USA FACTS: Data on a record year for US trade

 

2022 was a record trade year for the US

International trade is an essential engine of the American economy, shaping job creation, consumer choices, and more. The US has a significant trade deficit, with record imports surpassing exports. Who were the nation’s largest trading partners in 2022, and how much money is tied up in these relationships? Get that and more in this article.   The US imported $4 trillion in goods and services last year, the highest amount on record — and nearly $300 billion more than in 2021 after adjusting for inflation.

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More than one-third of the goods imported to the US came from China ($536.8 billion), Mexico ($454.9 billion), and Canada ($437.7 billion).   The top partners for imports are also the top export partners. The nation exported a record $3 trillion in goods and services last year, with $356.1 billion in exports heading to Canada, $324.4 billion to Mexico, and $153.8 billion to China.    The US imported goods from every country in the world despite sanctions on Russia, Afghanistan, and North Korea. Most imports from these nations were raw materials such as minerals, metals, and food rather than complex industrial products.   The nation’s most common good exports in 2022 included crude oil, industrial machinery, electronics, and plastics. As for common services exports, they included financial services and research & development. See more, including other top trading partners and how imports and exports have changed since 2001.

A new tornado alley

In some parts of the country, tornado season usually starts in April and lasts until July or even later. That said, tornadoes can happen in any month. And while Tornado Alley, an area in the central US, is the usual hotbed of tornado activity, tornado territory is shifting to the South.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded 1,341 tornadoes in 2022, with 31% occurring in Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. These states, along with Louisiana, are part of “Dixie Alley,” an emerging area of tornado activity similar to Tornado Alley. (Researchers are still investigating causes for the changes.)   Mississippi has averaged 115 tornadoes annually for the past five years.

Tornadoes caused 25 deaths and 315 injuries in 2022. Iowa lost seven people to tornadoes, the most of any state. Tornadoes also destroyed around $700 million in property and crops, with Iowa and Louisiana sustaining the most property damage. On March 5, 2022, Iowa tornadoes destroyed $223 million in property. On December 14, five tornadoes in Southeast Louisiana destroyed $150 million in property. One June tornado near the Nebraska village of Lushton caused nearly all the reported crop damage nationwide, destroying millions of dollars in acres of crops and grain bins. See more about the destruction tornadoes caused in 2022, then see how many tornadoes occurred in your state over the past five years.

Data behind the news

In this last full week of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, revisit this recently updated article on jobs where Asian American people are over- and underrepresented. The debt ceiling talks continue to be in the news. Don’t forget that USAFacts has information on the debt ceiling and why it matters. Test your knowledge and deepen your understanding of government data with the weekly fact quiz.

One last fact

According to surveys conducted by the National Institutes of Health since the early 1960s, US obesity rates have tripled over the last 60 years. Severe obesity, also known as morbid obesity, has risen tenfold.