Factories in Illinois
Illinois has 12,465 manufacturing establishments employing 544,438 people (Census County Business Patterns, 2023), 4.4% of US manufacturing jobs and the 6th most of any state. The largest industries by employment are food, fabricated metal products and machinery. We track 18 new plant projects here, 3 under construction.
- Establishments
- 12,465
- Census 2023
- Manufacturing jobs
- 544,438
- Census 2023
- In EPA records
- 9,279
- Active, ECHO
- New plants
- 18
- 3 building
- Sheet
- IL
- Revised
- November 11, 2026
What is made in Illinois
| Industry (NAICS subsector) | Establishments | Employees | In EPA records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food 311 | 1,433 | 89,684 | 479 |
| Fabricated metal products 332 | 2,779 | 82,242 | 891 |
| Machinery 333 | 1,266 | 61,839 | 367 |
| Vehicles, aircraft and parts 336 | 350 | 53,904 | 190 |
| Plastics and rubber 326 | 620 | 45,852 | 262 |
| Chemicals 325 | 665 | 40,553 | 782 |
| Computers and electronics 334 | 476 | 23,620 | 197 |
| Printing 323 | 1,084 | 23,035 | 260 |
| Medical devices and other goods 339 | 934 | 21,365 | 4,284 |
| Electrical equipment and appliances 335 | 280 | 19,246 | 112 |
| Primary metals 331 | 199 | 18,588 | 257 |
| Paper 322 | 214 | 15,067 | 138 |
| Glass, cement and stone 327 | 568 | 14,058 | 586 |
| Furniture 337 | 513 | 9,691 | 69 |
| Wood products 321 | 380 | 8,717 | 79 |
| Beverages and tobacco 312 | 303 | 7,525 | 22 |
| Petroleum and coal products 324 | 85 | 4,102 * | 273 |
| Textile products 314 | 154 | 2,139 | 8 |
| Apparel 315 | 95 | 1,351 | 5 |
| Leather goods 316 | 35 | 973 | 4 |
| Textile mills 313 | 32 | 887 | 14 |
Establishments and employees: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, mid-March employment. * Census flags this figure as having high noise. "In EPA records" counts active facilities in EPA's ECHO database, a subset that excludes plants EPA doesn't regulate.
New plants in Illinois
| Project | Industry | Status | Announced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creal Springs beef processing plant expansionSaline River Farms, Creal Springs | Food and beverage | Under construction | $35M400 jobs |
| Monee CNC steel processing machinery plantVoortman Steel Machinery, Monee | Other manufacturing | Under construction | $51M51 jobs |
| East Alton copper rolling mill modernization expansionWieland Rolled Products North America, East Alton | Steel and metals | Under construction | $500Mjobs not stated |
| North Chicago API manufacturing expansion (two facilities)AbbVie, North Chicago | Pharmaceuticals | Announced | $380M300 jobs |
| Pekin IV solutions plantEpic Pharma Solutions Inc. (Epic Medical), Pekin | Pharmaceuticals | Announced | $25M50 jobs |
| Bloomington Kinder Bueno production expansionFerrero North America, Bloomington | Food and beverage | Announced | $214M200 jobs |
| Will County trailer manufacturing facilities (former Caterpillar and Lion Electric sites)Hyundai Translead, Joliet | Vehicles | Announced | $450M2,500 jobs |
| Gilman soybean crushing plant expansionIncobrasa Industries LTD, Gilman | Food and beverage | Announced | $250M40 jobs |
| Chicago lithium metal battery facilityPure Lithium Corporation, Chicago | Batteries | Announced | $46M50 jobs |
| Normal plant R2 production expansionRivian Automotive, Normal | Vehicles | Announced | $1.5B550 jobs |
| Huntley flavor production facilitySilesia, Huntley | Food and beverage | Announced | $40M41 jobs |
| Belvidere Assembly Plant reopeningStellantis, Belvidere | Vehicles | Announced | $600M3,300 jobs |
| Caseyville prepared foods plantTyson Foods, Inc., Caseyville | Food and beverage | Announced | $180M250 jobs |
| Glenview cultivated meat production facilityUPSIDE Foods, Glenview | Food and beverage | Announced | $141M75 jobs |
| Gotion Manteno plantGotion Inc., Manteno | Batteries | Operating(reported) | $2.0B2,600 jobs |
| West Chicago powdered stick pack manufacturing expansionJel Sert Company, West Chicago | Food and beverage | Operating | $10M100 jobs |
| Decatur EV compressor plant expansionTCCI Manufacturing, Decatur | Auto parts | Operating | $45M50 jobs |
| Joliet electric commercial vehicle plantLion Electric, Joliet | Vehicles | Paused | —1,400 jobs |
Factory pages in Illinois
91 Illinois factories have their own page so far: the facilities that report to EPA's Toxics Release Inventory and hold the most detailed federal records. See all 91, grouped by industry.
Questions
What is made in Illinois?
Illinois has 12,465 manufacturing establishments employing 544,438 people (Census County Business Patterns, 2023), 4.4% of US manufacturing jobs and the 6th most of any state. The largest industries by employment are food, fabricated metal products and machinery.
How many manufacturers are in Illinois?
12,465 manufacturing establishments (Census, 2023). EPA's ECHO database lists 9,279 active manufacturing facilities in Illinois that it regulates, 1,836 of which report to the Toxics Release Inventory.
Are new factories being built in Illinois?
We track 18 large plant projects in Illinois announced since 2021: 3 under construction, 11 announced, 3 operating and 1 paused, cancelled or closed.
Can you tour a factory in Illinois?
Yes: Blaum Bros. Distillery Tour, Caterpillar Visitors Center, KOVAL Distillery Tour, Long Grove Confectionery Factory Tour and 1 more.