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Home to 22,000 manufacturers and more than a million industrial workers, California is the largest manufacturing state in the U.S. The state’s abundance of skilled labor and access to capital has drawn some key innovative enterprises to its borders, particularly in the aerospace and electronics industries.
Today we’re focusing on the latest trends in California manufacturing, including the state’s top industries and cities, and we’ll also explore its ten largest manufacturing companies.
Looking for sales leads in California? Access comprehensive profiles of California industrial companies with MNI's California Manufacturing Industry Database. Looking for other states, regions, or industries? Start your free demo of IndustrySelect and reach new prospects in the industrial world!
According to data collected by MNI, compiler of the industrial information that powers IndustrySelect, California is currently home to 22,052 manufacturers employing 1,340,647 workers. These include some powerful companies, which we will detail in a moment. But first, here are some key statistics on the state’s industrial sector based on MNI’s survey of California manufacturers.
According to MNI, San Diego is California’s top city for number of manufacturing jobs, with 63,499 workers. A major industrial city, San Diego ranks #5 in the nation for cities with the most manufacturing jobs.
Read more: Top Manufacturing Cities in the U.S.
Other top cities in California include
• San Jose (55,570 jobs)
• Los Angeles (47,591 jobs)
• Irvine (41,999 jobs)
• Fremont (40,027 jobs)
Los Angeles County is California’s largest in terms of industrial jobs, home to 453,116 workers. This is followed by Santa Clara (215,748), Orange (210,771), San Diego (140,209) and Alameda (89,187).
Taking a look at the state’s top industries, electronics manufacturing is the state’s top industry, accounting for 17% of California’s manufacturing employment. This is followed by food & kindred products with 13% of the state’s industrial workers and industrial machinery with 12%.
Instruments and related products ranks as California’s fourth-largest industry in terms of employment, with 9% of the state’s industrial workforce and transportation equipment ranks fifth with 8%.
According to IndustrySelect database of 460,000 U.S. industrial companies, there are 75,962 executive contacts among California manufacturing companies, including 11,288 presidents, 6,826 owners and partners; 6,499 vice-presidents and 6,784 sales, marketing and purchasing executives.
Other facts to know about California manufacturers, based on IndustrySelect’s advanced criteria available to subscribers, include ownership, distribution and other trends:
• 2% of California manufacturers are women-owned
• 2% are minority-owned
• 9% are publicly-owned companies
• 12% import raw materials
• 31% distribute their products internationally
Next, we’ll take a look at the state’s top companies
| Company | Employees | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Motors, Inc. | 20,600 | Fremont | CA |
| Northrop Grumman Aerospace International, Inc. | 10,000 | Redondo Beach | CA |
| General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. | 9,000 | Poway | CA |
| Raytheon Co. | 7,302 | El Segundo | CA |
| Jet Propulsion Laboratory | 6,000 | Pasadena | CA |
| Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. | 5,500 | Sunnyvale | CA |
| Intel Corp. | 5,300 | Folsom | CA |
| QUALCOMM, Inc. | 5,279 | San Diego | CA |
| The Boeing Co. | 5,200 | El Segundo | CA |
| Roche Holdings, Inc. | 5,000 | South San Francisco | CA |
1. Tesla Motors. (Fremont, CA)
Founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard with the mission to create “a car manufacturer that is also a technology company “electronic vehicle giant Tesla Motors now employs 20,000 workers at its massive 5.3 million square feet Fremont factory where it produces the Tesla Model S, Model X and Model 3 at its Fremont location.
2. Northrop Grumman Aerospace International, Inc. (Rendondo Beach, CA)
Headquartered in West Falls Church, VA, Northrop Grumman is a major aerospace and defense company, established in 1979. Home to 10,000 employees, the company’s Rendondo Beach location serves as its divisional headquarters for its microelectronics products and services and is also home to advanced semiconductor foundry.
3. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (Poway, CA)
Powerful defense contractor General Atomics is California’s third largest manufacturing company, home to 9,000 workers. The company engineers, resesarches and develops unmanned aircraft and sensor systems, including remotely-piloted aircraft systems, radars and electro-optic & related mission systems accessories. Its Poway location is one of two California facilities, the other in San Diego that focuses on nuclear instrumentation.
4. Raytheon Co. (El Segundo, CA)
With 195,000 employees worldwide, Raytheon is among the world largest aerospace and defense companies, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. The company’s El Segundo location engineers and develops defense electronics, including space and airborne systems. It is currently California’s fourth-largest industrial company with 7,302 workers.
5. Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, CA)
Among California’s most fascinating companies, the Jet Propulsion Lab is a NASA-run center for robotic exploration of planetary systems, partnered with the California Institute of Technology.
6. Lockheed Martin Space Systems (Sunnyvale, CA)
Lockheed Martin ranks as California 6th largest industrial employer, accounting for 5,500 jobs in Sunnyvale specializing in space & missiles telecommunications, including equipment and parts.
7. Intel Corp (Folsom, CA)
Headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, Intel is among the world’s largest technology companies, specializing in microprocessors. The company’s Folsom specializes in semiconductor devices, computer chips and flash memory boards, employing 5,300.
8. QUALCOMM, INC. (San Diego, CA)
QUALCOMM, INC. QUALCOMM is a U.S-based multinational semiconductor manufacturer that produces chips, software, and services for wireless devices. Employing 5,279 workers, their San Diego location functions as the company’s headquarters.
9. The Boeing Co. (El Segundo, CA)
Boeing's El Segundo site is a hub for its satellite development and operations, playing a pivotal role in defense and space projects. The facility is part of Boeing Defense, Space & Security and specializes in manufacturing and upgrading communication satellites, such as the Boeing 702 and TDRS models.
10. Roche Holdings, Inc. (South San Francisco, CA)
Roche Holdings, a global leader in biotechnology and in-vitro diagnostics, operates its U.S. headquarters in South San Francisco. The company is known for its innovative solutions across major disease areas, leveraging cutting-edge research and development. Roche's South San Francisco site is also home to Genentech, a wholly-owned member of the Roche Group
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Editor's Note: This article was originally published in December 2020. It is updated annually to reflect new statistics on California manufacturing.
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