-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueDo You Have X-ray Vision?
Has X-ray’s time finally come in electronics manufacturing? Join us in this issue of SMT007 Magazine, where we answer this question and others to bring more efficiency to your bottom line.
IPC APEX EXPO 2025: A Preview
It’s that time again. If you’re going to Anaheim for IPC APEX EXPO 2025, we’ll see you there. In the meantime, consider this issue of SMT007 Magazine to be your golden ticket to planning the show.
Technical Resources
Key industry organizations–all with knowledge sharing as a part of their mission–share their technical repositories in this issue of SMT007 Magazine. Where can you find information critical to your work? Odds are, right here.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Electronics Manufacturing Supports More Than 5.3 Million U.S. Jobs and Almost 4% of U.S. GDP, Says IPC
May 13, 2020 | IPCEstimated reading time: 3 minutes

Electronics manufacturing contributes powerfully to the U.S. economy, according to a new report released by IPC, the global electronics manufacturing industry association. The report finds the electronics manufacturing sector directly supports more than 1.3 million U.S. jobs. For every U.S. electronics manufacturing job, three other jobs are supported in the U.S. economy, contributing to a total of 5.3 million American jobs. Also, the industry indirectly and directly contributes $714 billion (3.7%) to U.S. GDP.
“Electronics are at the heart of thousands of products and hundreds of industries in the U.S.,” said John Mitchell, president and CEO of IPC. “More than most industries, we are vertically and horizontally integrated across many markets, and the health of our industry is key to the overall success of the U.S. economy.”
The report also finds 16 states, led by California and Texas, account for about 75% of direct electronics manufacturing jobs in the United States. California alone has nearly 275,000 direct electronics manufacturing jobs and almost $197 billion in direct output, accounting for 3.4% of California’s GDP.
Other key findings from the report include:
- The electronics manufacturing industry is responsible for more than $1 trillion dollars in the content of final sales, spread across business investment and inventory change ($426.6 billion); personal consumption ($306.5 billion); exports ($223.9 billion); federal defense ($37.8 billion); and other government spending ($48.1 billion).
- Ten states have more than 100,000 workers each because of the electronics manufacturing sector, led by California and Texas.
- Electronics manufacturing employees average about $127,000 in total labor income, which is more than double the national average compensation of $60,820. Electronics manufacturing employees also earn more than the average manufacturing employee, who earns $83,000 a year.
- States with higher-than-average contributions to GDP from electronics manufacturing include Oregon, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin, and Colorado.
- The largest subsectors of electronics manufacturing, ranked by output, are computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing, semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing; and navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing, which together make up over 73% of the total.
COVID-19 Impacts on the Industry
Regarding the biggest economic concern of the moment, the coronavirus epidemic is being felt by the U.S. electronics manufacturing industry. The electronics manufacturing industry is facing a variety of challenges, including unclear and evolving operating restrictions, changing demand patterns, abnormalities in supply chains, and an unsettled workforce that was already stretched thin.
While manufacturers and suppliers report several concerns, they appear most concerned about weaker demand. In April, more than half of manufacturers said this would be their biggest concern in the weeks ahead, according to IPC’s COVID-19 Survey of the Electronics Industry. Some 44 percent reported they are most concerned about supply shortages, while just over a third said they are worried about worker shortages.
Also, as work dried up, many manufacturers issued temporary layoffs in March and April, and now a majority of respondents report they expect to bring furloughed workers back to factories by the end of June 2020. However, one in five said furloughed workers would not return.
Finally, nearly 70% of manufacturers have applied for a Payroll Protection Program loan to help cope through these challenging times. Of those who have applied, roughly 44% have received funding, while 25% are still waiting to receive funding.
“To help drive recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, we call on Congress to do more and establish a $10 billion Electronics Manufacturing Initiative to enhance the security of the U.S. electronics value chain,” said Mitchell. “By leveraging public-private partnerships, we can grow domestic capacity, research and development capabilities and bridge the workforce to elevate employee training.”
About IPC
IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 5,900 member-company sites which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $2 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Miami, Fla.; Brussels, Belgium; Bangalore and New Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China.
Suggested Items
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: IPC's Growth and Future in India's Manufacturing Sector
04/23/2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOGaurab Majumdar, VP for IPC in SE Asia and India, highlights IPC's impressive growth in India, with certification numbers rising significantly. The Indian manufacturing sector is projected to reach a $300 billion market, alongside a $10 billion investment in semiconductors. IPC is addressing industry demands through standards development and a new workforce project aimed at training students for job placements.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: DuPont Electronics Materials and Innovations
04/23/2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPODuPont is many things to many markets, but DuPont Electronics Materials is, perhaps, a bit out of the DuPont "norm," developing specialized electronic materials that are particularly focused on challenging areas such as flex circuits, high power PCBs and products that must withstand harsh environments. At IPC APEX EXPO, Marcy LaRont sat down with Shannon Dugan from DuPont Electronics Materials to discuss some big news. They are being spun off into an independent entity with a new CEO having just been announced as the show wrapped.
SERMA Microelectronics Expand its Facilities in La Rochelle
04/22/2025 | SERMA MicroelectronicsSERMA Microelectronics, a major player in specialized microelectronics, continues its growth with the acquisition of a building adjacent to its current site in La Rochelle.
UHDI Fundamentals: UHDI Drives Unique IoT Innovation in Farming
04/22/2025 | Anaya Vardya, American Standard CircuitsThe combination of UHDI's high-bandwidth capabilities and IoT's real-time data processing can lead to more efficient, immersive, and smarter IoT systems. This convergence of two revolutionary technologies is enabling quantum advancements in some very “unconventional” applications. The typical discussions around UHDI focus on our standard electronics industry market segments like milaero, medical, consumer electronics, etc. IoT is all about machines talking to other machines, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, but again, typically applied in our PCB and assembly operations.
Navigating Change, Mitigating Risk: We’ve Been Here Before
04/22/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineI visited with Tom Edman, president and CEO of TTM Technologies, and chair of the IPC Board of Directors. Tom candidly shares his insights into the implications of changes on the defense sector and the broader electronics manufacturing industry, especially concerning PCB manufacturing. With half of TTM’s business tied to defense, Tom discusses the potential opportunities and challenges arising from government initiatives, tariffs, and supply chain complexities.