Wisconsin continues to see strong export growth. Department of Commerce spokesman, Tony Hozeny, says even with a weak dollar factored in, Wisconsin's performance in the export sector was strong for the first three quarters of this year. Wisconsin is now the nation's 18th-largest exporting state, compared to its 21st largest rank in 2006.
State exports hit a record third quarter total of $15.6 billion this year, and while that's good news, Hozeny says a little caution is in order as well, noting that numbers for the fourth quarter aren't in yet.
For the first three quarters, industrial machinery, including computer equipment, continues to be Wisconsin's top manufacturing export commodity. Canada remains the state's largest export partner by a large margin: more than five billion dollars worth of Wisconsin products headed north of the border.