Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed October 1-7 North Carolina Manufacturing Week. With the eighth-largest manufacturing economy in the United States, and the largest manufacturing workforce in the southeast, manufacturing remains essential to the success of every sector of North Carolina’s economy.
“Our manufacturing legacy and workforce have consistently supported North Carolina’s reputation as the best state for business,” said Governor Cooper. “Manufacturing is North Carolina’s second largest industry with nearly 11,000 businesses producing critical medicines, aircraft engines, wind turbine components, and soon supersonic jets, electric vehicles, charging stations and batteries. We need to keep this momentum going by investing in education and training for our world class workforce.”
According to the economists at the Labor and Economic Analysis Division of the state’s Commerce department, for every $1.00 spent in manufacturing, $1.81 is generated for North Carolina’s economy.
Last year, 95% of North Carolina exports consisted of $38.2 billion worth of manufactured products including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, aerospace components, non-ferrous metals, semiconductors, and textiles.
Of North Carolina’s second-recording breaking year for economic development announcements last year, manufacturing represents 68% of all new, relocation, and expansion projects with more than 21,940 new jobs and investments exceeding $17.2 billion.
“With a $114 billion contribution to our GDP, manufacturing will always be a pillar of North Carolina’s economic prosperity,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “Coupled with a convenient location, the fastest port on the East Coast, and a diverse, world-class workforce of 472,000 North Carolinians, our state continues to welcome global manufacturers across all industries to call North Carolina home.”
Since Governor Cooper took office in 2017, 70,500 manufacturing jobs and more than $38 billion investments in manufacturing have been announced in North Carolina, including major economic development projects from VinFast, Wolfspeed, Boom Supersonic, Eli Lilly, and Toyota.
For more information about Manufacturing Week, read Governor Cooper’s proclamation here.
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