Nevada ties at No. 2 in exports
Nevada's exporters set another record in 2006 by shipping $5.49 billion in goods outside the country, a federal report shows.
It marked the fifth straight year of record growth for Nevada and tied the state for second place with Washington in national export growth.
This year, Delaware earned the top spot.
The U.S. Department of Commerce report showed no surprises in which industry led Nevada's exports: mining, mostly gold, reflecting the state's continued prominence worldwide in precious metal production.
The next four biggest categories also are perennial leaders: electric machinery; toys, games and sporting equipment; and industrial machinery and ores.
It all led to a 39.5 percent rise in exports in 2006 compared with 2005.
"Nevada companies are doing better in the world market each year, and our continued growth in precious metals, particularly gold, is remarkable," said Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, whose duties include promoting commerce in the state.
The report showed that Nevada companies exported products to 157 countries last year.
The top three destinations were Switzerland, primarily for gold, Canada and greater China, including Hong Kong and Macau. Japan and Mexico round out the top five markets.
