Idaho Manufacturing Month – October 2023

Celebrated nationally on the first Friday in October, (10/6/2023) MFG Day is manufacturing’s biggest annual opportunity to inspire the next generation, positively shift perceptions about our industry, and build the foundation for the manufacturing workforce of the future. Idaho took the concept of MFG Day a step further by celebrating the miracles of manufacturing during the entire month of October. The Idaho Manufacturing Alliance honors Manufacturing Month by hosting a series of plant tours that show what Idaho companies are making, how they produce products, and the kinds of jobs and careers available in the manufacturing sector.  

The U.S. Commercial Service and Federal Export Promotion partner agencies (including NIST MEP) take the opportunity in October to celebrate Manufacturing Month and the importance of U.S. manufacturing innovation and ingenuity to our standard of living. In 2021, the U.S. manufacturing sector contributed $2.56 trillion to the U.S. economy, accounting for approximately 11 percent of the nation’s total GDP. As of August 2022, the manufacturing sector employs nearly 13 million American workers.

Export promotion agencies celebrate Manufacturing Month in October to recognize and promote the success of U.S. manufacturers in the global marketplace. In 2021, U.S. manufactured goods exports totaled nearly $1.4 trillion, 80 percent of all U.S. merchandise exports. About 96 percent of manufacturers that export are small and medium-sized businesses. A 2019 study by the California Economic Development Collaborative found that trade manufacturers tend to be older with more years in business, suggesting they may also have better survival rates than non-traders. Trade manufacturers also tend to employ more workers and report higher annual sales on average than non-trade manufacturers of the same age.