Latest Developments in the Canadian Economical Accounts
Canada's merchandise trade with the U.S. by state

Release date: June 19, 2017 Correction engagement: (if required)

The value of Canada'due south total merchandise trade (exports plus imports) with the Us on a customs basis reached $673 billion in 2016, bookkeeping for 64.0% of Canada's total merchandise trade with the globe. This was down slightly from 2015 when a tape $688 billion was traded between the two countries.

Most of the information used in this paper are drawn from a new CANSIM table (228-0080), which provides monthly information on Canada'due south total merchandise imports and exports with the The states and also by U.s. state and Canadian province. The information are bachelor at the Harmonized System (HS) department level dating dorsum to January 1990.

From 1990 to 2016, Canada'southward total merchandise with the United States more than tripled. The most rapid growth occurred from 1992 to 1995, with exports to the The states increasing by 65.3% and imports rising by 56.ii%. This expansion coincided with the signing of the North American Free Merchandise Understanding in 1992 and its implementation in 1994.

Canada's exports to the Usa totalled $394 billion in 2016 and imports were valued at $278 billion, accounting for 76.3% of Canada's total exports and 52.2% of total imports.

Trade patterns with the Us on a regional basis highlight the integration of industries between the 2 countries. Proximity, transport infrastructure and government policies have all contributed to these interdependencies. In 2016, 14 of Canada's top twenty trading partners were US states. Usa with the largest shares of full trade with Canada were Michigan, Illinois, California, New York and Texas. In fact, Michigan has been Canada's superlative trading partner among U.S. states every year since 1990.

Chart 1 Canada's merchandise trade with the United States

Data table for Chart 1
Chart i Canada's trade trade with the U.s.
Table summary
This table displays the results of Chart 1 Canada'south merchandise trade with the United States Exports and Imports, calculated using billions of electric current dollars units of mensurate (actualization as column headers).
Exports Imports
billions of current dollars
1990 111.half dozen 87.nine
1991 109.7 86.4
1992 125.7 96.5
1993 150.seven 113.8
1994 183.3 137.3
1995 207.8 150.7
1996 223.2 157.0
1997 243.9 184.iv
1998 269.9 203.6
1999 308.1 215.6
2000 359.3 229.7
2001 351.viii 218.iii
2002 345.4 218.5
2003 326.8 203.8
2004 348.1 209.0
2005 365.7 215.2
2006 359.1 217.8
2007 355.6 220.9
2008 375.five 227.2
2009 270.1 186.8
2010 298.6 203.3
2011 329.0 221.4
2012 339.ii 233.9
2013 357.9 247.8
2014 404.7 278.five
2015 402.2 285.4
2016 394.4 278.3

The auto industry is a commuter of trade between Canada and Michigan

Michigan is the principal destination and origin of Canada's traded commodities with the U.s.. In 2016, exports to Michigan totalled $66 billion, representing 16.8% of all exports to the United States. More than half of these exports consisted of motor vehicles.

Canada's imports from the United States were also dominated by Michigan, accounting for $29 billion in 2016, or 10.4% of Canada's full imports from that country. More than one-half of these imports were motor vehicles or motor vehicle parts. The strong integration of the motorcar industries betwixt Michigan and Ontario, and the presence of the largest auto makers and distribution centres in the United States make Michigan Canada's largest trading partner for both imports and exports with the United States. If Michigan was a country, it would exist Canada's second-largest trading partner ahead of Prc.

Some other key state in terms of the motorcar sector is Ohio. The motorcar industries of Ohio and Ontario are also well integrated, contributing $39 billion worth of trade traded between the two jurisdictions in 2016. Ohio was Canada'southward second most important import source past state in 2016, accounting for $23 billion or 8.three% of all imports from the United states of america. Ohio was as well the destination for $16 billion or iv.1% of Canada'due south exports to the United States, ranking it as the seventh-largest export state.

Overall in 2016, motor vehicles and parts accounted for more than one-fifth of all traded commodities betwixt Canada and the Usa.

Canada's total merchandise trade with U.S. States, 2016

Clarification for map i

The title of the map is "Canada's merchandise trade with the United States, 2016"

The map is of the Usa with state boundaries drawn and standard abbreviations used to identify each land. The map indicates Canada'due south total merchandise trade (imports plus exports) on a Customs basis for all 50 states in 2016. On this map, darker shades of blue indicate a college corporeality of total trade, and lighter shades of blue signal lower amounts of total trade.

Category 1 (darkest blue) represents states where full merchandise trade is greater than $75 billion. Michigan (Mich.) is the only state included in category one.

Category ii represents states where full trade trade is greater than $50 billion to less than or equal to $75 billion. The states included in category 2 are Illinois (Ill.) and California (Calif.).

Category 3 represents states where total merchandise trade is greater than $25 billion to less than or equal to $50 billion. U.s.a. included in category 3 are New York (N.Y.), Texas (Tex.), Ohio and Washington (Wash.).

Category 4 represents countries where full trade merchandise is greater than $10 billion to less than or equal to $25 billion. The states included in category 4 are Pennsylvania (Penn.), Indiana (Ind.), Tennessee (Tenn.), New Bailiwick of jersey (N.J.), Minnesota (Minn.), Kentucky (Ky.), Wisconsin (Wis.), Massachusetts (Mass.), Georgia (Ga.), Due north Carolina (Due north.C.) and Florida (Fla.).

Category 5 represents states where total merchandise merchandise is greater than $5 billion to less than or equal to $10 billion. U.s. included in category 5 are Missouri (Mo.), South Carolina (Due south.C.), Alabama (Ala.), North Dakota (N.Dak.), Iowa, New Hampshire (N.H.), Oregon (Ore.), Virginia (Va.), Connecticut (Conn.), Louisiana (La.), Colorado (Colo.) and Oklahoma (Okla.).

Category 6 represents states where full merchandise merchandise is greater than $ane billion to less than or equal to $5 billion. The states included in category 6 are Vermont (Vt.), Utah, Montana (Mont.), Kansas (Kans.), Maine (Me.), Maryland (Medico.), Arizona (Ariz.), West Virginia (West.Va.), Mississippi (Miss.), Nevada (Nev.), Idaho, Arkansas (Ark.), Nebraska (Nebr.), Alaska, Rhode Island (R.I.), Delaware (Del.) and S Dakota (South.Dak.).

Category vii (lightest bluish) represents states where total merchandise trade is less than or equal to $1 billion. The states included in category seven are Wyoming (Wyo.), New Mexico (Northward.K.) and Hawaii.

Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM table 228-0080.

Oil cycle with Illinois

Illinois was the second-largest trading partner in terms of total merchandise, and the third-largest destination for Canadian exports to the United States in 2016, bookkeeping for $36 billion or ix.ii% of Canada's total Us exports. The main commodity exported to Illinois in 2016 was rough oil, representing more than half of Canada's total exports to the country. Illinois is an important destination for Western Canada's bituminous crude oil as it is home to many refineries that are equipped to procedure heavy crude oil.

With the significant pipeline interconnectivity between Western Canada and Illinois, Canadian bituminous crude oil product is largely driven by exports rather than domestic demand. Exports of rough oil to Illinois peaked at $36 billion in 2014, only have fallen somewhat since the turn down of oil prices.

Illinois is also a central import source of trade for Canada, ranking 3rd in 2016 with 6.6% of Canada's total imports from the United states of america. Ane of the main commodities imported in 2016 were diluents for crude bitumen Note one, accounting for 16.7% of Canada'southward total imports from Illinois. In order to improve menses through pipelines, bituminous crude oil from Western Canada must first be diluted. Canada's exports of crude oil to Illinois mostly consist of diluted bitumen. In one case the diluted bitumen reaches the Illinois refineries, the diluent is separated from the bitumen and returned to Canada, to be used again.

California ranks second every bit an export destination

Canada'due south exports to California were valued at $38 billion in 2016, representing 9.seven% of Canada's total exports to the U.s.a.. Almost ii-thirds of these exports consisted of motor vehicles, which reached a record $24 billion in 2016. Large auto distribution centres in California are behind these strong exports. Many motor vehicles manufactured in Canada and destined for the The states market transit through distribution centres in California before inbound the US retail market.

Imports from California are as well significant for Canada, ranking 7th in terms of Canada'due south total imports from the United states of america. Fruits and vegetables are the dominant commodities entering Canada from California.

Exports of gold to New York

New York is Canada'south fourth-largest trading partner among the U.Southward. states. Exports to New York were worth $27 billion in 2016, or vi.8% of total U.S. exports, with unwrought golden being the top commodity exported. New York City is one of the largest financial centres in the earth, and as a result Canada'south exports of gilded to New York State primarily represent asset transfers within the banking industry.

Courier shipments contributed the most to Canada's imports from New York, representing over 41.4% of the $18 billion imported in 2016. Since 2000, Canada's imports within this category from New York take virtually tripled, supported by the growing popularity of east-commerce.

Rough oil merchandise with Texas

Texas is also important for Canada'southward trade action with the United states of america. In 2016, Canada'south exports to Texas totalled $22 billion and imports from Texas amounted to $18 billion. Crude oil is one of the near traded commodities with Texas for both exports and imports. In North America, Texas has the largest number of refineries equipped to procedure the heavy crude oil that is produced in Western Canada. As a result, the land is a natural market place for many Canadian heavy oil exporters.

Refineries in the Eastern Canadian provinces are equipped to procedure low-cal crude oil, and equally such, they have historically relied upon imported crude oil from the Due north Sea or the Middle-E. With the discovery of major shale oil fields in Texas, such as the Eagle Ford formation, the state became ane of the main sources of calorie-free crude oil for these Canadian refineries. Canadian imports of crude oil from Texas rose from $318 million in 2012 to peak at $vii.iii billion in 2014. Rough oil imports from Texas then fell back to $1.6 billion in 2016, due in part to lower oil prices.

Start of text box

Note to readers

All of the information presented in this paper is on a customs basis.

Customs-based trade in goods information aims to capture the movement of merchandise across the Canadian border, both outgoing (exports), and incoming (imports). In other words, this approach measures the two-fashion physical flow of commodities crossing economic territories.

For customs-basis imports, the country within which the good was extracted, produced or last processed, known every bit the state of origin, determines the trading partner. For customs-basis exports, the concluding destination known to the company in Canada that is exporting a good determines the trading partner.

Trade in appurtenances information on a rest of payments (BOP) footing aims to capture the international movement of products among resident and non-resident owners as sales (exports) or purchases (imports). As a outcome, for imports, the state within which the proficient was last owned determines the trading partner. To capture this information, the country of export variable, as opposed to the country of origin, is the selected proxy for reflecting terminal country of ownership. For exports, exporters are asked to report the best-known terminal destination of their product, which is considered in line with the change in ownership principle.

This conceptual difference leads to different results when looking at Canada'southward trade data with the United States. For example, in 2016, Canada's full imports from the U.s.a. on a balance of payments basis were set at $360 billion, while customs-based data showed $278 billion. For export data, the deviation is minimal.

The Canadian international merchandise merchandise programme calculates Canada's trade balance monthly using seasonally adjusted data, on a residual of payments basis.

Data source

The data for this paper were drawn from the new CANSIN table 228-0080 and the Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database.

End of text box

Table 1 Merchandise merchandise with the United States: Canada's top five U.S. state partners by total merchandise in 2016
Tabular array summary
This table displays the results of Table i Merchandise trade with the United states: Canada'south top five U.Due south. state partners by full trade in 2016 Total trade, Full exports and Total imports , calculated using millions of dollars units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Full trade Total exports Total imports
millions of dollars
United States 672,660 394,384 278,276
Michigan 94,970 66,158 28,813
Illinois 54,627 36,254 eighteen,373
California 52,291 38,195 14,096
New York 44,346 26,664 17,683
Texas 40,059 21,714 xviii,345

Study a problem on this page

Is something non working? Is there information outdated? Tin't find what you lot're looking for?

Please contact the states and allow u.s.a. know how we can help you.

Privacy notice

Date modified: