress is now considering whether to grant the White House trade promotion authority (TPA), under which negotiated trade deals are sent to Congress for an up or down vote, but are not subject to amendments. Approval of TPA is critical to the completion of two pending trade deals with European and Asian countries. As Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist pointed out in a recent op-ed for Reuters, “granting the President trade promotion authority is the only way to get prospective trading partners to sit down for time-consuming and complicated negotiations required to reach an agreement.” 

Earlier this week, Americans for Tax Reform released data on the percentage of each state’s GDP that is tied to international trade. Click here to read Grover’s Reuters column explaining how expansion of free trade benefits the U.S. economy and why approval of TPA can’t wait.