U S high-tech exports have increased over the past four years, although they're still running below the dot-com bubble record of $223 billion set in 2000, according to the report from the AeA, which includes Hewlett-Packard Co., Microsoft Corp., and Dell Inc. among its 2,500 members.
High-tech exports -- semiconductors, computers and related equipment, and industrial electronics -- totaled $220 billion in 2006, up 10 percent from 2005.
California topped a 50-state ranking of the biggest tech exporters that included the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, according to the report, called "Trade in the Cyberstates 2007."
Accounting for 24 percent of U S tech exports, California shipped about $51.8 billion worth of high-tech merchandise abroad. Texas was second with $38.6 billion, followed by Florida, Massachusetts, and New York.
Florida's ranking shows that it's become a hub for Latin American exports, said Matthew Kazmierczak, AeA's vice president of research and industry analysis. He added that high-tech exports are vital to the economies of several other states, such as Vermont, New Mexico, and Idaho. High-tech accounted for 70 percent or more of all exports in those states.
Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a public policy think tank, said the trade deficit has grown partly because countries such as China and India have implemented high tariffs that weaken demand for American high-tech products. "This report is a wake-up call that should shed light on the significant unfair trade practices other countries are engaged in," he said.
