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Ranked: The Top 10 U.S. States by Auto Manufacturing Jobs
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Automobile manufacturing continues to be a major source of employment across America, employing over a million people in 2025.
From Detroit’s “Motor City” heritage in Michigan to emerging plants in Southern states like Kentucky and Alabama, the U.S. has several vehicle manufacturing hubs.
This infographic ranks the top 10 U.S. states by total auto manufacturing jobs as of February 2025, using preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which only provides data for the top 10 states. It breaks down employment by vehicle manufacturing and assembly, body/trailer manufacturing, and vehicle parts manufacturing.
America’s Auto Manufacturing Hubs by Employees
Together, the top 10 states employ over 520,000 workers in auto manufacturing—making up more than half of the industry’s nationwide employment.
Here’s how the top 10 states stack up by auto manufacturing employment, as of February 2025:
| Rank | State | Vehicles Manufacturing | Bodies and Trailers | Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | Total Employees | Annual growth rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 49K | 0 | 115K | 164K | -3.8% |
| 2 | Indiana | 0 | 39K | 53K | 92K | -2.0% |
| 3 | Ohio | 19K | 0 | 65K | 84K | -1.9% |
| 4 | Kentucky | 24K | 0 | 34K | 58K | -0.7% |
| 5 | Alabama | 23K | 0 | 30K | 53K | 0.1% |
| 6 | California | 25K | 0 | 0 | 25K | -6.5% |
| 7 | Texas | 16K | 0 | 0 | 16K | -0.7% |
| 8 | Missouri | 14K | 0 | 0 | 14K | 0.0% |
| 9 | New York | 0 | 0 | 8K | 8K | -0.5% |
| 10 | Mississippi | 0 | 0 | 6K | 6K | -0.1% |
States in the Midwest remain the centers of auto manufacturing in America.
Michigan leads the pack with 164,000 auto manufacturing jobs, accounting for over 15% of all such jobs in the country. Its dominance is driven by legacy automakers like Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (previously Chrysler), who have significant manufacturing footprints in Detroit.
States like Indiana and Ohio are also heavily invested in parts production, with Indiana also leading in bodies and trailers manufacturing.
Meanwhile, Southern states are becoming increasingly important for vehicle manufacturing, with Kentucky and Alabama attracting investments from foreign automakers like Toyota, Hyundai, and Mercedes-Benz.
Overall, employment in U.S. auto manufacturing is down 12.7% from a year ago, with the parts manufacturing segment taking the biggest hit at -17.8%. California has seen the biggest decline in jobs in this segment, dropping 6.5% from February 2024 levels.
The State of the U.S. Auto Industry
The U.S. auto industry is facing speed bumps from the latest round of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, which include a 25% levy on imported auto parts and completely built up vehicles.
S&P Global forecasts that U.S. light vehicle sales will fall by 700,000 units in 2025, and North American production will decline by nearly 1.3 million units as a result of the new tariffs. Increased manufacturing costs from tariffs on auto parts are also likely to result in higher vehicle prices.
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