Massachusetts Manufacturing Facts

Manufacturers in Massachusetts account for 9.39% of the total output in the state, employing 6.60% of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing was $53.26 billion in 2018. In addition, there were an average of 243,000 manufacturing employees in Massachusetts in 2019, with an average annual compensation of $103,826.30 in 2018.

Manufacturing Output and Firms

Total Manufacturing Output ($billions, 2018)
$53.26
(Percent share of total gross state product)
9.39%
Manufacturing Firms in Massachusetts (2017)
6,119

Employment and Compensation

Manufacturing Employment (2019)
243,000
(Percent share of nonfarm employment)
6.60%
Average Annual Compensation (Manufacturing, 2018)
$103,826.30
(Nonfarm Businesses, 2018)
$64,122.44

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

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Massachusetts Export Facts

Manufacturers help to drive Massachusetts’s economy, with $24.71 billion in manufactured goods exports in 2019. That same year, $6.95 billion in exports was with our free trade agreement (FTA) partners. This helps create jobs in the state, and 30.90% of its employment stemmed from exports in 2011. Small businesses comprised 89.00% percent of all exporters in Massachusetts.

Manufacturing Exports

Manufactured Goods Exports ($billions, 2019)
$24.71
(Percent share of total goods exports)
94.62%
Growth in Manufactured Goods Exports (2010–2019)
-0.48%
U.S. Jobs Supported by Goods Exports (2016)
101,223
Employment from Manufacturing Exports (Export share of manufacturing jobs, 2011)
30.90%
Small Business Share of Total Exporters (2015)
89.00%
Manufactured Goods to Free Trade Agreement Partners ($billions, 2019)
$6.95
(Percent of total exports, 2019)
28.14%
Total Manufactured Goods Exports to Canada and Mexico (USMCA, 2019)
$4.46
Top Five Export Markets (Percent of total manufactured goods exports, 2019)
18.04%
United Kingdom
10.95%
Canada
10.23%
China
9.42%
Mexico
7.81%
Germany
7.29%

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

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Additional Trade Facts

  • The 20 U.S. FTA partners purchased 48.3% ($659.49 billion) of U.S. manufactured goods exports in 2019 – 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.