Manufacturing & Small Business:

Factories or bakeries, machine-powered or handmade, manufacturing drives the

US economy 

of manufacturing companies are

small businesses

400K

350K

300K

250K

200K

100K

50K

0

0 5 10 15 20 25

150K

Nu

mb

er

of

co

mp

an

ies

No employees 1-20 employees 21-499 employees More than 500 employees

Paper

Computers and electronic products

Plastics and rubber products

Electrical equipment, appliances and components

Food

Machinery

Beverage and tobacco products

Wood products

Fabricated metal products

Furniture and related products

Apparel

% of total employment

Businesses with fewer than 20 employees manufacture these products:

have fewer than 20

employees

Manufacturing generated 11.6% of U.S. economic output and 8.5% of the workforce.

Yet, 89% of manufacturers cannot fill job openings.

Shifting skill sets due to advanced technologies

Misperceptions of manufacturing jobs

Retirement of baby boomers

98.6%

75.3%

Top reasons cited:

https://www.census.gov/econ/manufacturing.html

https://www.nam.org/powerofsmall

https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/econ/g12-susb.pdf

https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-industry

https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/advocacy/2018-Small-Business-Profiles-US.pdf

https://www.nam.org/Newsroom/Facts-About-Manufacturing/

https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/industry/manufacturing/manufacturing-skills-gap-

study.html?mod=djemRTE_h

Sources:

Work with a SCORE mentor to help start or grow your small manufacturing company

Manufacturing businesses create products from raw materials or components either by machines or by hand. Goods are made

in plants, factories, mills—but also in homes.