Home Trade and Investment State Trade Fact Sheets 2006 Minnesota

Minnesota

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• Canada–U.S. trade supported 5.2 million U.S. jobs
• Total Canada–U.S. merchandise trade: $461 billion
• Canada–Minnesota trade supported 103,000 U.S. jobs
• Canadians made more than 593,100 visits to Minnesota, spending $134 million
• Minnesota residents made 545,400 visits to Canada, spending $212 million

Neighbors, Business Partners
Minnesota and Canada benefit from a strong relationship that is enhanced by their shared border. Canada is Minnesota's number one trading partner, buying one-quarter of the state's exports. In 2005, this totaled $3.5 billion and equalled more goods than purchased from Minnesota's next three customers (Ireland, Japan and China).

Moving Together
Bilateral trade between Minnesota and Canada is dominated by transportation goods. It is the North Star State's largest export sector at $757 million. Among other goods, Canada bought automobiles and motor vehicle parts. In return, Minnesota purchased $873 million in transportation products. Top among these imports were aircraft and motor vehicle parts.

A Powerful Relationship
Minnesota continues to increase its energy purchases from Canada. In total, the state bought more than $6.2 billion of Canadian energy this year, an increase of over $1 billion. Crude petroleum purchases tallied $4 billion — ranking as the state's overall number one import. In addition, the state purchased almost $1.8 billion in natural gas.

Growing Partners
Minnesota has 79,000 farms covering nearly 28 million acres. Agriculture is the second largest export sector at $534 million; the agriculture and food industries are top employers in the state. Oil seed cake and meal, cereal, and shelled corn are the leading commodities Minnesota sold to Canada. For its part, the state purchased $415 million in agricultural goods from its northern neighbor.

Machinery and Metals Make a Match
Minnesota's revenue from machinery sales to Canada totaled $454 million, including sales of construction and maintenance machinery, and electric generators and motors. Canada purchased $240 million of the Gopher State's iron ores in 2005, an increase of $62 million. As a result, iron ores are the state's overall leading export to the North.

10,000 Lakes; 600,000 Visitors
The Land of 10,000 Lakes hosted nearly 600,000 visits from Canadians in 2005. Tourists and visitors from Canada spent $134 million in the state. Similarly, Minnesota residents traveled north of the border 545,000 times, spending $212 million in Canada.

Minnesota's Leading Exports to Canada
2005, in millions of U.S. dollars

• Iron ores ($240)
• Trucks ($179)
• Computers ($153)
• Automobiles ($133)
• Motor vehicle parts* ($120)
• Oil seed cake & meal ($77)
• Construction & maintenance machinery ($73)
• Paper & paperboard ($73)
• Air conditioning & refrigeration equipment ($64)
• Electric generators & motors ($54)

*not including engines

Minnesota's Leading Imports from Canada
2005, in millions of U.S. dollars

• Crude petroleum ($4,147)
• Natural gas ($1,798)
• Aircraft ($450)
• Motor vehicle parts* ($275)
• Softwood lumber ($240)
• Fertilizers ($201)
• Petroleum & coal products ($153)
• Wood pulp ($152)
• Newsprint ($141)
• Steel plate, sheet & strip ($118)

*not including engines

Canada-Minnesota Success Stories

Headquartered in St. Paul, MN, 3M is a diversified technology company that markets more than 55,000 products and 30-plus core technologies and has demonstrated leadership in markets served worldwide. This means 3M is continually developing innovative new products.

In an effort to identify leading technologies that may fit its future product development interests, 3M is looking north of the border to Canadian companies. 3M is considering nearly 90 proposals from Canadian academic, business and government research organizations to potentially co-develop future technologies. This could lead to collaboration, partnership or technology licensing between 3M and Canadian businesses.

Minnesota-Canada Facts at a Glance:

• State jobs supported by Canada–U.S. trade: 103,000

July 2006

For more information on Canada's trade with Minnesota, please contact:

Consulate General of Canada
701 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 900
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Phone: 612) 333-464  •  Fax: (612) 332-4061
www.minneapolis.gc.ca

Sources: Merchandise trade and tourism figures are from Statistics Canada, converted at the rate of US$1.00=C$1.2116. Merchandise trade data is customs-based for the year 2005. Job numbers are based on 2001 data from a 2003 study by Trade Partnership Worldwide commissioned by the Canadian Embassy. Canada's export ranking is from the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research (WISER). All figures are in U.S. dollars. Figures may not add up due to rounding.

• Read the 2005 state trade figures
• Read the 2004 state trade figures
• Read the 2003 state trade figures
• Read the 2002 state trade figures