Factories in Iowa
Iowa has 3,418 manufacturing establishments employing 224,293 people (Census County Business Patterns, 2023), 1.8% of US manufacturing jobs and the 23rd most of any state. The largest industries by employment are food, machinery and fabricated metal products. We track 25 new plant projects here, 0 under construction.
- Establishments
- 3,418
- Census 2023
- Manufacturing jobs
- 224,293
- Census 2023
- In EPA records
- 2,262
- Active, ECHO
- New plants
- 25
- 0 building
- Sheet
- IA
- Revised
- November 11, 2026
What is made in Iowa
| Industry (NAICS subsector) | Establishments | Employees | In EPA records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food 311 | 503 | 57,496 | 326 |
| Machinery 333 | 375 | 41,394 | 253 |
| Fabricated metal products 332 | 577 | 20,077 | 267 |
| Plastics and rubber 326 | 167 | 14,864 | 105 |
| Chemicals 325 | 202 | 14,542 | 247 |
| Vehicles, aircraft and parts 336 | 149 | 14,330 | 100 |
| Computers and electronics 334 | 60 | 11,671 * | 39 |
| Wood products 321 | 138 | 9,696 | 60 |
| Primary metals 331 | 42 | 6,239 | 81 |
| Electrical equipment and appliances 335 | 43 | 6,164 | 40 |
| Furniture 337 | 160 | 5,845 | 49 |
| Printing 323 | 284 | 5,797 | 104 |
| Glass, cement and stone 327 | 301 | 5,358 | 393 |
| Paper 322 | 42 | 3,792 | 36 |
| Medical devices and other goods 339 | 181 | 3,141 | 51 |
| Beverages and tobacco 312 | 117 | 2,013 | 10 |
| Textile products 314 | 36 | 616 * | 2 |
| Petroleum and coal products 324 | 9 | 572 * | 92 |
| Apparel 315 | 16 | 424 * | 2 |
| Leather goods 316 | 7 | 134 | 1 |
| Textile mills 313 | 9 | 128 | 4 |
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 Iowa
| Project | Industry | Status | Announced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ankeny micro injection molding plant expansionAccu-Mold LLC, Ankeny | Plastics and packaging | Announced | $33M150 jobs |
| Centerville flexible packaging plant expansionAmcor Flexibles North America, Inc., Centerville | Plastics and packaging | Announced | $45M24 jobs |
| Clinton precision fermentation facility conversion (expansion)Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), Clinton | Chemicals | Announced | $56M53 jobs |
| Davenport Works aluminum casting complex expansionArconic Corp., Bettendorf | Steel and metals | Announced | $131M40 jobs |
| Charles City API manufacturing expansionCambrex Charles City, Inc., Charles City | Pharmaceuticals | Announced | $150M104 jobs |
| Sioux City soybean processing capacity expansionCargill, Sioux City | Food and beverage | Announced | $26M4 jobs |
| Boone sour cream and cottage cheese plantDaisy Brand, Boone | Food and beverage | Announced | $627M106 jobs |
| Webster City protein beverage plant (former aquaculture facility)Edible Garden AG Incorporated, Webster City | Food and beverage | Announced | $75M42 jobs |
| Des Moines power control systems expansionElectrical Power Products (EP2), a Flex company, Des Moines | Electrical equipment | Announced | $42M200 jobs |
| Belle Plaine herbs and spices facility expansionFrontier Natural Products Co-op, Belle Plaine | Food and beverage | Announced | $30M16 jobs |
| Independence machining plant expansionGeater Machining and Manufacturing Co., Independence | Steel and metals | Announced | $16M100 jobs |
| Davenport foodservice equipment plant expansionH.C. Duke & Son (Electro Freeze), Davenport | Appliances and HVAC | Announced | $7M200 jobs |
| Independence food processing plantIndependence Foods LLC, Independence | Food and beverage | Announced | $15M229 jobs |
| Cedar Rapids corn processing plant expansionIngredion, Cedar Rapids | Food and beverage | Announced | $47M4 jobs |
| Waterloo corrugated packaging plantInternational Paper, Waterloo | Paper | Announced | $260M90 jobs |
| Muscatine condiments and sauces plant expansionKraft Heinz, Muscatine | Food and beverage | Announced | $48Mjobs not stated |
| Ankeny liquid foods plant expansionMrs. Clark's Foods, Ankeny | Food and beverage | Announced | $26M12 jobs |
| Bondurant corrugated packaging plantPratt (4.0 Corrugating), LLC, Bondurant | Paper | Announced | $98M105 jobs |
| Independence aluminum extrusion expansionPries Enterprises, Inc., Independence | Steel and metals | Announced | $35M43 jobs |
| Waverly concrete mixer plantRevolution Concrete Mixers (LMI US, LLC), Waverly | Other manufacturing | Announced | $18M275 jobs |
| Sioux City honey processing plantSioux Honey Association, Sioux City | Food and beverage | Announced | $130M70 jobs |
| Cedar Rapids appliance manufacturing expansionSub-Zero Group, Inc., Cedar Rapids | Appliances and HVAC | Announced | $196M312 jobs |
| Newton wind blade plant expansionTPI Composites, Inc., Newton | Electrical equipment | Announced | $3M320 jobs |
| Bondurant agricultural and industrial equipment plantVermeer Corp., Bondurant | Other manufacturing | Announced | $103M182 jobs |
| Woodbine hydraulic liftgate plantWoodbine Manufacturing Co., Woodbine | Auto parts | Announced | $58M20 jobs |
Factory pages in Iowa
39 Iowa 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 39, grouped by industry.
Questions
What is made in Iowa?
Iowa has 3,418 manufacturing establishments employing 224,293 people (Census County Business Patterns, 2023), 1.8% of US manufacturing jobs and the 23rd most of any state. The largest industries by employment are food, machinery and fabricated metal products.
How many manufacturers are in Iowa?
3,418 manufacturing establishments (Census, 2023). EPA's ECHO database lists 2,262 active manufacturing facilities in Iowa that it regulates, 760 of which report to the Toxics Release Inventory.
Are new factories being built in Iowa?
We track 25 large plant projects in Iowa announced since 2021: 0 under construction, 25 announced, 0 operating.
Can you tour a factory in Iowa?
Yes: Amana Woolen Mill Tour, Hansen's Farm Fresh Dairy Tour, Isabel Bloom Production Studio Tour, Kendrick Forest Products Tour and 4 more.