Wisconsin’s imports and exports with China did grow in 2022, but it was other parts of the world where the state saw the largest changes this past year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
On the export side, Wisconsin companies exported $27.4 billion in goods to other countries in 2022, an increase of 10.4%.
Some of the state’s top export destinations led the growth. Sales to Canada, the top destination for Wisconsin products, were up 14% to $7.95 billion. Exports to Mexico, the number two destination for the state, increased to $3.61 billion, a jump of 16.4%.
Exports to Germany and the United Kingdom, the number four and five destinations, were up 19.3% and 22% respectively. Exports to Europe for the year totaled $4.85 billion, an increase of 16.3%.
Wisconsin company sales to China were relatively flat compared to 2021, up 0.4% to $1.81 billion. Shipments to the rest of Asia were up 5.7% to $4.33 billion.
Imports
On imports, Wisconsin brought in $8.26 billion in goods from China last year, an increase of 11.1% from 2021.
Imports to the state from the rest of Asia saw stronger growth of 15.6% in 2022, reaching $8.92 billion. Vietnam, the second largest Asian importer into Wisconsin, saw growth of more than 27% to $2.5 billion. Imports from India were up almost 33% to $1.2 billion. Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia all saw growth of 38% or more.
Overall, Wisconsin imports were up 12.7% for 2022 to $41.1 billion.
Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, and South America all saw strong import growth, up 23%, 34% and nearly 24% respectively. However, those regions combined to account for roughly 11% of Wisconsin’s imports at $4.52 billion, including $3.9 billion from Mexico.
Europe saw a 9.3% increase in imports to Wisconsin in 2022, reaching nearly $13 billion. Canada’s imports to Wisconsin last year were up 10.8% to $6.1 billion.