The phrase “Made in America” carries significance across the county, but the role manufacturing plays in the American economy has decreased in the past few decades. Manufacturing's smaller role is apparent in all but a few states and subsectors of the industry.
In 2019, 13.6 million people were employed full- or part-time in American manufacturing, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That's 6.7% of all jobs. The manufacturing industry accounted for $2.3 trillion in American gross domestic product (GDP), or 11% of the whole.
While the 2019 GDP and employment numbers are up from the 2009 Great Recession, manufacturing's share of the economy is down. In 2009, 12.5 million people worked in manufacturing, or 7% of all employment, with the industry adding $2.0 trillion (accounting for inflation) to the GDP or 12% of the total.
