Manufacturing Output and Firms
Total Manufacturing Output ($billions, 2018)
$5.31
(Percent share of total gross state product)
8.70%
Manufacturing Firms in Rhode Island (2017)
1,299
Rhode Island Manufacturing Facts
Manufacturers in Rhode Island account for 8.70% of the total output in the state, employing 7.84% of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing was $5.31 billion in 2018. In addition, there were an average of 39,000 manufacturing employees in Rhode Island in 2019, with an average annual compensation of $73,251.20 in 2018.
Employment and Compensation
Manufacturing Employment (2019)
39,000
(Percent share of nonfarm employment)
7.84%
Average Annual Compensation (Manufacturing, 2018)
$73,251.20
(Nonfarm Businesses, 2018)
$48,542.94
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau
Figure 1
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Figure 3
Rhode Island Export Facts
Manufacturers help to drive Rhode Island’s economy, with $1.82 billion in manufactured goods exports in 2019. That same year, $0.90 billion in exports was with our free trade agreement (FTA) partners. This helps create jobs in the state, and 16.90% of its employment stemmed from exports in 2011. Small businesses comprised 88.00% percent of all exporters in Rhode Island.
Manufacturing Exports
Manufactured Goods Exports ($billions, 2019)
$1.82
(Percent share of total goods exports)
68.07%
Growth in Manufactured Goods Exports (2010–2019)
33.81%
U.S. Jobs Supported by Goods Exports (2016)
8,163
Employment from Manufacturing Exports (Export share of manufacturing jobs, 2011)
16.90%
Small Business Share of Total Exporters (2015)
88.00%
Manufactured Goods to Free Trade Agreement Partners ($billions, 2019)
$0.90
(Percent of total exports, 2019)
49.60%
Total Manufactured Goods Exports to Canada and Mexico (USMCA, 2019)
$0.48
Top Five Export Markets (Percent of total manufactured goods exports, 2019)
26.17%
Canada
16.16%
Dominican Republic
12.54%
Mexico
10.01%
China
7.23%
Ireland
6.23%
Sources: International Trade Administration, U.S. Census Bureau
Figure 4
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.