America DOES Still Make Stuff

It’s a common complaint that “America doesn’t make anything anymore.” Well, yes we do, it just doesn’t get as much press as the latest tech startup.

From Technology Ate Your Job:

Since peaking in 1979, total U.S. manufacturing positions have fallen by 40% – a loss of some 8 million jobs. Real (inflation-adjusted) manufacturing output, however, has increased 75%

Let’s even correct for population growth: the population of the U.S. in 1979 was 225 million, and today it is 313 million. That’s growth of 39%, while manufacturing output has gone up 75%. So we actually make more in raw terms, and more per capita.

More stuff. Less people.