Group ranks states for manufacturing competitiveness

Fourteen U.S. states are best-positioned to compete in manufacturing, according to findings issued November 1 by eMvoy, an industry research group. The findings identify pervasive statewide trends in the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing.

The results were issued as part of the group's conclusions after a one-year evaluation of 100,000 U.S. manufacturers. The findings included rankings of all 50 states. The following states were found to be significantly above-average for industrial competitiveness: Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, New York, California, North Carolina, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

Chicago-based eMvoy rated companies by assessing company stability, market penetration, technology and Web presence. The research group performs large-scale evaluations of U.S. manufacturers as part of the services it provides to industrial purchasing agents. (Additional ranking factors are included in the attached Methodology document.)

"There is so much confusion about the state of American manufacturing. The public perception is that, overall, U.S. manufacturing is weak. After looking at 100,000 manufacturers, we found that the state of U.S. manufacturing is not bad – as long as you are in the right state." says Craig Landy, CEO of eMvoy.

"We can all point to great success stories in manufacturing but they are only told about specific industry sectors, cities or companies. Our data pointed to a complex, yet very optimistic picture of U.S. manufacturing. Fourteen states scored exceptionally high for competitiveness. Other states were predictably flat or below the average. We didn't expect to see such huge gaps between the best and worst states."

Most Competitive States