Agglomeration and Trade: State-Level Evidence from U.S. Industries

This paper investigates the connection between economic agglomeration and trade patterns within the United States at the industry level. On the consumption side, industry- and state-specific international imports and elasticities of substitution are shown to be systematically connected to consumption agglomeration effects, while on the production side, industry- and state-specific international exports and intermediate input trade are shown to be systematically connected to production agglomeration and specialization effects. Industry structures play an important role in the determination and magnitude of these effects.