Exports from the Chicago area rose 17.4 percent last year, to $39.5 billion, making the area one of seven nationally where exports surpassed $25 billion, according to new data.
Among metropolitan areas, the Chicago market ranked seventh in terms of its export volume, according to the International Trade Administration.
Products exported from the Chicago area include chemicals, computer and electronic products, machinery, transportation and petroleum and coal products, said the administration, part of the Commerce Department. Top markets included Canada, Mexico, China, Germany and India.
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The group said that 98 percent of all U.S. exporters are small- and medium-size firms. Every $1 billion in exports supported 5,000 jobs last year, it said.
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