The Way We Were: The Changing Geography of US Manufacturing from 1940 to 2016

The Way We Were: The Changing Geography of US Manufacturing from 1940 to 2016

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  By: Anthony P.Carnevale, Ban Cheah, Neil Ridley, Jeff Strohl, and Kathryn Peltier Campbell June 25, 2019
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  Overview • After reachingits peak of economic output in the 1940s, American manufacturing transformed dramatically through 2016. • Increased foreign trade and offshoring contributed to steep manufacturing job losses, especially after China entered the World Trade Organization in 2001. • Despite declines in manufacturing employment, output increased as a result of automation and other factors. • The geographic center of manufacturing shifted from the Northeast, Great Lakes, and mid-Atlantic states to southern and central states. 2
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  The turn ofthe 20th century marked the shift to a services economy • Manufacturing’s share of US economic output shrank from 39% in 1947 to just 18% in 2016. • Over the same period, the services sector more than doubled its output share from 20% to 49%. • The share of all workers employed in manufacturing declined between 1940 and 2016 from 23% to 10%. • Despite its smaller share of the US economy, manufacturing produced $5.6 trillion in economic output in 2016, compared to only $1.6 trillion in 1947. 3 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
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  Manufacturing was originally concentratedin the Northeast 4 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce • In 1940, manufacturing workers were primarily employed in northeastern and Great Lakes states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
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  • The industryshifted toward southeastern and central states, where labor costs were lower. • In 2000, manufacturing was the largest employer in 18 states. 5 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce As manufacturing employment declined, the industry shifted south
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  • After decadesof decline, Indiana and Wisconsin were the only states where manufacturing was the largest source of employment in 2016. 6 Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce By 2016, manufacturing remained the largest employer in only two states
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  Conclusion • Today, manufacturingis no longer the primary source of employment within most states. • The continued industrial strength in Indiana and Wisconsin reflects the enduring legacy of manufacturing in the Midwest. 7
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  8 cew.georgetown.edu/manufacturingstates More Information cewgeorgetown@georgetown.edu Facebook.com/ GeorgetownCEW linkedin.com/company/ georgetowncew @GeorgetownCEW Slideshare.net/ CEWGeorgetown YouTube.com/ CEWGeorgetown