West Virginia's exports soared to unprecedented levels in 2011, from $6.5 billion in 2010, to an astounding $9 billion in 2011, a 40 percent increase, the highest expansion rate among all the states. In responding to this notable achievement, West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin stated that "exports contribute greatly to West Virginia's growing and increasingly diverse economy. I commend the exporters of West Virginia for this incredible accomplishment." West Virginia Commerce Department Secretary Keith Burdette commented that "expanding export opportunities for West Virginia companies and products is a priority for this administration." West Virginia was not alone in recording impressive export growth rates and 49 of the 50 states saw a net increase in their exports in 2011; 36 of the states, including West Virginia, recorded double digit growth rates with 13 states expanding by single-digit rates and a mere one state seeing shrinking exports during the year.

The latest international trade statistics were released recently by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the data reveals the solid performance of the nation's exports in both resuscitating and sustaining the economic growth path of the United States. Specifically, U.S. exports in 2011 expanded to $1.5 trillion, an increase of 16 percent over the $1.3 trillion reached in 2010. During the height of the Great Recession, U.S. exports languished at $1 trillion in 2009 after reaching $1.1 trillion in 2007 and $1.3 trillion in 2008. The role of exports in advancing U.S. growth is reinforced by the fact that in 2011 they comprised a record 13.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), an increase from the 12.7 percent secured in 2010 and the prior record level of 12.9 percent achieved in 2008. Not only did exports contribute to a greater share of GDP than gross private domestic investment in 2011, exports also contributed 0.9 percentage points to the 1.7 percent increase in real GDP last year. Hence, the achievements in 2011 offer promise for sturdy economic growth opportunities across the country.

Experts are quickly realizing that U.S. exports are a bright spark in the otherwise relatively anemic economic recovery currently in progress. For 11 consecutive quarters (between the second quarter of 2009 and the fourth quarter of 2011), U.S. exports have expanded and the expectation is for continued progress in this area, generating jobs and economic opportunities for Americans across the nation. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that every $1 billion in exports generates 15,000 jobs. A number of factors have propelled this solid export performance, including the low value of the dollar (which raises the competitiveness of U.S. products in international markets) and the strategic efforts of U.S. multinational corporations to market such items as aircraft, motor vehicles and petroleum products.

As noted earlier, total U.S. exports in 2011 amounted to $1.5 trillion. A number of SLC states loomed large in these calculations across a number of categories. Of the 36 states that secured double-digit growth rates, 10 states belonged to the SLC. For instance, Texas, with $250 billion in exports in 2011, was the state recording the highest value in exports. In terms of value, California was second with $159 billion. As noted earlier, West Virginia secured the highest percentage increase (40 percent) in exports in 2011 compared to the prior year among the 50 states followed by Utah (37 percent) and New Mexico (36 percent).

The largest export markets for the United States in 2011 (based on value) were Canada ($281 billion, an increase of 13 percent from the prior year), Mexico ($198 billion, an increase of 21 percent) and China ($104 billion, an increase of 13 percent). In terms of the product profiles of the items exported by the United States, the top five categories were transportation equipment; computer and electronic products; chemicals; machinery (except electrical products); and petroleum and coal products. A very significant development related to U.S. exports in 2011 involves the export of petroleum and coal products. During the year, the United States exported $101 billion in this category, an increase of 65 percent compared to the prior year, the highest percentage increase in all the major export categories. In fact, reports indicate that in 2011, the United States shipped more gasoline, diesel and jet fuel than any other single export in over 20 years and that it also was the first time in more than 60 years that America has been a net exporter of these fuels.

During the 2010 State of the Union Address, President Obama indicated that his administration would double U.S. exports in five years in a quest to create 2 million export-related jobs. While the rate of growth experienced in exports since that statement remains formidable, there is still significant work to be done to accomplish the goal by 2015. Specifically, this would entail reaching an export target of $2.6 trillion (given the $1.3 trillion in 2010), an increase of approximately $1.1 trillion from the $1.5 trillion reached in 2011. Despite the decades of export promotion and programs to entice more and more American companies to engage in export-oriented production, the share of U.S. firms that sell products outside the country remain at a meager 1 percent. Even more intense efforts need to be deployed to lure American companies to focus on export-led growth, i.e., to "more aggressively orient their economic ecosystems for global trade," a development with tremendous potential for broad-based, sustained economic growth across the country.