Manufacturing Economy Monitor
Primary Metals Manufacturing in North Dakota
Primary Metals manufacturing added $104M of value to North Dakota's economy in 2025, down 3.6% year over year. That ranks North Dakota 42nd of 50 states and DC for this industry. It is 1.5% of North Dakota's manufacturing output. Nationally, primary metals is a $77.8B industry (the 13th-largest of the 19 manufacturing subsectors), per the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Output and rank
- Value added: $104M in 2025, #42 of 50 states and DC for this industry.
- Growth: -3.6% year over year.
- Share of North Dakota's manufacturing: 1.5% of the state's total manufacturing value added.
- National context: primary metals is a $77.8B industry nationally, #13 of the 19 manufacturing subsectors (-1% year over year).
- Classification: durable goods manufacturing (BEA subsector 331).
Frequently asked questions
- How big is the primary metals industry in North Dakota? Primary Metals added $104M of value in North Dakota in 2025, ranking the state 42nd of 50 states and DC for this industry, per BEA state GDP-by-industry data.
- Is primary metals growing in North Dakota? North Dakota's primary metals output shrank 3.6% year over year to 2025. The chart above traces the full annual series since 1997.
- What share of North Dakota's manufacturing is primary metals? Primary Metals is 1.5% of North Dakota's total manufacturing value added in 2025, 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 2026-10-01.