United States Manufacturing Facts

Manufacturers in the United States account for 10.70% of the total output in the country, employing 8.41% of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing was $2.5 trillion in 2021. In addition, there were an average of 12.5 million manufacturing employees in the United States in December 2021, with an average annual compensation of $95,990.00 in 2021.

Manufacturing Output and Firms

Total Manufacturing Output ($billions, 2021)
$2,496.80
(Percent share of total gross domestic product)
10.70%
Manufacturing Firms in the United States (2019)
243,687

Employment and Compensation

Manufacturing Employment (December 2021)
12,546,000
(Percent share of nonfarm employment)
8.41%
Average Annual Compensation (Manufacturing, 2021)
$95,990.00
(Nonfarm Businesses, 2021)
$81,308.00

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

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United States Export Facts

Manufacturers help to drive the United States economy, with $1.4 trillion in manufactured goods exports in 2021.

Manufacturing Exports

Manufactured Goods Exports ($billions, 2021)
$1,399.17
Top 5 Export Markets (total percentage 2021)
51.12%
Canada
18.96%
Mexico
16.95%
China
7.45%
Germany
3.99%
Japan
3.76%

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

Figure 4

Additional Trade Facts

  • The 20 U.S. FTA partners purchased 49.38% ($690.92 billion) of U.S. manufactured goods exports in 2021 – 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.