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Above: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, TX, the state's largest manufacturer by number of employees. (source: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics)
With one of the best tax climates in the nation as well as a strong workforce and solid infrastructure, Texas remains a top destination for manufacturers across multiple industries, from oil exploration to auto manufacturing, biotech production to food processing. Home to 1.2 million workers or roughly 13% of the nation’s manufacturing workforce, Texas remains the second-largest manufacturing state in the U.S. (after California) and is the largest state exporter, exporting a record $243.9 billion worth of goods in 2019.
For those looking do business with Texas manufacturers, it helps to have an in-depth understanding of the state’s manufacturing climate. Today, we’re covering some of the key facts and trends in the state based on our survey of Texas manufacturers and providing a look at the top manufacturing companies operating in the Lone Star State.
Texas is currently home to 20,140 manufacturing companies employing 1,276,706 workers. According to IndustrySelect’s database of 400,000 U.S. manufacturing companies, there are 75,442 executive contacts among Texas’ manufacturing companies, including 9,959 presidents, 2,901 owners and partners; 5,436 vice-presidents and 5,062 sales, marketing and purchasing executives.
Looking to do business with Texas manufacturers? IndustrySelect gives you live access to detailed information on 460,000 U.S. industrial companies and one million executives. Click here to try out a free demo of IndustrySelect (see a sample profile here).
Other facts to know about Texas manufacturers, based on IndustrySelect’s advanced criteria available to subscribers:
• 2% of Texas manufacturing companies are women owned
• 1% are minority owned
• 13% are publicly owned companies
• 12% import raw materials
• 27% distribute their products internationally
Texas’ top industry by number of employees is industrial machinery, accounting for 16% of the state’s industrial workforce. This is followed by fabricated metals with 12%; food processing with 11% and electronic & electrical equipment, accounting for 9% of the state’s industrial jobs.
Looking at MNI’s city data, Houston is home to the most industrial jobs, with 259,241 workers. The city of Houston also has the distinction of being the top city in the U.S. for number of industrial jobs. Read more: Top Manufacturing Cities in the U.S.
Dallas ranks second with 72,839 industrial jobs, followed by Fort Worth with 70,217 and Austin with 60,782.
Looking at top Texas industrial regions, Harris County is home to the most industrial jobs, accounting for 353,752, followed by Dallas County with 183,634.
Other top Texas industrial counties:
• Tarrant County: 109,817
• Travis County: 61,059
• Bexar County: 57,805
Next, we’ll take a look at the state’s top companies
| Company | Employees | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. | 16,400 | Fort Worth | TX |
| Dell, Inc. | 13,000 | Round Rock | TX |
| Apple, Inc. | 7,000 | Austin | TX |
| KBR, Inc. | 6,000 | Houston | TX |
| L3Harris Technologies, Inc., ISR Systems | 5,500 | Greenville | TX |
| Bell Textron, Inc. | 5,400 | Fort Worth | TX |
| NXP Semiconductors USA, Inc. | 5,000 | Austin | TX |
| TechnipFMC Umbilicals, Inc. | 5,000 | Houston | TX |
| BP America, Inc. | 4,500 | Houston | TX |
| General Motors Co., Arlington Assembly Div. | 4,500 | Arlington | TX |
1. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. (Fort Worth)
With 16,400 employees, Lockheed Martin is the largest industrial employer in Texas. At this location, Lockheed produces military aircraft, including the F-2., F-22, F-35, and T-50.
2. Dell, Inc. (Round Rock)
Dell is among the world’s well-known manufacturers of personal & institutional computers. 13,000 Texas workers are employed at Dell’s headquarters in Round Rock.
3. Apple, Inc. (Austin)
Apple, Inc. is a U.S-based technology giant, producing everything from personal computers, tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, along with software and other online services, and ranks supreme among the top tech companies in the world. Their Austin location, which underwent an expansion in 2019, specializes in laptop manufacturing, specifically production of the MacBook Pro. It is the state’s third-largest industrial employer with 7,000 workers.
4. KBR, Inc. (Houston)
Ranking fourth in Texas for number of employees, with 6,000 workers, KBR, Inc.’s Houston location serves as the company’s headquarters and specializes in offshore oil floating platforms and spacecraft telemetry equipment.
Read more: Texas Manufacturing Job Growth Picks Up Speed,
5. L3Harris Technologies, Inc., ISR Systems (Greenville)
With 48,000 employees and locations in more than 100 countries, L3Harris Technologies, Inc is a global leader in military equipment. Its Greenville location is focused on electronic defense systems, employing 5,500.
6. Bell Textron, Inc. (Fort Worth)
Aeronautics giant Bell Textron produces military and commercial aircraft, with locations in more than 90 countries. The Fort Worth location, home to 5,400 workers, serves as its global headquarters and is home to its Manufacturing Technology Center.
7. NXP Semiconductors USA, Inc. (Austin)
NXP Semiconductors produces semiconductors and integrated circuits for a variety of purposes, including commercial (smart home) industrial, automotive, retail and communication infrastructure. Employing 5,000, the company’s brands include QorIQ, Layerscape, Airfast, Kinetis, Vybrid, i.MX, Qorivva, Xtrinsic, and Analog.
8. TechnipFMC Umbilicals, Inc. (Houston)
Industrial equipment manufacturer TechnicFMC produces industrial systems and products, including subsea production and processing, as well as surface wellhead production systems for the energy industry.
9. BP America, Inc. (Houston)
British Petroleum is among the world’s seven most prominent oil companies and BP America is its largest division, headquartered in Houston. Home to 4,500 employees, BP America’s Houston headquarters is the state’s ninth-largest industrial employer, focused on both on natural gas and oil exploration as well as production.
10. General Motors Co., Arlington Assembly Div. (Arlington)
This GM location in Arlington was opened in 1954 and its 4,500 employees engaged in contiguous stamping and assembly, produce approximately 1,200 full-size SUVs per day, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade. A massive operation, the GM assembly plan encompasses 4.3 million square feet across 250 acres.
For those looking to do business with manufacturers, IndustrySelect’s database of 400,000 U.S. manufacturers is a top resource for both developing and researching sales leads in the manufacturing sector.
An IndustrySelect subscription can put you on a first-name basis with Texas' 23,000 manufacturing companies and 54,000 executives. Subscribers can select up to 30 data points on any manufacturing company in the U.S. to help identify or pre-qualify leads. Company profiles also include the contact information for hard-to-find executive decision-makers. Try a free demo today!
Editor's Note: This article was originally published in November of 2020. It is updated annually to reflect new data and statistics on Texas manufacturing.