According to a recent report published by the St. Louis Federal Reserve on August 12, 2025, the number of U.S. manufacturers rose in the U.S. from 336,000 in 2014 to 401,000 toward the end of 2024.
Why the optimism over a ten-year period? In 1979-1980, the manufacturing sector reached its highest percent of the GDP (51%), but has trended downward since to its current 10%. The latest St. Louis Federal Reserve numbers were released in 2024, just ahead of the influx of U.S. manufacturing commitments by both domestic and foreign companies (estimated between $14-$15 trillion by year-end), which we published in InfoPower on May 29, 2025 (full spring list: Part II: American Manufacturing).
According to a recent Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, if the number of manufacturing companies had stayed at its 2014 level, the U.S. economy would have recorded 2 million fewer jobs in manufacturing by the end of 2024. The BLS report cited that the manufacturing sector averaged 33.7% of employment in 1960, falling to just 19.4% in 1990. It also noted that while manufacturing was once a leading source of jobs in the country, employment in the sector has declined over the past decades as the economy shifted toward service industries.
It’s no revelation that the states with the largest populations also employ the largest number of manufacturing jobs, states such as California, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Yet, geographically, much of the recent revival in American manufacturing is found in Southern states such as Florida, Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina. Florida contributed 17% to the rise in manufacturing employment as manufacturing facilities continue to expand in the Sunshine State.
The latest positive manufacturing news in the U.S. occurred in June, July, and August of 2025. Apple recently pledged an additional $150 billion on top of its original $500 billion commitment in May. Overall, the original estimated $8 trillion in May could nearly double by the end of the year. Manufacturing output showed 1.8% growth thus far in 2025.
Moreover, on July 28, 2025, the EU agreed to purchase $750 billion of U.S. energy and other new investments of $600 billion in the U.S. by 2028. Japan will invest $550 billion to rebuild and expand core American industries. Another $92 billion has been committed to cutting-edge AI and energy initiatives in the U.S. The latest manufacturing additions:
Kevin Nolan, GE Appliances’ CEO, said in the Wall Street Journal that while the company has long aimed to build its products close to their end markets, trade considerations played a role in the decision to upgrade its aging plants. “I think it’s become obvious with tariffs that building in the U.S. is a good thing right now,” Nolan said.
Although the average number of employees per manufacturing establishment has been falling as automakers automated processes, manufacturing establishments still employed an average of 32 workers in 2024. The food industry led manufacturing with a 19% increase in the number of manufacturing facilities, and 49% of the total manufacturing employment over the past decade. About half of the sector’s increase in employment over the past 10 years was driven by subindustries of food manufacturing (farming, milling, fast food, etc.).