New Study Shows Where Manufacturing is Thriving in the U.S. 

Manufacturing has continued to rise in the U.S., especially as the sector sees increased activity from the initial hit of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, a new study by AdvisorSmith, a business advising company, shows where exactly manufacturing is at its strongest. 

The study, taken across 294 different American towns and cities from 2015 to 2019, was based on four key factors: manufacturing output growth rate, manufacturing output per capita, manufacturing employment growth rate, and manufacturing location quotient. Based on the results, 43 of the top 50 cities, and 9 of the top 10, were small and midsized cities. The bulk of these cities were in the Midwest, with 26 cities being represented on the list. 

The top manufacturing city was found to be Elkhart, Indiana. Just fifteen minutes from South Bend, Elkhart is part of what has been described as the “RV capital of the world.” 52% of all the RVs made in the U.S. are produced in Elkhart. 

Based on the city’s data for 2019, there was a 584% increase in manufacturing jobs per capita when compared to other cities, with an output of $9.1 billion. Output also rose by 6.1%, while employment grew at a rate of 2.1%. By the end of the study, manufacturing output per capita was at $44, 137. 

The second-highest city was Columbus, also in Indiana. Columbus is one of the largest manufacturing cities in the country, with 38% of the workforce being involved in the field. A major reason for this is that city’s output of vehicle engines. A major reason for this is that the city is home to Cummins, a major engine designer and producer. 

Columbus had a manufacturing output of $3.9 billion in 2019, at $45,901 per capita, and 459% more manufacturing jobs than the national average. With a manufacturing output growth rate of 1.1%, employment also grew 0.8% over the same period.