Southwest Leads in Recent U.S. Manufacturing Job Growth

According to federal data analyzed by the Wall Street Journal (subscription), some of the nation’s manufacturing — from steel and semiconductor chips to electric cars — has moved to new factories in Southwest states due to local tax breaks and an influx of skilled workers, as well as affordable land. As reported, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Nevada added more than 100,000 manufacturing jobs from 2017 to 2020, accounting for 30% of all job growth in the sector. 6/2/2021