The metropolitan areas with the highest share of employment in manufacturing are mostly in the industrial Midwest, with the exception of the self-proclaimed "Carpet Capital" in Dalton, Ga. Nationwide, 11.9 million Americans, or about 9 percent of all workers, are employed in manufacturing jobs.
• 1. Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., 45.2 percent of all jobs are in manufacturing, or 50,900 of the metro's 112,600 jobs
• 2. Columbus, Ind., 37.2 percent of all jobs are in manufacturing, or 18,600 of the metro's 46,100 jobs
• 3. Dalton, Ga., 32.9 percent of all jobs are in manufacturing, or 20,700 of the metro's 62,900 jobs
• 4. Sheboygan, Wisc., 32.4 percent of all jobs are in manufacturing, or 18 ,200 of the metro's 56,200 job
• 5. Holland-Grand Haven, Mich., 29.4 percent of all jobs are in manufacturing, or 33,000 of the metro's 112,300 jobs
Source: Governing magazine, April 2013 compilation of Department of Labor figures