Last year, South Florida’s imports fell to their lowest level since 2011. Against that backdrop, the top 10 imports were all valued in excess of $1 billion for the first time.
Overall, imports totaled just shy of $48.60 billion, down 8.55 percent from the 2013 record of $52.76 billion and 4.77 percent from the 2014 total. Exports fell, falling to the lowest level since 2009 and down 19.94 percent from the 2012 record.
In at least one respect, South Florida’s import picture mirrors the national import picture: imports not subject to wide fluctuations are largely up in value — suggesting a steady if not strong U.S. economy — while those that do fluctuate are down.