Safety Net

The United States is no stranger to exporting, but some states do more to boost the nation's export figures than others. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the top 10 exporting states in 1994 were:

1. California

2. Texas

3. New York

4. Michigan

5. Washington

6. Illinois

7. Ohio

8. New Jersey

9. Florida

10. Pennsylvania

What clinched the No. 1 spot for California? "It's tempting to say the reason is its geoeconomic location, but California [businesses] make very competitive products," says Dan McLaughlin, deputy assistant secretary with the U.S. International Trade Administration. McLaughlin lists environmental technology, high tech, engineering services, entertainment and health services as California's most noteworthy contributions to exporting.

This article was originally published in the July 1996 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Safety Net.