Manufacturing Economy Monitor
Primary Metals Manufacturing in North Carolina
Primary Metals manufacturing added $1.7B of value to North Carolina's economy in 2024, down 8.6% year over year. That ranks North Carolina 12th of 51 states and DC for this industry. It is 1.7% of North Carolina's manufacturing output. Nationally, primary metals is a $77.7B industry (the 12th-largest of the 19 manufacturing subsectors), per the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Output and rank
- Value added: $1.7B in 2024, #12 of 51 states and DC for this industry.
- Growth: -8.6% year over year.
- Share of North Carolina's manufacturing: 1.7% of the state's total manufacturing value added.
- National context: primary metals is a $77.7B industry nationally, #12 of the 19 manufacturing subsectors (+1.6% year over year).
- Classification: durable goods manufacturing (BEA subsector 331).
Frequently asked questions
- How big is the primary metals industry in North Carolina? Primary Metals added $1.7B of value in North Carolina in 2024, ranking the state 12th of 51 for this industry, per BEA state GDP-by-industry data.
- Is primary metals growing in North Carolina? North Carolina's primary metals output shrank 8.6% year over year to 2024. The chart above traces the full annual series since 1997.
- What share of North Carolina's manufacturing is primary metals? Primary Metals is 1.7% of North Carolina's total manufacturing value added in 2024, per BEA state GDP-by-industry data.
About this data
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (public domain). National quarterly values are seasonally adjusted annual rates. Corporate-profit industry detail reflects inventory valuation adjustment without capital consumption adjustment, per NIPA table 6.16D conventions.
Last reviewed 2026-05-12.