California manufacturing jobs are on the rise
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California has added the second-highest number of new manufacturing jobs of any state since 2021, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
- The state added 79,000 new manufacturing jobs between January 2021 and this May.
Zoom in: San Diego is seeing that growth, too, with manufacturing employment rising more than 6% between 2017 and 2022, despite a slight dip during the pandemic, according to the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation.
- The region outpaced California and the U.S. during those years and saw billions of dollars from manufacturing in North County.
Why it matters: The growth is part of a manufacturing boom that's swept the country during President Biden's 2.5 years in office, particularly in the South and Mountain West, Axios' Hans Nichols reports.
- The roughly 800,000 new manufacturing jobs nationwide demonstrate the health of the U.S. economy, a key strategy of Biden's reelection campaign.
Context: San Diego's major manufacturing industries include defense, aerospace, shipbuilding and repair, medical devices and craft brewing.
- The average annual wages for manufacturing jobs in the county is $104,664.
Reality check: As some biotechnology companies expand manufacturing operations, the jobs aren't immune to layoffs, like Thermo Fisher Scientific saw earlier this year.