Exports account for about 13% of the U.S. economy these days. That’s a small piece of the GDP pie, but it’s an important piece, thanks to the strong growth in exports.
Exports have been one of the rare consistently bright spots in the U.S. economy. For each and every quarter since Q4 2005, exports have grown at a higher pace–quite often a significantly higher pace than overall GDP, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In this year’s Q1, for instance, exports jumped by 5.5%–a world above the meager 0.6% rise in overall GDP (both are quoted in seasonally adjusted real annual rates).
In fact, the strong performance in exports in Q1 is typical of the trend for the last several years. Exports, in short, have become a critical factor in keeping the recessionary forces at bay. Exports climbed 5.2% through this year’s Q1 over the year-ago quarter. Overall GDP is up only 2.5% over the same period (seasonally adjusted real annual rates).