Manufacturing Value Added per Worker by U.S. State: 2025 Ranking

Manufacturing Value Added per Worker by U.S. State: 2025 Ranking

Louisiana ranks first at $443,300 in manufacturing value added per payroll job, followed by Wyoming ($385,200) and Texas ($337,000). This comparison divides each state's 2025 manufacturing GDP in current U.S. dollars by its 2025 annual-average manufacturing payroll employment.

The table is a compiled research dataset based on 2 independent publishing organizations (the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), with row-level source and method notes shown in the ranking table. The ranking covers all 50 states, from highest to lowest in nominal U.S. dollars per manufacturing payroll job. Every result is marked calculated_value: the ratios come from observed 2025 inputs rather than forecasts or modeled projections.

Source years: BEA 2025, BLS 2025. BEA release: September 30, 2026. Data checked October 29, 2026. Status counts: 50 calculated_value; 0 official_value for the derived ratio; 0 forecasts. Industry: NAICS 31–33, manufacturing.

Overview: manufacturing scale is not the same as value added per job

Manufacturing value added measures the manufacturing industry's contribution to state GDP: gross output minus purchased intermediate inputs. It includes compensation, operating surplus and relevant production taxes, rather than just employee pay. The calculation on this page expresses that value per manufacturing payroll job, rather than the sector's total size.

California recorded $390.528 billion in manufacturing GDP in 2025, the largest state total, but ranks fourth at $320,200 per payroll job. Louisiana produced $62.325 billion (17th by total manufacturing GDP), yet ranks first at $443,300 per job. The two states show why manufacturing scale and value added relative to payroll employment are different comparisons.

This ratio is not an official BLS labor-productivity index: it is not adjusted for hours worked, inflation, regional prices or industry mix within manufacturing. It is not average wages or value captured by employees alone.

Top 10 states by manufacturing value added per payroll job

Louisiana's $443,300 per payroll job puts it $193,200 above tenth-place Indiana ($250,100). Wyoming ranks second despite having just $4.044 billion in manufacturing GDP, while California ranks fourth with the largest state total. Ranks use unrounded ratios; display values are rounded to the nearest $100.

2025 nominal value added per payroll job · derived from BEA SAGDP2 and BLS CES annual averages

Chart: Top 20 manufacturing value-added ratios

Each bar shows the 2025 manufacturing GDP per payroll job, on a common scale where Louisiana equals 100%. Bar lengths use the same unrounded calculated figures as the main ranking.

Methodology: source-published inputs and independently calculated ratios

Source roles and conflicts. BEA is the numerator's numeric source; BLS is the denominator's independent numeric source. Invokely displays the BEA SAGDP2 extract, and FRED republishes BEA/BLS series for validation; those platforms do not create additional independent publishers. U.S. Census Bureau geography serves only as a methodology source. Values from alternative employment definitions, such as QCEW instead of CES, are not averaged with this dataset. California, Texas, Louisiana and Hawaii BEA values were cross-checked against separately served BEA/FRED or BEA-based state extracts.

Limitations and exclusions. The numerator includes labor compensation and returns to capital; the denominator counts payroll jobs, including part-time positions, but excludes self-employment and does not account for hours worked. All ratios use 2025 current-dollar GDP, without an adjustment for regional prices or inflation. BLS employment is published to the nearest 100 jobs, so closely ranked states can switch places when more precise figures or revised data become available. Small manufacturing workforces, such as those in Wyoming and Alaska, make this precision issue particularly relevant.

Main ranking: all 50 U.S. states

Search any state, filter by Census region or value status, sort results and switch between the highest 10, highest 20 or all 50 states. Every row includes both 2025 observed inputs so the calculated figure can be reproduced.

Manufacturing value added per payroll job, 2025 · 50 states · BEA + BLS compiled research dataset · 50 states shown

Each row provides the BEA manufacturing GDP input (millions of dollars) and BLS annual-average manufacturing employment (thousands of jobs). Sorting uses the unrounded calculated ratio, even though the figures shown to readers are rounded to the nearest $100.

Four findings from the confirmed 2025 dataset

What the ranking means—and what it does not

Reading the results: the ranking compares manufacturing GDP with the number of manufacturing payroll jobs in each state. It does not rank the size of the manufacturing sector. California has the largest manufacturing GDP, while Louisiana leads per job—different measures of the same industry.

Using the ranking: a higher ratio does not establish that individual workers are more productive or better paid. BEA value added includes labor compensation and business operating surplus, while BLS counts full- and part-time payroll jobs rather than hours worked. Differences between states may reflect the industries they specialize in, investment in equipment, output prices or hours worked; the data do not isolate those effects.

Comparing years: a rise in current-dollar value added per job would not necessarily mean real productivity improved. That question needs a consistent historical series, price adjustments and ideally hours-worked data. Revisions to BEA or BLS inputs could also change the rankings.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and their roles