Illinois is the destination state for new manufacturing projects.
Across the state, there are more than 570K people working in manufacturing (#3 in the Midwest and #5 in the U.S.). Overall, Illinois’ manufacturing workforce is 16% more concentrated than the national average. This robust production economy keeps industry leaders here including Amsted Industries, Caterpillar, Continental Tire, Ford, John Deere, ITW, Schneider Electric, Stellantis, and Wieland. (Hear directly from Wieland’s President of Rolling & Recycling North America Greg Keown in this testimonial video!)
In Illinois, legacy and emerging companies anchor a statewide manufacturing ecosystem that creates a diverse range of critical products for the global supply chain. For example, this past April, the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) announced the NASA Standard Initiator “The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois” in IMA’s annual Makers Madness contest. The NASA Standard Initiator made by Chemring Energetic Devices in Downers Grove was a critical component used in the Artemis II mission to test deep space systems and pave the way for future moon landings.
Other recent winners of the Makers Madness contest include the Aerial Firefighting Helicopter Refill Pump made by MTH Pumps in Plano, the Komatsu Mining Truck made by Komatsu in Peoria, and the Rosenberg Moon Habitat made by Ingersoll Machine Tools in Rockford. These amazing products showcase why Illinois is a premier manufacturing economy.
In Illinois, manufacturing creates over $137 billion in annual economic output, making up about 12.5% of the state’s GDP. Illinois manufacturing companies spend over $13 billion annually om R&D (NCSES).
Top Manufacturing Subsectors in Illinois 2025
Chemical Manufacturing: 1.42
Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing: 1.31
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing: 1.53
Food Manufacturing: 1.46
Machinery Manufacturing: 1.63
Miscellaneous Manufacturing: 1.27
Paper Manufacturing: 1.31
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing: 1.32
Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing: 1.49
Primary Metal Manufacturing: 1.20
Printing and Related Support Activities: 1.50
Employment concentration (or location quotient) is a measure of a region’s workforce specialization relative to a larger geographical unit (here the United States). Thus, an employment concentration of 1.15 means that the region is 15% more concentrated than the national average in that type of industry employment.
Data source: Lightcast 2026
Illinois is at least 20% more concentrated than the national average across 11 manufacturing subsectors. This diverse range of concentrated manufacturing makes Illinois a premier destination for any new manufacturing project because Illinois has the skilled workforce for production roles in emerging technologies such as agricultural, energy, information technology, life sciences, and transportation.
Just this past year, companies such as AbbVie, CSL, Hyundai Translead, DMG MORI, and Mars Snacking are all choosing to be in Illinois because the state provides the foundation for the world’s largest companies to make products that change people’s lives.
Combining the state’s long standing diverse and highly concentrated manufacturing ecosystem with direct support from the state through investments in Manufacturing Training Academies (MTAs), competitive incentives, and site readiness makes the equation for choosing Illinois simple.
To learn more, get in touch with our team today.
