Why Manufacturing Matters
Growing Manufacturing in the U.S. Builds the Middle Class and Restores Local Economies
Manufacturing has been the backbone of the middle class in the United States for decades.
- Manufacturing jobs pay above average wages, especially for jobs that don’t require college degrees.
- Manufacturing workers earn 13% more in wages and benefits than their non-manufacturing private industry counterparts.
Manufacturing jobs create more jobs.
- Producing goods requires many inputs, and providing those inputs creates jobs in the supply chain.
- For every 100 direct manufacturing jobs, 454.9 indirect jobs are created, compared to 138.1 for construction.
Manufacturing jobs are a pathway to the middle-class, particularly for BIPOC communities.
- Black workers in manufacturing earn $5,000 more per year (17.9% more).
- Hispanic workers earn $4,800 more per year (17.8% more) than in non-manufacturing employment.
Manufacturing jobs build communities.
- Manufacturing jobs tend to be more stable and remain in the community.
- Manufacturing has a larger share of private-sector economic activity than other sectors, fueling economic growth and tax revenue.
- These companies are more important than ever to rural communities in heavy manufacturing states—such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois—where almost one in four jobs in mostly rural counties are in manufacturing.
Buying Building Products Made in the U.S. Helps Create Jobs and Support Communities
Buying building products made by U.S. manufacturers helps support and grow good manufacturing jobs in communities throughout the country. Building Clean’s Manufacturing Efficiency report shows that combining investments in efficiency with incentives that prioritize U.S.-made products will create more than 170,000 additional manufacturing jobs. |
Selecting products made in the U.S. can also help you meet local sourcing incentives/requirements for different green building certifications. This chart shows what points you can earn from some certifications for purchasing products within a certain mile radius of a project site. The Living Building Challenge certification is the only one where local sourcing is mandatory for a percentage of a project’s materials.
Buying Local = Green Building Points
U.S.-made building products can help you get the points you need.
|
Green Building Certification |
Miles |
Points |
Credit(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEED BD+C v4; LEED BD+C v4.1 | 100 | 4 | Building Product Disclosure and Optimization |
| LEED for Homes v4 | 100 | 1.5 | Environmentally Preferable Products |
| LEED Residential MF NC v4.1 | 100 | 5 | Environmentally Preferable Products |
| Enterprise Green Communities 2020 | 500 | 4 | 6.7 |
| NGBS New Construction (NC) 2015 | 500 | 10 | 609.1 |
| LBC CORE Green Building 4.0 | 311 | M20% | Responsible Materials |
| Living Building Challenge (LBC) Living Certification 3.1 and 4.0 | 311,621, and 3,107 | M75% | Living Economy Sourcing |
Find Local Manufacturers to Source Your Building Materials
How we build matters and U.S. manufacturing is active in all major energy-efficient product sectors, including appliances, HVAC, lighting, plumbing, and more.