Electronics manufacturing spans computers, communications equipment, semiconductors, components, instruments and related electrical products. The figures below distinguish U.S. industry employment and productivity from global trade and upstream wafer shipments, with periods and measurement definitions kept explicit.
Key Electronics Manufacturing Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- 998.1 thousand U.S. computer and electronic product manufacturing employees were in the BLS projection base year for the 2023–2033 table.
- 1,037.8 thousand U.S. computer and electronic product manufacturing employees are projected for 2033 in the BLS 2023–2033 table.
- 31.0 thousand additional U.S. semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing jobs are projected between 2023 and 2033.
- 3.0% U.S. computer and electronic product manufacturing productivity growth was recorded in 2023 as annual change in output per hour.
- 2.6% U.S. computer and electronic product manufacturing productivity growth was recorded in 2025 as annual change in output per hour.
- 26,643 private U.S. computer and electronic product manufacturing establishments were reported preliminarily for Q1 2026.
- 3.0% was the U.S. computer and electronic product manufacturing unemployment rate in September 2026.
- $73,980 was the 2024 median annual wage in U.S. semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing.
- 55,440 electrical, electronic and electromechanical assemblers worked in U.S. semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing in May 2024.
- 30,330 semiconductor processing technicians worked in the U.S. semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing industry in May 2024.
- 44,500 additional U.S. semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing jobs are projected between 2024 and 2034.
- 48,400 additional U.S. other electrical equipment and component manufacturing jobs are projected between 2024 and 2034.
- $193,876,700.42 thousand in HS 8542 exports was reported by Hong Kong, China, to the world in 2023.
- $138,199,007.90 thousand in HS 8542 exports was reported by China to the world in 2023.
- $86,239,885.14 thousand in HS 8542 exports was reported by the Republic of Korea to the world in 2023.
- More than 250 million 8-inch-equivalent silicon wafers were shipped worldwide in 2023.
- 1.7 million SiC wafer shipments were estimated worldwide in 2023, irrespective of diameter.
Contents
- U.S. electronics manufacturing industry scale and output
- Computer and electronic product manufacturing employment trends
- Semiconductor manufacturing workforce statistics
- Electronics manufacturing productivity, hours and labor costs
- Global integrated-circuit manufacturing trade data
- Semiconductor wafer production and manufacturing outlook
U.S. Electronics Manufacturing Industry Scale and Output
NAICS 334 covers computer and electronic product manufacturing, including computer and peripheral equipment, communications equipment, audio/video equipment, semiconductors and components, instruments, and magnetic or optical media. It is broader than finished computers, and the BLS projection values are estimates rather than realized global output.
The BLS industry projection table reports these 2023–2033 employment measures:
| Industry | Base | 2033 projection | Change or related measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and electronic product manufacturing, NAICS 334000 | 998.1 thousand | 1,037.8 thousand | +39.7 thousand |
| Computer and peripheral equipment, NAICS 334100 | 99.9 thousand | 101.0 thousand | +1.1 thousand; 1.1% employment growth |
| Semiconductor and other electronic components, NAICS 334400 | 379.0 thousand | 410.0 thousand | +31.0 thousand; 8.2% employment growth |
| Navigational, measuring, electromedical and control instruments, NAICS 334500 | 411.0 thousand | 426.7 thousand | +15.7 thousand |
| Electrical equipment, appliance and components, NAICS 335000 | 429.1 thousand | 478.6 thousand | +49.5 thousand |
| Communications equipment, NAICS 334200 | 79.6 thousand | 75.7 thousand | −3.9 thousand |
The same BLS table projects output-per-hour productivity growth of 2.1% for computer and peripheral equipment and 2.5% for semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing over 2023–2033. These are industry projection measures, not product-performance scores or shipment totals. Employment and output by industry
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing Employment Trends
The monthly CES series shows seasonally adjusted U.S. NAICS 334 employment moving from 994.8 thousand in June 2026 to 997.4 thousand in July, 1,000.3 thousand in August and 1,000.4 thousand in September. August and September were preliminary observations.
Production and nonsupervisory employment, a narrower employee subset, was 619.8 thousand in June, 620.5 thousand in July, 619.0 thousand in August and 616.3 thousand in September 2026. The industry unemployment rate was 3.4%, 2.8%, 2.5% and 3.0% in those four months, respectively; unemployment comes from a household survey while most employment figures come from establishment surveys.
Private establishments increased across the available QCEW observations:
| Period | Private establishments | Government establishments |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2025 | 26,149 | 3 local; 2 state |
| Q3 2025 | 26,257 | 3 local; 2 state |
| Q4 2025 | 26,448 | 3 local; 2 state |
| Q1 2026 | 26,643 preliminary | 3 local; 2 state |
The local- and state-government counts stayed constant in each quarter, while Q1 2026 private establishments were preliminary. These CES, QCEW and household-survey populations should not be combined into one single time series. Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing: NAICS 334
The BLS 2024–2034 forecast also projects 48,400 additional jobs in other electrical equipment and component manufacturing, from 165,700 to 214,100, and 44,500 additional jobs in semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing, from 392,300 to 436,800. The first category includes battery manufacturing, and both figures are forecasts rather than realized counts. Producing the goods of the future: Job opportunities in manufacturing
Semiconductor Manufacturing Workforce Statistics
May 2024 OEWS estimates show that semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing employed a mix of assembly, processing, engineering, software and quality roles. The largest listed occupation was electrical, electronic and electromechanical assemblers, at 55,440 workers.
Other listed occupations in that U.S. industry were:
- Semiconductor processing technicians: 30,330 workers.
- Industrial engineers: 20,320 workers.
- Software developers: 19,420 workers.
- Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers: 17,440 workers.
- Computer hardware engineers: 16,530 workers.
- Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators: 13,500 workers.
- Electronics engineers other than computer engineers: 11,670 workers.
- First-line supervisors of production and operating workers: 10,740 workers.
- Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians: 10,300 workers.
The same OEWS industry tables provide a related comparison for navigational, measuring, electromedical and control-instrument manufacturing: 39,420 assemblers, 33,340 software developers, 15,950 industrial engineers, and 12,320 inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers in May 2024. These are occupational estimates within industry classifications, not a complete count of every worker. Data tables for OEWS industry charts
Median annual wages in 2024 were $73,980 for semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing and $53,120 for other electrical equipment and component manufacturing. These are industry median wages in 2024 U.S. dollars, not global wages or total compensation. Producing the goods of the future: Job opportunities in manufacturing
Electronics Manufacturing Productivity, Hours and Labor Costs
For U.S. computer and electronic product manufacturing, BLS productivity data measure output per hour rather than total-factor productivity. Annual output-per-hour changes were 0.9% in 2022, 3.0% in 2023, 1.0% in 2024 and 2.6% in 2025.
The related annual series makes the production pattern more specific:
| Measure | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor productivity, output per hour | 0.9% | 3.0% | 1.0% | 2.6% |
| Hours worked | 3.2% | −1.4% | −2.3% | −2.0% |
| Industry output | 4.1% | 1.5% | −1.3% | 0.5% |
| Unit labor costs | 6.1% | 2.7% | 8.4% | 3.7% |
Hours worked declined in each year from 2023 through 2025 even though output-per-hour productivity increased in all three years. Unit labor costs rose in every year shown, reaching 8.4% in 2024 before increasing 3.7% in 2025; this is a BLS unit-labor-cost measure, not a consumer price or factory-cost quote. Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing: NAICS 334
Global Integrated-Circuit Manufacturing Trade Data
WITS and UN Comtrade HS 8542 data measure reported exports of electronic integrated circuits and microassemblies in 2023. Trade value is not domestic production value and may include re-exports.
| Reporter | 2023 exports, thousand U.S. dollars |
|---|---|
| Hong Kong, China | 193,876,700.42 |
| Other Asia, nes | 166,548,789.51 |
| China | 138,199,007.90 |
| Singapore | 104,570,386.71 |
| Republic of Korea | 86,239,885.14 |
| Malaysia | 74,973,542.62 |
| United States | 44,116,621.13 |
| Japan | 30,874,226.79 |
Additional 2023 reporter values were $635,689.72 thousand for Hungary, $310,901.51 thousand for India and $193,293.57 thousand for Brazil. Argentina reported 316,153 HS 8542 items valued at $1,101.01 thousand, while Tajikistan reported 42,345 items valued at $187.78 thousand; reported quantities are not interchangeable across reporters. Electronic integrated circuits and microassemblies exports by country, 2023
Semiconductor Wafer Production and Manufacturing Outlook
The OECD, citing SEMI, reports that more than 250 million 8-inch-equivalent silicon wafers were shipped worldwide in 2023. This is an upstream semiconductor supply-chain measure, not finished-electronics output.
Estimated SiC wafer shipments were 1.7 million wafers worldwide in 2023, irrespective of diameter. Because the silicon total is standardized in 8-inch equivalents while the SiC estimate is not standardized by diameter, the two figures should not be added or directly ratioed. Mapping the semiconductor value chain
The broader U.S. manufacturing labor outlook provides context for capacity and hiring: BLS projects nearly 1 million openings per year on average in production occupations from 2024 to 2034. That total covers all production occupations, not electronics manufacturing alone.
BLS projects overall U.S. manufacturing employment to show little change from 2024 to 2034, while about half of detailed manufacturing industries are expected to experience job growth. This directional forecast does not predict electronics output or sales. Producing the goods of the future: Job opportunities in manufacturing