State trade fact sheets - Connecticut
Connecticut
Highlights
- Connecticut sells $2.7 billion in goods and services to Canada
- 132,000 Canadian travelers spent $26 million in Connecticut in 2017
- 135 Canadian-owned businesses employ 9,107 workers in Connecticut
- Canada is the United States’ #1 export market
- Canada sells more to Connecticut than it sells to South Korea

Alpha Q enjoys strong ties with Canada
Alpha Q, Inc. (AQI) is an industry leader in the precision machining, manufacture, assembly, and testing of complex aerospace components. For over two decades AQI has enjoyed an increasingly synergistic relationship with Canada, importing raw materials from Canada and selling finished products to large Canadian aerospace customers. AQI's reliance on these strong cross-border supply chains has helped the company to thrive and grow, demonstrating the power of having an integrated supply chain. “The contribution that the Canadian market has had on our business allows our long-lasting relationship to embark on new opportunities for AQI as well as Canada.” — Lloyd Stephen Prout, President, AQI
THRESHOLD Counts Canada as a Top Export Market
Farmington's THRESHOLD is a second-generation manufacturing company specializing in visitor management systems. THRESHOLD's user-friendly software and sign-in books produce high-security expiring badges, resulting in cutting-edge visitor management for a variety of industries and a natural offering for third-party distributors. Ten years ago, when THRESHOLD decided to export, Canada was the first country to which it looked. Market access, proximity and ease of doing business were key factors that enabled the company to successfully enter this new and promising market. THRESHOLD was able to build a network of Canadian distributors, attract new customers and firmly establish Canada as a top export market for its products.
Amphenol Gains New Customers & Client Base in Canada
Headquartered in Wallingford, Fortune 500 Amphenol is one of the largest manufacturers of interconnect products in the world. In 2018, Amphenol acquired CTI Holdings Inc., a Toronto-based company that is North America's leader in the design and manufacture of interconnect assemblies. Amphenol President and CEO, R. Adam Norwitt, noted how CTI brought great value to Amphenol: “This acquisition strengthens the Company's global capabilities and enhances our product offerings in these important end markets.” A major benefit of Amphenol's Canadian activity is access to new customers in key industries such as banking, mining, forestry and transportation.
Connecticut exports $1.9 billion in goods to Canada annually
Connecticut exports to Canada by industry
- Agriculture: 3%
- Chemicals: 5%
- Energy: 12%
- Equipment & machinery: 32%
- Forest products: 3%
- Minerals & metals: 10%
- Plastics & rubbers: 6%
- Transportation: 23%
- Other: 6%
Connecticut imports $4.3 billion in goods from Canada annually
Connecticut imports from Canada by industry
- Agriculture: 6%
- Energy: 9%
- Equipment & machinery: 16%
- Forest products: 5%
- Minerals & metals: 16%
- Transportation: 38%
- Other: 10%
Top Connecticut goods exports to Canada
- Aircraft & parts: $419 million
- Optical, medical & precision instruments: $105 million
- Plastics & plastic articles: $104 million
- Crude petroleum: $90 million
- Fuel oil: $74 million
- Engines & turbines: $61 million
- Compressors & pumps: $60 million
- Natural gas & other gases: $59 million
- Copper & copper articles: $53 million
- Paper & paperboard: $27 million
Top Connecticut goods imports from Canada
- Aircraft & parts: $1.6 billion
- Engines & turbines: $422 million
- Fuel oil: $364 million
- Copper & copper articles: $294 million
- Aluminum & aluminum articles: $236 million
- Optical, medical & precision instruments: $92 million
- Paper & paperboard: $71 million
- Wood & semi-finished wood products: $65 million
- Plastics & plastic articles: $63 million
- Furniture & bedding: $63 million
Connecticut exports $814 million in services to Canada annually
Top Connecticut services exports to Canada
- Financial services: $263 million
- Business & professional services: $188 million
- Travel services: $136 million
- Royalties: $99 million
- Insurance services: $66 million
Connect to our team
For more information on Connecticut’s trade with Canada, please contact our trade team in New York.
March 2020
- Unless otherwise mentioned, all figures are based on 2019 data in U.S. dollars.
- U.S. Census Bureau: goods trade, Canada’s export ranking (2/2020 release).
- The Trade Partnership: 2018 services exports (estimated, 2/2020 release).
- Statistics Canada: 2017 tourism, based on combined same-day and overnight travel (8/2019 release, US$1.00=C$1.2986).
- Dun + Bradstreet: Canadian-owned businesses (12/2019 release).
- Figures may not add up due to rounding.