Mapping manufacturing
Thursday, June 14th, 2012
The story of the decline and changes in American manufacturing is both a regional picture and a national one. Even though the country has a whole has seen a sharp downturn in manufacturing, some states experienced growth in recent years. Some industries are reinventing themselves, as in York, Pa.
Shrinking manufacturing workforce
Since 1970, the number of manufacturing workers has declined by more than 50 percent despite a small increase last year. The number of factory workers grew in 14 mostly smaller states west of the Mississippi, but fell sharply throughout the Northeast and the Midwest, the historical manufacturing centers.
Source: Investigative Reporting Workshop research based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data
Graphic by Madeline Beard, Investigative Reporting Workshop
Factory workers make up smaller share of total employment
Four decades ago, one in four American jobs was in manufacturing. In 2011, even with the first increase in factory jobs in more than a decade, fewer than one in 10 jobs are in manufacturing.
Source: Investigative Reporting Workshop research based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data
Graphic by Madeline Beard, Investigative Reporting Workshop
