Illinois Manufacturing Facts

Manufacturers in Illinois account for 12.54% of the total output in the state, employing 9.61% of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing was $108.43 billion in 2018. In addition, there were an average of 588,000 manufacturing employees in Illinois in 2018, with an average annual compensation of $87,393.54 in 2017.

Manufacturing Output and Firms

Total Manufacturing Output ($billions, 2018)
$108.43
(Percent share of total gross state product)
12.54%
Manufacturing Firms in Illinois (2016)
12,317

Employment and Compensation

Manufacturing Employment (2018)
588,000
(Percent share of nonfarm employment)
9.61%
Average Annual Compensation (Manufacturing, 2017)
$87,393.54
(Nonfarm Businesses, 2017)
$55,345.75

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau

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Illinois Export Facts

Manufacturers help to drive Illinois’s economy, with $61.32 billion in manufactured goods exports in 2018. That same year, $35.06 billion in exports was with our free trade agreement (FTA) partners. This helps create jobs in the state, and 26.90% of its employment stemmed from exports in 2011. Small businesses comprised 90.00% percent of all exporters in Illinois.

Manufacturing Exports

Manufactured Goods Exports ($billions, 2018)
$61.32
(Percent share of total goods exports)
93.74%
Growth in Manufactured Goods Exports (2010–2018)
32.46%
U.S. Jobs Supported by Goods Exports (2016)
267,941
Employment from Manufacturing Exports (Export share of manufacturing jobs, 2011)
26.90%
Small Business Share of Total Exporters (2015)
90.00%
Manufactured Goods to Free Trade Agreement Partners ($billions, 2018)
$35.06
(Percent of total exports, 2018)
53.60%
Total Manufactured Goods Exports to Canada and Mexico (NAFTA, 2018)
$26.86
Top Five Export Markets (Percent of total manufactured goods exports, 2018)
43.80%
Canada
28.30%
Mexico
15.50%
Germany
5.20%
Australia
5.17%
China
4.97%

Sources: International Trade Administration, U.S. Census Bureau

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Additional Trade Facts

  • The 20 U.S. FTA partners purchased nearly 49 percent ($679.46 billion) of U.S. manufactured goods exports in 2018 – even though these countries represent only six percent of the world’s population and 10 percent of GDP.
  • FTA countries: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, Peru, Singapore and South Korea.