Houston 1st In Nation For Manufacturing

Contact: Jennifer Ratcliff
Manufacturers’ News, Inc.
(847) 864-9440 ext. 241
jratcliff [at] manufacturersnews.com



EVANSTON, IL May 19, 2009/ Manufacturers’ News Inc./--Houston ranks first among U.S. cities for number of manufacturing plants and related jobs, according to the 2009 Texas Manufacturers Register, an industrial guide published annually by Manufacturers’ News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI (http://www.manufacturersnews.com) reports industrial employment in Houston ranks above that of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

According to the Register’s newest data, Houston is home to 3,957 manufacturers employing 221,697 workers, with employment unchanged over the past twelve months. Texas as a whole is home to 23,589 manufacturers employing 1,218,586 workers.

“Houston’s combination of low cost living, favorable business climate, educated work force and proximity to the oil industry have made it the choice of many manufacturers and other Fortune 500 companies,” says Tom Dubin, President of the Evanston, IL-based company which has been surveying industry since 1912.

MNI reports industrial machinery and equipment manufacturing is Houston’s top sector, accounting for 58,716 of the city’s manufacturing jobs or 27% with virtually no change in employment reported over the year survey year, which runs from April 2008 to April 2009. Oil & gas extraction ranks second with 30,584 jobs, up 7.8% over the year while third-ranked fabricated metals account for 28,903, down 5.4%.

Other sectors losing jobs in Houston include paper products, down 16%; rubber/miscellaneous plastics down 6.4%; textiles/apparel down 5.6%; stone/clay/glass down 2.6% and printing/publishing down 1.8%.

Sectors gaining jobs include electronics, up 6.5% and transportation equipment, up 13%. Employment remained unchanged in the food products, lumber/wood, furniture/fixtures, chemicals and primary metals sectors, according to MNI.

According to the industrial directory, Dallas ranks second in the state for industrial jobs, with 89,819 workers, and ranks 6th in the nation for industrial employment. Fort Worth is third with 67,283 jobs, while fourth-ranked San Antonio is home to 53,196. Austin accounts for 42,434 of Texas’ industrial jobs, according to MNI.

Detailed profiles of Texas’ 23,589 manufacturers and 2,568 industrial distributors can be found in the 2009 Texas Manufacturers Register, available in print for $199 and on CD-ROM from $313. Each profile provides up to 30 facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), names and titles of 73,570 key executives, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, number of employees, and more. Visitors to http://www.mnileads.com may generate custom company selections using thirteen different criteria, including area or zip code, county, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more.

Manufacturers’ News, Inc., publisher of manufacturers’ directories since 1912, compiles and produces manufacturing guides, statistics and databases for all 50 states. For more information, contact Manufacturers’ News, Inc., 1633 Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201, 847-864-7000, FAX 847-332-1100.