Led by $4.1 billion worth of chemical exports, the total worth of all exports from the Baton Rouge metro area increased by $1.3 billion last year to $7.5 billion. That’s a 20.3% increase, and it made the Baton Rouge area the 42nd largest metro area exporter in the nation by total export value, according to new figures released today by the U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration.
The New Orleans area, meanwhile, is ranked as the country’s eighth largest exporter in 2014, with merchandise shipments totaling $34.9 billion, up $4.9 billion or 16.2% from the $30 billion worth of exports the year previous.
In the Baton Rouge area, chemical exports continued to be king last year, with 54.1% of all exports falling into the category. The $2.3 billion worth of petroleum and coal product exports from the Capital Region accounted for a 31% share of all exports, followed by agricultural products ($481 million and a 6.4% share of total) and primary metal manufactured products ($231 million and a 2.6% share). Mexico accounted for the bulk of international exports from Baton Rouge, taking in $1.3 billion worth of goods, a 17.7% share of the total. China was second, at $633 million and an 8.4% share, followed by Canada ($582 million and a 7.7% share) and Brazil ($534 million and a 7.1% share).
The Capital Region shipped out 14.6% of all exports in Louisiana last year, while the New Orleans area accounted for 67.6%. The data also show that as of 2012—the most recent figures available—623 companies were exporting goods from the Baton Rouge metro area. Among them, 491 were considered small- or mid-sized exporters, with fewer than 500 employees.
See a list of the nation’s top 50 metro areas for exports last year, as well as more details about Baton Rouge exporting and New Orleans shipments.
—Steve Sanoski
