Top Manufacturing States

Which states do the most manufacturing?

California is the top manufacturing state, with 68 manufacturing companies employing 1,222,000 people. Their average wage was $112,381.20 in 2019 and the total output for the state was $324.43 billion.

Next up is Texas. 51 companies employed 908,000 people in 2019. They earned an average of $87,809.19 and total output of $230.45 billion.

California and Texas are the most populous states in the union, so it makes sense that they would lead in manufacturing. But the third ranked state for manufacturing in #6 in total population: Illinois. Employing close to 10% of the population of the state, the manufacturing industry in Illinois brought in $108.43 billion in 2018, the most recent figure available.

Pennsylvania has more residents than Illinois, but they are in 4th place for manufacturing, with 565,000 jobs in the sector.

Manufacturing in the United States

15.6 million people worked in manufacturing across the nation in 2019, and the sector had a total output of $2,334.60 billion in 2018. As of 2019, 8.51% of U.S. workers worked in manufacturing. That’s just a point or two less than the percentages of the top manufacturing states.

That’s lower than in the heyday of American manufacturing, but it’s still the fifth largest employer nationally, according to census data. Healthcare is first, but retail and hospitality come next — struggling industries known for low pay and unsatisfying jobs.

Manufacturing jobs are cleaner and safer than ever, and they pay better than most. It’s a growth industry as companies are reshoring, too.

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