Utah leads U.S. in manufacturing job growth
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Utah is leading the nation in manufacturing job growth, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
State of play: Utah saw a nearly 12% increase in manufacturing jobs between 2019 and 2023, per an analysis of government data released Tuesday by the Economic Innovation Group, a centrist think tank.
- That's the largest jump in the nation.
Why it matters: It's the first time since the 1970s that the manufacturing industry has recovered all the jobs lost during a recession.
- Employment in the sector is now slightly above pre-pandemic levels.
Where it stands: The recovery has been uneven and fairly concentrated.
- Utah was among the five states that accounted for two-thirds of the sector's job growth, including Texas, Florida, Georgia and Arizona.
What they're saying: "If we look at population numbers or just total job growth, most of these places in the Sun Belt are just kind of hotbeds for where people are moving to and where companies are adding jobs," says August Benzow, research lead at EIG.
- Transportation and food accounted for much of the growth. Another bright spot was computer and electronics, spurred on by the Biden administration's efforts to bolster domestic chip making.
The other side: Manufacturing jobs are still disappearing in the Rust Belt, including in Ohio and battleground states Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. That group saw jobs in the sector decline 1.7% from 2019 to 2023.
Zoom out: Though manufacturing grabs a lot of attention politically, it's not a big piece of the overall job market anymore.
- In 1970, manufacturing jobs made up 31% of private employment. In 2023, that share was down to 9.7%, notes EIG.