State trade fact sheets - Ohio
Ohio
Highlights
- 288 Canadian-owned businesses employ 20,163 workers in Ohio
- Canada is the #1 customer for most states,
including Ohio - Over 76% of U.S. imports from Canada are goods that are used in the production of other goods
- Ohio sells more goods to Canada than to its next eight largest foreign markets combined

Canada–US Partnership Electrifies the Midwest
Ohio’s electric vehicle (EV) market is getting a jolt. An exciting new collaboration between Quebec City’s FLO and Cincinnati-based start-up Electrada is addressing the infrastructure needed as more and more EV models are brought to market. The two are joining forces to install an ecosystem of charging stations in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. The very first stations in this network were unveiled in October 2020 at Findlay Market in Cincinnati’s iconic Over-The-Rhine neighborhood. Deployment of such innovative technology accelerates adoption of EVs by making it easier to own and drive them in the tri-state region.
Lake Erie Algal Blooms Prompt Binational Response
To combat algal blooms in Lake Erie, the Canadian and U.S. governments have each issued domestic action plans to reduce the amount of nutrients entering Lake Erie by 40 percent, compared to 2008 levels, by 2025. The plans identify actions to support phosphorous reduction efforts, along with areas where new legislation could strengthen efforts. They also commit Canada and the U.S. to research phosphorus loadings into Lake Erie’s western basin. These initiatives follow an agreement reached between Ontario, Michigan and Ohio to reduce phosphorus loadings in the western basin of the lake. Lake Erie is home to one of the largest commercial freshwater fisheries in the world, and an emerging wine industry thriving on both its northern and southern shores.
Canada and the U.S.: There for Each Other
In 2020, Canada and the U.S. again worked together as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold across the world. Canada and the U.S. preserved supply chains across the border, deeming trucking essential. Canada and the U.S. traded important inputs for the production of personal protective equipment and medical equipment, maintaining a thriving bilateral trade in finished goods. Soon after the outbreak, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research began awarding grants to joint research projects proposed by Canadian and U.S. institutions to try and find an end to the virus.
No matter our shared challenges and as we have done in times of crisis, Canada and the U.S. will continue to support one another as friends, partners and allies.
Ohio exports $17.3 billion in goods to Canada annually
Ohio exports to Canada by industry
- Agriculture: 6%
- Chemicals: 13%
- Equipment & machinery: 31%
- Forest products: 3%
- Minerals & metals: 12%
- Plastics & rubbers: 7%
- Transportation: 21%
- Other: 7%
Ohio imports $10.6 billion in goods from Canada annually
Ohio imports from Canada by industry
- Agriculture: 10%
- Chemicals: 7%
- Energy: 6%
- Equipment & machinery: 14%
- Forest products: 6%
- Minerals & metals: 23%
- Plastics & rubbers: 9%
- Transportation: 13%
- Other: 12%
Top Ohio goods exports to Canada
- Motor vehicle parts: $1.3 billion
- Computers: $1.3 billion
- Engines & turbines: $1.2 billion
- Automobiles: $1.1 billion
- Plastics & plastic articles: $934 million
- Soaps, candles & waxes: $911 million
- Perfumes, essential oils & toiletries: $546 million
- Aircraft & parts: $490 million
- Iron & steel tubes, pipes & sheets: $442 million
- Iron & steel alloys & semi-finished products: $414 million
Top Ohio goods imports from Canada
- Motor vehicle parts: $890 million
- Plastics & plastic articles: $846 million
- Aluminum & aluminum articles: $709 million
- Iron & steel alloys & semi-finished products: $709 million
- Crude petroleum: $570 million
- Aircraft & parts: $334 million
- Copper & copper articles: $266 million
- Engines & turbines: $257 million
- Softwood lumber: $223 million
- Paper & paperboard: $207 million
Ohio exports $1.8 billion in services to Canada annually
Top Ohio services exports to Canada
- Transportation Services: $559 million
- Financial Services: $350 million
- Travel Services: $320 million
- Business & Professional Services: $219 million
- Royalties: $143 million
Connect to our team
For more information on Ohio’s trade with Canada, please contact our trade team in Detroit.
April 2021
- Unless otherwise mentioned, all figures are based on 2020 data in U.S. dollars.
- U.S. Census Bureau: goods trade, Canada’s export ranking (2/2021 release).
- The Trade Partnership: 2019 services exports (estimated, 2/2021 release).
- Dun + Bradstreet: Canadian-owned businesses (3/2021 release).
- Figures may not add up due to rounding.