More than one in seven U.S. private sector jobs depends on the U.S. manufacturing base. The sector supports millions of people who make things in America and a large number of employees in other sectors of the economy.
Specifically, manufacturing supported an estimated 16.5 million jobs in the United States in 2011; this includes 11.7 million jobs directly within manufacturing and 4.7 million jobs in sectors such as professional services (accounting, legal, consulting, etc.), wholesaling, transportation, agriculture, and F.I.R.E. (finance, insurance, and real estate).