Massachusetts Manufacturing Facts

Manufacturers in Massachusetts account for 9.15% of the total output in the state, employing 7.02% of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing was $54.59 billion in 2019. In addition, there were an average of 236,000 manufacturing employees in Massachusetts in 2020, with an average annual compensation of $104,440.60 in 2019.

Manufacturing Output and Firms

Total Manufacturing Output ($billions, 2019)
$54.59
(Percent share of total gross state product)
9.15%
Manufacturing Firms in Massachusetts (2017)
6,119

Employment and Compensation

Manufacturing Employment (2020)
236,000
(Percent share of nonfarm employment)
7.02%
Average Annual Compensation (Manufacturing, 2019)
$104,440.60
(Nonfarm Businesses, 2019)
$66,434.40

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 $23.64 billion in manufactured goods exports in 2020. That same year, $7.16 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, 2020)
$23.64
(Percent share of total goods exports)
94.98%
U.S. Jobs Supported by Goods Exports (2016)
101,223
Employment from Manufacturing Exports (Export share of manufacturing jobs, 2011)
30.90%
Small Business Share of Total Exporters (2015)
89.00%
Manufactured Goods to Free Trade Agreement Partners ($billions, 2020)
$7.16
(Percent of total exports, 2020)
30.28%
China
10.93%
Canada
10.07%
United Kingdom
9.55%
Mexico
8.57%
Germany
8.31%

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.