12.60M
2026 (thru Jul) (latest)
MANUFACTURING JOBS
employees, annual average · 1939–2026 · higher is better · FRED MANEMP
9.45M
1939
19.43M
high · 1979
9.45M
low · 1939
+33%
since 1939
┊ dashed lines mark 1979 Oil shock & inflation peak · 1987 Black Monday crash · 1991 Gulf War recession · 2001 Dot-com bust & 9/11 · 2008 Global financial crisis · 2020 COVID-19 pandemic
Method & caveats. BLS payroll employment in manufacturing, annual average of monthly figures. FRED serves thousands; converted to persons.
Sources
Every value on this page is read from the publisher below. Current and historical source documents:
- https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MANEMP
- https://github.com/danielmiessler/substrate/tree/main/Data/US-Long-Run-Indicators
Data
| Year | Manufacturing Jobs | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12.60M | −0% |
| 2025 | 12.63M | −1% |
| 2024 | 12.79M | −1% |
| 2023 | 12.87M | +1% |
| 2022 | 12.77M | +4% |
| 2021 | 12.31M | +2% |
| 2020 | 12.13M | −5% |
| 2019 | 12.78M | +1% |
| 2018 | 12.65M | +2% |
| 2017 | 12.41M | +1% |
| 2016 | 12.32M | +0% |
| 2015 | 12.31M | +1% |
| 2014 | 12.16M | +1% |
| 2013 | 12.00M | +1% |
| 2012 | 11.91M | +2% |
| 2011 | 11.71M | +2% |
| 2010 | 11.51M | −3% |
| 2009 | 11.84M | −12% |
| 2008 | 13.39M | −3% |
| 2007 | 13.87M | −2% |
| 2006 | 14.15M | −1% |
| 2005 | 14.22M | −1% |
| 2004 | 14.31M | −1% |
| 2003 | 14.51M | −5% |
| 2002 | 15.26M | −7% |
| 2001 | 16.44M | −5% |
| 2000 | 17.27M | −0% |
| 1999 | 17.32M | −1% |
| 1998 | 17.56M | +1% |
| 1997 | 17.42M | +1% |
| 1996 | 17.24M | −0% |
| 1995 | 17.24M | +1% |
| 1994 | 17.02M | +1% |
| 1993 | 16.78M | −0% |
| 1992 | 16.80M | −2% |
| 1991 | 17.07M | −4% |
| 1990 | 17.69M | −2% |
| 1989 | 17.98M | +0% |
| 1988 | 17.91M | +2% |
| 1987 | 17.61M | +0% |
| 1986 | 17.55M | −1% |
| 1985 | 17.82M | −1% |
| 1984 | 17.92M | +5% |
| 1983 | 17.05M | −2% |
| 1982 | 17.36M | −7% |
| 1981 | 18.63M | −1% |
| 1980 | 18.73M | −4% |
| 1979 | 19.43M | +3% |
| 1978 | 18.94M | +4% |
| 1977 | 18.17M | +4% |
| 1976 | 17.54M | +4% |
| 1975 | 16.91M | −9% |
| 1974 | 18.51M | −0% |
| 1973 | 18.58M | +5% |
| 1972 | 17.66M | +3% |
| 1971 | 17.17M | −4% |
| 1970 | 17.85M | −4% |
| 1969 | 18.57M | +2% |
| 1968 | 18.21M | +2% |
| 1967 | 17.90M | +1% |
| 1966 | 17.68M | +6% |
| 1965 | 16.62M | +5% |
| 1964 | 15.89M | +2% |
| 1963 | 15.63M | +1% |
| 1962 | 15.50M | +3% |
| 1961 | 15.01M | −3% |
| 1960 | 15.44M | +1% |
| 1959 | 15.33M | +5% |
| 1958 | 14.66M | −7% |
| 1957 | 15.80M | −0% |
| 1956 | 15.86M | +2% |
| 1955 | 15.52M | +3% |
| 1954 | 15.00M | −7% |
| 1953 | 16.13M | +5% |
| 1952 | 15.29M | +1% |
| 1951 | 15.07M | +8% |
| 1950 | 14.01M | +6% |
| 1949 | 13.28M | −7% |
| 1948 | 14.32M | +0% |
| 1947 | 14.28M | +6% |
| 1946 | 13.50M | −5% |
| 1945 | 14.25M | −10% |
| 1944 | 15.91M | −2% |
| 1943 | 16.16M | +15% |
| 1942 | 14.04M | +16% |
| 1941 | 12.13M | +20% |
| 1940 | 10.10M | +7% |
| 1939 | 9.45M | — |
Also in Economy & Work