A 10% decline in December left Wisconsin’s exports down by more than $1 billion last year compared to 2018 totals as companies dealt with global trade uncertainty and economic slowdowns in Europe and China, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
For the year, Wisconsin ranked 33rd in the country in terms of export growth and the state dropped from 19th to 22nd in terms of total exports. Across the Midwest, Wisconsin had the fifth best year for exports.
Wisconsin’s imports of goods also declined in 2019, dropping 8% or $2.48 billion for the year. The majority of the decrease came in imports from China, which decreased $1.77 billion or 34.4%. European imports were also down 14.4% or $318.8 million, Canadian imports dropped 9% or $467.1 million and Mexican imports dropped $46.8 million or 1.6%.
Some of the biggest declines in Wisconsin exports, in dollar terms, for December included a $70.2 million drop in civilian aircraft parts, a $15.4 million drop in battery waste and machine parts, a $15.1 million drop in wheat and meslin, a $13.8 million decline in self-propelled bulldozers, graders and scrapers and an $11.3 million drop in automatic data processing machines and magnetic readers.