Last Updated: April 5, 2026 | Data: Census County Business Patterns 2023, BEA 2024 GDP, BLS CES 2026 national trend
Best States for Manufacturing Jobs
Some states are good at producing headlines about reshoring. Others are actually good at sustaining manufacturing careers. That difference matters. California has the most manufacturing jobs in the country. Indiana has the deepest factory footprint in its state economy. Massachusetts and Washington pay much better than most people expect. Texas brings scale, supplier depth, and output all at once.
This page compares every state and the District of Columbia across four practical measures: manufacturing employment, manufacturing establishments, average annual payroll per worker, and manufacturing GDP. Employment, payroll, and establishment counts come from the U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns API. Manufacturing GDP and manufacturing share of state GDP come from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. National labor-market context comes from the BLS public API and the Manufacturing Institute.
If you searched for manufacturing jobs by state, this is the practical version of that answer. We are looking at the full manufacturing sector, not one occupation, and asking which places give workers and employers the strongest odds of success. That includes job volume, pay, business density, and how much the manufacturing industry matters to the wider state economy. A state with a deep manufacturing base usually has more manufacturing companies, more supplier relationships, and more room to work in manufacturing over a full career instead of a single job cycle.
12.3M
Manufacturing jobs across states and DC in Census 2023 data
$73,202
Employment-weighted average annual manufacturing pay
284,452
Manufacturing establishments counted by Census
1.9M
Manufacturing workers the U.S. could still be short by 2033
What's in This Report
Top States Overall for Manufacturing Jobs
A state with the most factory jobs is not automatically the best state for a manufacturing career or a plant expansion. Job seekers care about compensation and depth of opportunity. Owners care about the density of suppliers and how large the local industrial base is. Economic developers care about whether manufacturing is central to the state economy or just one small slice. That is why the ranking below uses four measures instead of one.
This opportunity score is directional. It rewards states that show up again and again in employment, payroll, establishment count, and GDP. California ranks first because it dominates every raw scale measure. Texas is close behind because its industrial base is enormous and diversified. Indiana ranks lower on pay, but it remains one of the strongest manufacturing states in the country because manufacturing still drives so much of the state economy.
| Rank | State | Jobs | Avg. Annual Pay | Establishments | Manufacturing GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,157,201 | $91,763 | 35,300 | $347.5B |
| 2 | Texas | 869,062 | $77,487 | 21,034 | $239.3B |
| 3 | Illinois | 544,438 | $73,590 | 12,465 | $110.7B |
| 4 | Ohio | 689,133 | $69,434 | 13,307 | $109.8B |
| 5 | New York | 411,439 | $73,073 | 13,837 | $73.5B |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 564,394 | $70,172 | 13,231 | $88.5B |
| 7 | Michigan | 604,978 | $68,993 | 12,192 | $99.2B |
| 8 | Washington | 264,782 | $89,335 | 6,586 | $55.7B |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 234,190 | $89,512 | 5,920 | $52.8B |
| 10 | Indiana | 524,995 | $67,136 | 7,938 | $119.4B |
States With the Most Manufacturing Jobs
If your only question is where the factory jobs are, start with the big industrial states. California leads with more than 1.15 million manufacturing workers in the latest Census business data. Texas follows at 869,062. Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Indiana still prove the Midwest is very much a production region, despite years of headlines about decline.
Large manufacturing employment bases usually mean more career paths, more shifts, more specialization, and more adjacent employers. That is good for workers, but it also matters for plant owners because a large labor market usually comes with a thicker supplier network, more maintenance support, better machine integration options, and more staffing flexibility.
| Rank | State | Manufacturing Jobs | Share of Total Table Jobs | Avg. Annual Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,157,201 | 9.4% | $91,763 |
| 2 | Texas | 869,062 | 7.0% | $77,487 |
| 3 | Ohio | 689,133 | 5.6% | $69,434 |
| 4 | Michigan | 604,978 | 4.9% | $68,993 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 564,394 | 4.6% | $70,172 |
| 6 | Illinois | 544,438 | 4.4% | $73,590 |
| 7 | Indiana | 524,995 | 4.3% | $67,136 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 479,846 | 3.9% | $68,429 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 472,162 | 3.8% | $63,742 |
| 10 | New York | 411,439 | 3.3% | $73,073 |
California, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania alone account for roughly a third of the manufacturing jobs in this state-level dataset. If you're selling into industrial labor markets, these five states deserve attention first.
Highest-Paying States for Manufacturing Workers
Pay changes the picture fast. California still lands at the top, but Massachusetts, Washington, Connecticut, Wyoming, and Arizona also show up near the front. These are not always the states with the deepest factory workforces. They are states where the industrial mix tilts toward higher-value manufacturing, such as aerospace, semiconductors, electronics, defense, life sciences, and energy-related processing.
The pay metric here is based on annual payroll divided by total manufacturing employment in Census CBP. That makes it useful for state-level benchmarking, but it is not a role-by-role wage table. It tells you where manufacturing payroll dollars are concentrated, not what a specific welder or machinist earns in one city. Still, if you're benchmarking labor cost pressure or looking for high-pay industrial states, it is a valuable signal.
| Rank | State | Avg. Annual Pay | Jobs | Manufacturing GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $91,763 | 1,157,201 | $347.5B |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $89,512 | 234,190 | $52.8B |
| 3 | Washington | $89,335 | 264,782 | $55.7B |
| 4 | Connecticut | $89,149 | 158,521 | $34.2B |
| 5 | Wyoming | $87,572 | 10,171 | N/A |
| 6 | Arizona | $86,957 | 173,706 | $39.2B |
| 7 | Louisiana | $85,683 | 120,360 | $45.3B |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $82,750 | 1,164 | N/A |
| 9 | Maryland | $82,718 | 109,929 | $23.9B |
| 10 | Oregon | $77,985 | 175,491 | $33.1B |
Most Manufacturing-Dependent State Economies
The best manufacturing state is not always the one with the biggest metro or the highest payroll. Sometimes it is the state where manufacturing still sets the tone for the entire economy. Indiana is the clearest case. Manufacturing accounts for 26.0% of state GDP there, by far the highest share in this dataset. Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, and Kentucky are also heavily tied to factory output.
This matters if you run a contract manufacturer, machine shop, systems integrator, or industrial services company. States with a bigger manufacturing share often support stronger vocational pipelines, denser supplier ecosystems, and a culture that understands production work. They may not always be the top-paying states, but they often offer a better environment for hiring, partnerships, and regional specialization.
| Rank | State | Manufacturing Share of State GDP | Jobs | Establishments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indiana | 26.0% | 524,995 | 7,938 |
| 2 | Wisconsin | 19.5% | 479,846 | 8,479 |
| 3 | Ohio | 18.2% | 689,133 | 13,307 |
| 4 | Michigan | 17.8% | 604,978 | 12,192 |
| 5 | Iowa | 17.1% | 224,293 | 3,418 |
| 6 | Kentucky | 16.8% | 257,247 | 3,669 |
| 7 | South Carolina | 16.2% | 257,989 | 4,006 |
| 8 | Kansas | 15.9% | 170,492 | 2,677 |
| 9 | Alabama | 15.4% | 272,338 | 4,145 |
| 10 | Arkansas | 15.1% | 164,240 | 2,526 |
Why Some States Outperform Others in Manufacturing
States rise in these rankings for different reasons. California wins on sheer size. It is the most populous state in the country, so it naturally carries a huge labor pool and a long list of top companies in aerospace, electronics, medical devices, and food products. Texas blends scale with a broad industrial mix that includes energy equipment, fabricated metals, chemicals, and food processing. Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and South Carolina still benefit from dense automotive supply chains, while Massachusetts, Washington, and Connecticut get a lift from advanced manufacturing activity with higher payroll per worker.
Another useful lens is output relative to population. This page does not rank states strictly per capita, but you can still see where a smaller state punches above its weight. Indiana and Wisconsin do not have California's labor pool, yet the concentration of manufacturing employees and manufacturing GDP is much higher. That is why the Midwest still matters in U.S. factory analysis. It produces fewer headlines than the Sun Belt, but it still carries an enormous share of practical industrial capacity.
The labor-market story also helps explain why site selectors keep returning to the same map. The country still has more than 12 million manufacturing jobs, and California alone supports more than 1 million manufacturing jobs. When a state already has suppliers, technical colleges, machine distributors, controls talent, and experienced supervisors, the odds of a new plant succeeding improve. That does not guarantee low cost. It does mean the ecosystem is real.
You can also see how specific trends reshape state rankings. Electric vehicle and ev battery projects have helped create jobs across the Southeast and Midwest. The largest manufacturing states often combine legacy auto plants with new battery, semiconductor, and aerospace investment. States with strong manufacturing support systems, including local colleges and the federal Manufacturing Extension Partnership network, tend to do better at helping small and midsize firms modernize. That matters during Manufacturing Week, for plant announcements, and for real operating decisions like labor costs, training capacity, and whether major manufacturing employers can find the people they need. In practical terms, the map of top manufacturing companies often overlaps with the map of the best state-level factory ecosystems.
What These Rankings Actually Mean
For job seekers, the best state depends on the trade. If you want raw opportunity and industry variety, California and Texas are hard to beat. If you want to work in a place where manufacturing still defines the economy, Indiana and Wisconsin deserve a close look. If higher average payroll is the goal, Massachusetts and Washington stand out.
For manufacturers, this table helps with site selection and compensation benchmarking. If your plant is in a high-pay state, your throughput and productivity need to justify it. If your plant is in a lower-pay state with strong supplier density, you may have cost advantages, but you could still face shortages in specialized automation, controls, or maintenance talent.
The Manufacturing Institute said in 2025 that the U.S. could face a shortfall of 1.9 million manufacturing workers by 2033, with 3.8 million positions opening during that period. BLS public API data shows national manufacturing employment still hovering around 12.6 million in early 2026. Manufacturing is still huge. It is just uneven, local, and highly sensitive to state mix.
Full State-by-State Manufacturing Jobs Table
Use the full table below when you need a citation-ready state comparison. It puts jobs, annual pay, establishment count, manufacturing GDP, and GDP share on one screen so you can compare scale and dependence at the same time.
| State | Jobs | Avg. Annual Pay | Establishments | Manufacturing GDP | Mfg Share of GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,157,201 | $91,763 | 35,300 | $347.5B | 9.8% |
| Texas | 869,062 | $77,487 | 21,034 | $239.3B | 9.2% |
| Illinois | 544,438 | $73,590 | 12,465 | $110.7B | 12.1% |
| Ohio | 689,133 | $69,434 | 13,307 | $109.8B | 18.2% |
| New York | 411,439 | $73,073 | 13,837 | $73.5B | 6.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 564,394 | $70,172 | 13,231 | $88.5B | 11.5% |
| Michigan | 604,978 | $68,993 | 12,192 | $99.2B | 17.8% |
| Washington | 264,782 | $89,335 | 6,586 | $55.7B | 10.2% |
| Massachusetts | 234,190 | $89,512 | 5,920 | $52.8B | 8.9% |
| Indiana | 524,995 | $67,136 | 7,938 | $119.4B | 26.0% |
| Florida | 358,707 | $68,079 | 14,341 | $64.6B | 6.8% |
| New Jersey | 225,095 | $76,991 | 7,018 | $57.9B | 9.5% |
| Minnesota | 325,317 | $73,506 | 6,718 | $46.3B | 13.8% |
| Wisconsin | 479,846 | $68,429 | 8,479 | $56.2B | 19.5% |
| North Carolina | 472,162 | $63,742 | 8,664 | $87.6B | 14.2% |
| Arizona | 173,706 | $86,957 | 4,406 | $39.2B | 7.2% |
| Georgia | 409,333 | $62,730 | 7,874 | $69.2B | 11.2% |
| Oregon | 175,491 | $77,985 | 5,231 | $33.1B | 12.9% |
| Tennessee | 357,878 | $66,056 | 5,787 | $58.6B | 14.8% |
| Connecticut | 158,521 | $89,149 | 3,735 | $34.2B | 12.4% |
| Louisiana | 120,360 | $85,683 | 3,044 | $45.3B | 11.8% |
| Missouri | 283,563 | $66,651 | 5,460 | $42.6B | 8.7% |
| Virginia | 246,819 | $67,674 | 5,019 | $44.4B | 10.5% |
| Alabama | 272,338 | $67,219 | 4,145 | $41.9B | 15.4% |
| Colorado | 133,767 | $76,989 | 5,031 | $23.5B | 7.8% |
| South Carolina | 257,989 | $68,687 | 4,006 | $37.5B | 16.2% |
| Iowa | 224,293 | $69,570 | 3,418 | $35.2B | 17.1% |
| Maryland | 109,929 | $82,718 | 2,838 | $23.9B | 6.5% |
| Kentucky | 257,247 | $65,243 | 3,669 | $39.6B | 16.8% |
| Kansas | 170,492 | $71,460 | 2,677 | $26.5B | 15.9% |
| Utah | 145,645 | $70,182 | 3,665 | $25.1B | 7.5% |
| Nevada | 64,363 | $77,814 | 2,043 | $8.8B | 5.2% |
| New Hampshire | 68,626 | $76,409 | 1,741 | $7.9B | 11.8% |
| Oklahoma | 129,479 | $66,726 | 3,247 | $16.3B | 8.1% |
| Idaho | 68,249 | $69,546 | 2,114 | $9.4B | 9.4% |
| Arkansas | 164,240 | $59,550 | 2,526 | $21.9B | 15.1% |
| Mississippi | 146,261 | $60,075 | 1,981 | $18.2B | 13.2% |
| Delaware | 31,080 | $75,466 | 660 | $6.3B | 8.8% |
| Rhode Island | 40,210 | $70,230 | 1,188 | $4.6B | 9.1% |
| Nebraska | 104,418 | $63,620 | 1,761 | $17.8B | 13.5% |
| Wyoming | 10,171 | $87,572 | 600 | N/A | 3.2% |
| District of Columbia | 1,164 | $82,750 | 104 | N/A | N/A |
| Maine | 57,987 | $64,608 | 1,700 | $6.8B | 10.2% |
| West Virginia | 48,350 | $65,021 | 1,060 | $7.3B | 9.2% |
| North Dakota | 29,264 | $69,310 | 695 | $4.3B | 4.8% |
| Alaska | 11,521 | $72,691 | 576 | $1.4B | 4.1% |
| New Mexico | 28,044 | $64,015 | 1,266 | $4.4B | 5.5% |
| Montana | 21,825 | $64,517 | 1,393 | $3.0B | 5.8% |
| South Dakota | 47,333 | $61,039 | 1,034 | $4.5B | 10.8% |
| Vermont | 29,246 | $64,669 | 1,005 | $2.9B | 7.4% |
| Hawaii | 10,293 | $52,424 | 723 | $1.6B | 3.8% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which state has the most manufacturing jobs?
California leads this dataset with 1,157,201 manufacturing workers. Texas ranks second with 869,062, followed by Ohio with 689,133.
Which state pays manufacturing workers the most?
California ranks first in this Census payroll-based measure at $91,763 per manufacturing worker. Massachusetts and Washington are close behind, which reflects their concentration in higher-value sectors like aerospace, electronics, and life sciences manufacturing.
What is the best state for manufacturing jobs overall?
If you weigh job volume, pay, establishment count, and manufacturing GDP together, California and Texas offer the broadest opportunities. Indiana is one of the strongest specialized manufacturing states because manufacturing accounts for 26.0% of state GDP there, the highest share in the BEA data.
Are manufacturing jobs still growing in the U.S.?
Manufacturing remains a major labor market. BLS public API data shows national manufacturing employment near 12.6 million in early 2026. The bigger problem is hiring pressure, not sector disappearance. The Manufacturing Institute says 3.8 million positions could open by 2033, with nearly half at risk of going unfilled.
Cite This Resource
If you reference this page in research, media coverage, or an industry report, use this citation:
When citing a specific figure, also cite the original Census, BEA, BLS, or Manufacturing Institute source linked on this page.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau. County Business Patterns 2023 API, Manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), state-level establishments, employment, and annual payroll.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. GDP by State, manufacturing value added and state GDP share.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Public API, Current Employment Statistics manufacturing employment series.
- The Manufacturing Institute. The State of the Manufacturing Workforce in 2025.
