Benefits of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
Explore the many ways that international investors contribute to the U.S. economy
Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays an essential role in ensuring U.S. economic growth and prosperity, creating highly-compensated jobs, spurring innovation, and driving exports.
Capital
US$4.3 trillion
Total FDI stock in the United States in 2018 (cumulative FDI snapshot taken at year-end)
US$319.1 billion
Total FDI flows in the United States in 2018 (FDI measured over a specific period of time)
Innovation
US$60 billion
Research and development spending in a single year by U.S. affiliates of majority foreign-owned firms
53%*
Percentage of U.S. utility patents filed from foreign sources in 2016
Jobs
7.1 million
U.S. workers employed by U.S. affiliates of foreign-owned firms
2.5 million
Number of U.S. workers employed in manufacturing jobs with foreign-owned firms in 2016
5.9 million**
Additional jobs attributable to sourcing, increased incomes, productivity gains, and other economic effects of foreign-owned firms in 2013
US$81,000
Average yearly compensation of U.S. workers at foreign-owned firms in 2016
U.S. Exports
US$370 billion
U.S. goods exports by majority foreign-owned firms – more than a quarter of all U.S. goods exports
U.S. Taxes
16%***
Portion of U.S. federal corporate income taxes paid by foreign-owned companies in 2013.
All numbers are official 2016 data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis unless otherwise indicated.
* Data provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
** Data provided by the International Trade Administration
*** Data provided by the Internal Revenue Service