North America

No two countries are as closely integrated as the U.S. and Canada. They share the longest international border in the world, and their bilateral relationship is one of the world’s closest and most extensive. More than 30 U.S. states, including Wisconsin, count Canada as their largest export market. Nearly $2 billion in bilateral trade and 400,000 people cross the border between the two countries every day. Proximity, ease of doing business, and a common business culture and rule of law contribute to the already significant bilateral trade base and will ensure that tihs market will be receptive to U.S.- and Wisconsin-made goods and services in the coming years. This unique trade and investment relationship is based on an increasingly integrated supply chain; on the co-production of cutting-edge technologies; and on the positive flow of people, talent, and ideas.

Canada’s stable economic performance, mature and sophisticated market, strong acceptance of and familiarity with U.S. products, similar customer base, and solidly integrated supply chain offer excellent business opportunities for Wisconsin exporters with innovative product and service solutions. While many Wisconsin companies focus their attentions on Ontario and Quebec, western Canada—with its growing clean technology sector, strong agriculture sectors, and growing artificial intelligence, data science, and information and communications technology markets—provides opportunities for Wisconsin companies as well.

Mexico is the second-largest economy in Latin America and the 15th-largest in the world in terms of nominal GDP. A large, diversified economy with deep trade and investment relations with the U.S., it is also the second-largest export market for U.S.-produced goods ($334 billion in 2024), as well as for Wisconsin exports (which, for the second straight year, reached an all-time high in 2024—$4.4 billion). Although the U.S. imports more from Mexico ($506 billion in 2024)than vice versa, many products assembled in Mexico are made from U.S. parts, so even imports from Mexico often benefit U.S. companies that originally produced the component parts. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement enacted in 2020 opened up new opportunities in Mexico for U.S. companies, with benefits including improved labor and environmental standards, intellectual property protections, and streamlined trade procedures. The tariffs imposed by the U.S. are sure to be a major topic of negotiations for the next revised version of the USMCA.

Mexico’s diverse economy includes industry strengths such as automotive manufacturing, aerospace, petroleum, mining, and electronics. The automotive industry is particularly significant, along with food, electronics, and oil. Key U.S. exports to Mexico include electrical equipment, machinery, and mineral fuels. Wisconsin exports to Mexico have increased dramatically over the last decade, and they now account for approximately one-sixth of total Wisconsin exports. Leading export categories from Wisconsin to Mexico include industrial machinery, electrical machinery, plastics, and non-rail vehicles and parts, among other products and services.