Manufacturing is important to the Colorado economy because it is a primary job creator – it brings in investment from outside the state, it creates jobs with higher than average wages, and the industry often has a deeper local supply chain than other industries. In 2012, the most current data available, Colorado manufacturing output totaled $19.99 billion and was 8.4% of private sector output (BEA).
Colorado is proud to have manufacturing competencies in some high-tech areas and food and beverage and state economic development officials have focused their support on the select sectors where they have strength or potential strength.
In 2012, Colorado was ranked 29th for total manufacturing output. States with similar levels of output include Arizona, Kansas, Utah, Maryland, and Oklahoma.
| State | Output (millions) | Percent | Cumulative Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $213,257 | 11.4% | 11.4% |
| Texas | $210,968 | 11.3% | 22.7% |
| Illinois | $92,383 | 4.9% | 27.7% |
| North Carolina | $88,252 | 4.7% | 32.4% |
| Ohio | $87,174 | 4.7% | 37.1% |
| Indiana | $84,150 | 4.5% | 41.6% |
| Pennsylvania | $70,634 | 3.8% | 45.4% |
| Michigan | $66,230 | 3.5% | 48.9% |
| New York | $63,088 | 3.4% | 52.3% |
| Oregon | $55,158 | 3.0% | 55.2% |
| Louisiana | $55,097 | 3.0% | 58.2% |
| Wisconsin | $49,981 | 2.7% | 60.9% |
| Georgia | $48,599 | 2.6% | 63.5% |
| Washington | $46,507 | 2.5% | 66.0% |
| Massachusetts | $41,629 | 2.2% | 68.2% |
| Tennessee | $41,411 | 2.2% | 70.4% |
| Minnesota | $40,441 | 2.2% | 72.6% |
| Virginia | $40,116 | 2.1% | 74.7% |
| New Jersey | $38,199 | 2.0% | 76.8% |
| Florida | $37,023 | 2.0% | 78.8% |
| Missouri | $32,275 | 1.7% | 80.5% |
| Alabama | $30,001 | 1.6% | 82.1% |
| Kentucky | $29,746 | 1.6% | 83.7% |
| South Carolina | $28,708 | 1.5% | 85.2% |
| Iowa | $25,406 | 1.4% | 86.6% |
| Connecticut | $24,079 | 1.3% | 87.9% |
| Arizona | $21,934 | 1.2% | 89.1% |
| Kansas | $20,503 | 1.1% | 90.2% |
| Colorado | $19,992 | 1.1% | 91.2% |
| Utah | $19,184 | 1.0% | 92.3% |
| Maryland | $18,657 | 1.0% | 93.3% |
| Oklahoma | $17,497 | 0.9% | 94.2% |
| Arkansas | $15,604 | 0.8% | 95.0% |
| Mississippi | $15,254 | 0.8% | 95.8% |
| Nebraska | $12,484 | 0.7% | 96.5% |
| New Hampshire | $7,657 | 0.4% | 96.9% |
| Idaho | $7,556 | 0.4% | 97.3% |
| West Virginia | $6,223 | 0.3% | 97.7% |
| New Mexico | $5,805 | 0.3% | 98.0% |
| Nevada | $5,504 | 0.3% | 98.3% |
| Maine | $5,497 | 0.3% | 98.6% |
| Delaware | $4,393 | 0.2% | 98.8% |
| South Dakota | $4,008 | 0.2% | 99.0% |
| Rhode Island | $3,919 | 0.2% | 99.2% |
| Vermont | $3,150 | 0.2% | 99.4% |
| North Dakota | $3,037 | 0.2% | 99.6% |
| Montana | $2,860 | 0.2% | 99.7% |
| Wyoming | $2,269 | 0.1% | 99.8% |
| Alaska | $1,671 | 0.1% | 99.9% |
| Hawaii | $1,274 | 0.1% | 100.0% |
| District of Columbia | $256 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| Total | $1,866,700 | 100.0% |