Showtime: Foreign Direct Investment

Foreign investors love the stable American market.
Showtime: Foreign Direct Investment
Photo by Samuel Branch / Unsplash

Foreign investors spent $333.6 billion in 2021 to acquire, establish, or expand U.S. businesses. This total represented a 15% increase from the 2014–2020 annual average ($289.7 billion).

In 2021, and in previous years, acquisitions accounted for an overwhelming majority — ~90% — of FDI.

Source

Jobs, jobs, jobs

In 2021, Pennsylvania had the largest employment resulting from FDI (44,700). California and New York rounded out the top three for employment.[1]

In 2021, the number of positions at newly acquired, established, or expanded foreign-owned businesses in the United States was 236,900 employees.


  1. Employment for an acquired entity that operated in multiple states is attributed to the state in which it had the greatest number of employees. ↩︎