LVEDC: Lehigh Valley outpacing the rest of the country in manufacturing growth
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - When it comes to manufacturing, the Lehigh Valley continues to show its strength.
The sector is growing 11 times faster in the region compared to the rest of the country, according to a new analysis of federal data from the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation.
Just last year the region cracked the top 50 markets for manufacturing in the U.S.
"It's astounding even to us as to what has occurred post-COVID and the demand to make products in the Lehigh Valley and in the United States," said Don Cunningham, President and CEO of the LVEDC.
"Today, there's about 35,000 people working in manufacturing - about 700 different manufacturers making a wide variety of products here in the Lehigh Valley."
He says it's the fastest-growing sector in terms of job creation. About 4,000 jobs have been added in just the past five years. Accounting for about 17% of the area's GDP last year.
"We are making the goods and products people are consuming. Our fastest growth quite frankly has been in the whole area of perishable goods - food, beverage, pet food," Cunningham said.
Medical devices and life science are expanding rapidly as well, which has only made demand for the region jump since the pandemic.
"Our biggest challenge today is to find places for companies to locate and obviously having employees with the right skills is super critical," Cunningham said.