The Manufacturing Footprint and the Importance of U.S. Manufacturing Jobs

The Manufacturing Footprint and the Importance of U.S. Manufacturing Jobs: Despite policies that have shrunk manufacturing employment and hurt its international competitiveness, U.S. manufacturing is still a large and vital part of the U.S. economy. It accounts for 8.8 percent of employment in the United States—a total of 12 million workers in 2013—and plays a particularly important role in the labor markets of the Midwest and the South.