• In 2013, manufacturers contributed $2.08 trillion to the economy, up from $2.03 trillion in 2012. This was 12.5 percent of GDP. For every $1.00 spent in manufacturing, another $1.32 is added to the economy, the highest multiplier effect of any economic sector. 

• Manufacturing supports an estimated 17.4 million jobs in the United States""about one in six private-sector jobs. More than 12 million Americans (or 9 percent of the workforce) are employed directly in manufacturing. 

• In 2013, the average manufacturing worker in the United States earned $77,506 annually, including pay and benefits. The average worker in all industries earned $62,546. 

• Manufacturers in the United States are the most productive in the world, far surpassing the worker productivity of any other major manufacturing economy, leading to higher wages and living standards. 

• Manufacturers in the United States perform two-thirds of all private-sector R&D in the nation, driving more innovation than any other sector. 

• Taken alone, manufacturing in the United States would be the 8th largest economy in the world. 

For more details, read the full report by the National Association of Manufacturers: Facts About Manufacturing.