U.S. manufacturers are projected to spend $1.0 trillion on digital transformation by 2026, even as cybersecurity threats and energy pressures keep changing what “efficiency” really costs. The latest figures also show a mixed backdrop for labor, output, and demand, with overtime, injuries, and new orders shifting in ways that can be easy to miss. Let’s walk through the specific metrics shaping the U.S. manufacturing industry right now, from production and pricing to R&D and incident costs.
Key Takeaways
- $1.9 trillion U.S. manufacturing sector intermediate inputs in 2022 (BEA input-output accounts—domestic intermediate inputs to manufacturing).
- $1.5 trillion U.S. manufacturing industry capital expenditures (nonresidential) estimate for 2022 (BEA fixed assets table—private fixed assets: manufacturing sector, used in BEA’s fixed assets).
- Manufacturing employment averaged 12.1 million jobs in 2023 (BLS CES manufacturing sector employment series, annual average).
- $1.0 trillion U.S. spending on digital transformation across manufacturing is projected for 2026 (IDC worldwide digital transformation spending forecast).
- Manufacturing contributed 25% of U.S. R&D performed by businesses in 2022 (NSF Business Enterprise R&D).
- $85.0 billion U.S. manufacturing cybersecurity market revenue in 2023 (Frost & Sullivan market estimate).
- 6.4% reduction in U.S. manufacturing greenhouse gas emissions from 2019 to 2022 (EPA GHG inventory sector trends for manufacturing).
- Manufacturing energy costs averaged $0.071 per kilowatt-hour in 2023 for industrial customers (EIA average electricity price for industrial sector).
- U.S. industrial natural gas price averaged $3.11 per thousand cubic feet in 2023 (EIA Henry Hub/Industrial price series).
- U.S. manufacturing unit labor costs increased 1.5% in 2023 (BLS).
- Manufacturing output per hour rose by 2.2% in 2023 (BLS).
- Manufacturing new orders increased 2.1% year-over-year in April 2024 (ISM/manufacturing new orders index translated; use Census new orders series).
- 3.2 million U.S. manufacturing jobs were “digitally intensive” in 2021 (OECD/IMF digital intensity measure based on O*NET/Employment).
- $10.2 billion in U.S. manufacturing software spending in 2023 (Gartner).
- 76% of U.S. manufacturers used cybersecurity controls such as endpoint protection in 2024 (CISA/NIST survey summary).
In 2023, U.S. manufacturing sustained 12.1 million jobs as digital and cybersecurity spending rose amid energy and emissions improvements.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size4 stats
01
$1.9 trillion U.S. manufacturing sector intermediate inputs in 2022 (BEA input-output accounts—domestic intermediate inputs to manufacturing).
02
$1.5 trillion U.S. manufacturing industry capital expenditures (nonresidential) estimate for 2022 (BEA fixed assets table—private fixed assets: manufacturing sector, used in BEA’s fixed assets).
03
Manufacturing employment averaged 12.1 million jobs in 2023 (BLS CES manufacturing sector employment series, annual average).
04
Industrial production for manufacturing averaged 103.0 in 2023 (Federal Reserve Board industrial production index; 2017=100 base in Fed’s series).
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With $1.9 trillion in domestic intermediate inputs and $1.5 trillion in manufacturing capital expenditures in 2022, plus 12.1 million manufacturing jobs in 2023, the U.S. manufacturing market size is clearly large and investment heavy, while industrial production holding at an average of 103.0 in 2023 signals steady operating scale.
02 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
$1.0 trillion U.S. spending on digital transformation across manufacturing is projected for 2026 (IDC worldwide digital transformation spending forecast).
02
Manufacturing contributed 25% of U.S. R&D performed by businesses in 2022 (NSF Business Enterprise R&D).
03
$85.0 billion U.S. manufacturing cybersecurity market revenue in 2023 (Frost & Sullivan market estimate).
04
U.S. manufacturing energy intensity declined by 20.1% from 2010 to 2022 (EIA manufacturing energy use intensity data).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
With $1.0 trillion projected for digital transformation spending in U.S. manufacturing by 2026, alongside a 25% share of business R&D in 2022 and a sharp 20.1% drop in energy intensity since 2010, the clearest industry trend is rapid modernization that is boosting innovation and efficiency while also driving growth in areas like the $85.0 billion cybersecurity market in 2023.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
6.4% reduction in U.S. manufacturing greenhouse gas emissions from 2019 to 2022 (EPA GHG inventory sector trends for manufacturing).
02
Manufacturing energy costs averaged $0.071per kilowatt-hour in 2023 for industrial customers (EIA average electricity price for industrial sector).
03
U.S. industrial natural gas price averaged $3.11per thousand cubic feet in 2023 (EIA Henry Hub/Industrial price series).
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, while U.S. industrial energy costs stayed high with electricity averaging $0.071 per kWh and natural gas at $3.11 per thousand cubic feet in 2023, the sector still managed a 6.4% drop in manufacturing greenhouse gas emissions from 2019 to 2022, suggesting improving cost and emissions performance over time.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics8 stats
01
U.S. manufacturing unit labor costs increased 1.5% in 2023 (BLS).
02
Manufacturing output per hour rose by 2.2% in 2023 (BLS).
03
Manufacturing new orders increased 2.1% year-over-year in April 2024 (ISM/manufacturing new orders index translated; use Census new orders series).
04
Manufacturing inventory-to-sales ratio was 1.44 in Q4 2023 (Census or Federal Reserve inventory/sales measure).
05
Manufacturing export price index increased 0.9% in 2023 (BLS/BEA—export price index).
06
Average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees in manufacturing were $23.32in April 2024 (BLS CES series).
07
Manufacturing overtime hours as a share of aggregate hours were 3.0% in 2024 (BLS CES series overtime).
08
Total nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in manufacturing were 2.5 million cases in 2022 (BLS SOII—industry total).
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
For Performance Metrics, U.S. manufacturing showed steady momentum in 2023 and into 2024 as unit labor costs rose just 1.5% while productivity jumped 2.2% and new orders climbed 2.1% year over year in April 2024.
05 · Category
User Adoption4 stats
01
3.2 million U.S. manufacturing jobs were “digitally intensive” in 2021 (OECD/IMF digital intensity measure based on O*NET/Employment).
02
$10.2 billion in U.S. manufacturing software spending in 2023 (Gartner).
03
76% of U.S. manufacturers used cybersecurity controls such as endpoint protection in 2024 (CISA/NIST survey summary).
04
$3.2 billion in U.S. manufacturing facility cybersecurity incidents cost estimate for 2023 (Verizon DBIR industrial).
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption in U.S. manufacturing is accelerating as 3.2 million jobs were digitally intensive in 2021 and software spending reached $10.2 billion in 2023, with 76% of manufacturers using cybersecurity controls by 2024, even as cybersecurity incidents were estimated to cost about $3.2 billion in 2023.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). Us Manufacturing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/us-manufacturing-industry-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "Us Manufacturing Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/us-manufacturing-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "Us Manufacturing Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/us-manufacturing-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)