State trade fact sheets - Rhode Island
Rhode Island
Highlights
- 37 Canadian-owned businesses employ 1,081 workers in Rhode Island
- Canada is the #1 customer for most states
- 76% of Canadian exports to the U.S. are raw materials, parts, and components used to create other goods in the United States
- Canada sells more to Rhode Island than it sells to Chile

Revolutionizing the American Restaurant Industry
Montreal-based Lightspeed POS Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based, omnichannel commerce platforms, announced on December 1, 2020, that they acquired Rhode Island’s Upserve Inc., a leading restaurant management cloud-software company. The acquisition strengthens Lightspeed’s position as an industry leader with high-performing restaurateurs across the U.S. as those restaurants refine the digital dining experience. Combining with Upserve will grow Lightspeed’s position in the U.S. hospitality market by an additional 7,000 customer locations. Upserve has over 300 employees in Rhode Island.
Textron Equips Canadian Forces
Providence-headquartered Textron Systems supplies the Canadian Forces Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) program. The company provided overall program management and design, coordinated a team of companies for vehicle assembly and integration, provided direct product support, managed the in-service support contract, and executed an Industrial Regional Benefits program. The contract was valued at over $600 million. Textron Systems delivered the TAPVs to the Canadian Army, distributed across seven bases. The Canadian Army expects these vehicles to be in service for the next 25 years.
Canadian-Owned Companies Support Rhode Island Jobs
43 Canadian-owned companies operate in Rhode Island. These companies create nearly 1,100 jobs in the state, contributing $65 million in salary dollars annually. Canadian-owned companies, including Ocean State Power, TD Bank and Putnam Investments are clearly major contributors to Rhode Island’s economy, employing residents in every sector of the economy, paying taxes locally and contributing to the local economy through these salary dollars.
Rhode Island exports $459 million in goods to Canada annually
Rhode Island exports to Canada by industry
- Agriculture: 3%
- Chemicals: 8%
- Equipment & machinery: 22%
- Minerals & metals: 47%
- Plastics & rubbers: 10%
- Other: 10%
Rhode Island imports $1.2 billion in goods from Canada annually
Rhode Island imports from Canada by industry
- Agriculture: 4%
- Chemicals: 4%
- Energy: 62%
- Equipment & machinery: 3%
- Forest products: 5%
- Minerals & metals: 15%
- Plastics & rubbers: 3%
- Other: 4%
Top Rhode Island goods exports to Canada
- Pearls, gems, precious metals & jewelry: $173 million
- Plastics & plastic articles: $42 million
- Optical, medical & precision instruments: $22 million
- Copper & copper articles: $16 million
- Pharmaceutical products: $16 million
- Toys, games, sporting & recreation equipment: $15 million
- Inorganic chemicals: $11 million
- Paper & printing machinery: $8 million
- Iron & steel tubes, pipes & sheets: $7 million
- Furniture & bedding: $5 million
Top Rhode Island goods imports from Canada
- Fuel oil: $644 million
- Pearls, gems, precious metals & jewelry: $112 million
- Petroleum coke & bitumen: $107 million
- Plastics & plastic articles: $34 million
- Wood & semi-finished wood products: $31 million
- Organic chemicals: $29 million
- Salt, sulfur, earth & stone, lime & cement: $20 million
- Paper & paperboard: $19 million
- Tin & tin articles: $15 million
- Fish & crustaceans: $15 million
Rhode Island exports $146 million in services to Canada annually
Top Rhode Island services exports to Canada
- Financial services: $38 million
- Travel (including for eduction): $25 million
- Charges for the use of intellectual property: $23 million
- Business services: $20 million
- Insurance services: $16 million
Connect to our team
For more information on Rhode Island’s trade with Canada, please contact our trade team in Boston.
April 2022
- Unless otherwise mentioned, all figures are based on 2021 data in U.S. dollars.
- U.S. Census Bureau: goods trade, Canada’s export ranking (2/2022 release).
- The Trade Partnership: 2019 services exports (estimated, 11/2021 release).
- Dun + Bradstreet: Canadian-owned businesses (3/2022 release).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: median annual Rhode Island wage ($60,240, 3/2020 release).
- Figures may not add up due to rounding.