/ Modified sep 12, 2016 3:47 p.m.

Tucson's Exports Near $2.5 Billion in 2015

Tech industries helped push local businesses' worldwide trade.

International Trade Road spot
AZPM

Local businesses sent almost $2.5 billion worth of goods to other countries in 2015, a 9.2 percent increase over 2014 totals, according to U.S. Department of Commerce data.

Tucson's exports go much further than Mexico, the data show.

“I definitely think our geographic advantage helps and will continue to help the positive trend, but there’s a lot of different industries that go into these numbers,” said Christina Parisi, director of the department's local U.S. Commercial Service office.

Parisi mentioned Tucson's high-tech manufacturing, aerospace, defense and mining industries as large contributors to trade outside of Mexico.

Tucson hit its exporting height in 2006, when the city exported $3.25 billion worth of goods, but production dropped off during the Great Recession. It bottomed out in 2009 at just under $2 billion.

Parisi said the recent upswing in exports is made more impressive given the reduction in mining around the world due to low mineral values and the high value of the dollar relative to other currencies.

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