CALIFORNIA BUSINESS MINUTE
King of Exports
03-12-08
Hi, I am Tim Johnson and welcome to the California Business Minute.
In 2002 Texas was identified as the largest exporting state in the nation. But thanks
to a review by the US Census Bureau due to changes in its methodology in the collection
of data of exports by state, it appears that California will once again be placed at the top,
usurping the Lone Star state-Texas as the largest exporting state in the nation.
California exported $142.6 billion in goods last year, according to the new figures, which are
based on what may turn out to be a more accurate way of determining where exports originate.
Texas, which already plays second fiddle to California in population and economic output, was
also No. 2 in exports, with about $130.7 billion, using the new data.
That would represent a reversal from the Census Bureau's traditional figures, which credit Texas
with a lordly $168.1 billion in exports last year, compared with $134.2 billion for California.
The new figures are part of an effort to create a clearer picture of where America's exports come
from. Government number crunchers aren't ready to say their new approach is better than the old
one. The difference between the newfangled numbers, called the "ZIP code-based" series, and the
traditional ones, known as the "origin of movement" series, is linked to the nitty-gritty of data
collection and export statistics.
So, the question is, has Texas been getting credit all these years for exporting products it didn't
actually make?
I am Tim Johnson and this has been the California Business Minute.
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