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Mapped: U.S. Jobs Supported by Exports to China, by State

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Mapped: U.S. Jobs Supported by Exports to China, by State

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A new Trump presidency brings one certainty: global trade is back in the spotlight.

The 47th president is targeting major trading partners—Canada, Mexico, China, and the EU—seeking to reshape trade in exchange for national security commitments.

The potential impact of new tariffs is unclear. Experts warn they could trigger retaliation or drive up prices as costs pass to consumers.

“To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff, and it’s my favorite word.” — President-elect Donald J. Trump, October 15th, 2024.

With new tariffs on China a likely outcome in coming months, this map shows the number of American jobs supported by U.S. exports to China by U.S. state that could be affected by any retaliatory tariffs put in place by Beijing.

Estimates are made for the year 2022 by the The US-China Business Council in a report published 2024.

Ranked: U.S. States by Jobs Supported Through Exports to China

California and Texas are the two states with the most number of jobs supported by U.S. exports to China.

In Texas, most of these are concentrated in oil and gas, while California’s export-oriented employment is both in goods (agriculture) and services (education).

RankStateState CodeJobs Supported in 2022
1CaliforniaCA125,653
2TexasTX89,531
3IllinoisIL53,722
4New YorkNY42,585
5MassachusettsMA30,744
6OhioOH28,600
7North CarolinaNC28,410
8IndianaIN28,150
9GeorgiaGA28,010
10IowaIA27,573
11WashingtonWA27,229
12OregonOR26,710
13MinnesotaMN26,531
14PennsylvaniaPA24,020
15MichiganMI21,322
16TennesseeTN20,046
17New JerseyNJ18,827
18KansasKS18,546
19FloridaFL18,091
20South CarolinaSC18,065
21NebraskaNE17,934
22MissouriMO16,857
23VirginiaVA16,443
24KentuckyKY16,315
25AlabamaAL15,010
26LouisianaLA14,856
27WisconsinWI14,622
28ArizonaAZ12,042
29MarylandMD10,839
30ColoradoCO9,933
N/AAll othersXX84,012
N/ATotalU.S.931,228

However it is jobs in the American heartland—Illinois, Iowa, Kansas—which are most exposed if or when the Trump administration goes ahead with proposed tariffs against China, which could trigger retaliation.

The reason being oilseeds and grains are the largest exports to China, a key part to many Midwestern economies.

In fact, agricultural products were the first exports targeted by China in retaliatory tariffs in 2018, leading to a decline in trade and a widening deficit.

Changing Chinese Demand Could Affect Key U.S. Sectors

Meanwhile, other shifts in global trade could lead to declining jobs in other states as well.

For example, nearly all of American semiconductor exports are from Oregon. And federal government controls are steadily limiting this industry’s exports to China due to national security concerns.

RankStateGoods Exports to China (2023)YoY Growth
1Texas$25.7 billion+16.4%
2California$16.4 billion−7.0%
3Louisiana$6.5 billion+52.7%
4Indiana$6.1 billion+18.7%
5Illinois$5.9 billion−10.6%
6North Carolina$5.9 billion−9.5%
7Washington$4.1 billion−1.8%
8Oregon$4.0 billion−51.4%
9Georgia$4.0 billion−4.1%
10South Carolina$3.9 billion+3.8%

Source: The US–China Business Council

As a result, between 2021 and 2022, Oregon’s semiconductor exports supported 14,000 fewer jobs, a trend that has continued. Its export value to China halved from $8 billion to $4 billion by 2023.

Meanwhile, a slowing Chinese economy further reduced demand for Texan oil and gas in 2024.

For context, China is America’s third-largest petroleum export market after Canada and Mexico. Recently it has also shifted to sourcing oil from Russia and Iran.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Wondering which other countries feature on America’s export destinations? Check out America’s Most Important Trade Relationships for a breakdown.

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