Facts about Manufacturing Jobs in the United States
The United States has a long history of producing high quality products, from aircraft and automobiles, to machinery and medical implants. The outdated view that manufacturing jobs in the US have disappeared is simply not accurate, and it has falsely led many career-seeking individuals to look beyond the skilled trades. The truth is much simpler and brighter – skilled tradespeople in the millions continue to be the bedrock of American manufacturing might.
The growth in output of durable goods within the United States has actually grown from $114 billion in February 1992 to $245 billion by June 2019*. Fabricated metal products (think "CNC manufacturing") in particular has grown from $13.3 billion to $34.1 billion in the same time frame**. CNC manufacturing is one of the most needed skills within the metal fabrication industry, and opportunities to learn the skills needed to obtain well-paying employment in this field are better than ever.
Manufacturing Jobs in the USA
Over 12 Million Manufacturing Jobs
The Facts About Manufacturing infographic is based on published information from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Manufacturing represents a massive $2.2 trillion-dollar contribution to the US economy. The manufacturing sector is also the 6th largest employer in the United States, with 12 million jobs. This means that a new CNC machinist is in high demand and jobs are quite numerous. Between growth in demand for products, and the fact that a sizeable portion of older workers retire every year, there is a steady need for companies to hire skilled workers.
Top Jobs in Fabricated Metal
The most important part of this graphic is the fact that Fabricated Metal is in the top 3 sectors with the most manufacturing jobs. With an average of $26.58 for an hourly pay rate, these jobs can provide excellent opportunity and career growth.
CNC Machining is an Opportunity with Earning Potential
CNC Programming is a key skill needed to enter the manufacturing industry, and the training for this skill is best found at a specialty trade school like Lincoln Tech.
Lincoln Tech’s CNC Machining and Programming courses can ready a student for entry into the field in as little as 40 weeks of full-time training, and as little as 62 weeks for those who pursue training in the evening after normal working hours. This skill is taught at four Lincoln Tech locations: East Windsor, CT; Grand Prairie, TX; Indianapolis, IN; and Mahwah, NJ.
* U.S. Census Bureau, Manufacturers' New Orders: Durable Goods [DGORDER], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DGORDER, August 9, 2019.
** U.S. Census Bureau, Value of Manufacturers' New Orders for Durable Goods Industries: Fabricated Metal Products [A32SNO], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/A32SNO, August 9, 2019.
"Facts about Manufacturing" Infographic source data: https://www.nist.gov/mep/learn-more-about-manufacturing/manufacturing-infographics/facts-about-manufacturing. Accessed September 23, 2019.