Factories in Virginia
Virginia has 5,019 manufacturing establishments employing 246,819 people (Census County Business Patterns, 2023), 2.0% of US manufacturing jobs and the 20th most of any state. The largest industries by employment are vehicles, aircraft and parts, food and plastics and rubber. We track 29 new plant projects here, 6 under construction.
- Establishments
- 5,019
- Census 2023
- Manufacturing jobs
- 246,819
- Census 2023
- In EPA records
- 2,837
- Active, ECHO
- New plants
- 29
- 6 building
- Sheet
- VA
- Revised
- November 11, 2026
What is made in Virginia
| Industry (NAICS subsector) | Establishments | Employees | In EPA records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicles, aircraft and parts 336 | 173 | 47,218 | 187 |
| Food 311 | 523 | 32,403 | 199 |
| Plastics and rubber 326 | 155 | 20,270 | 122 |
| Fabricated metal products 332 | 722 | 19,505 | 280 |
| Machinery 333 | 252 | 16,242 | 161 |
| Chemicals 325 | 196 | 15,374 | 234 |
| Wood products 321 | 411 | 13,226 | 319 |
| Computers and electronics 334 | 196 | 12,113 | 72 |
| Beverages and tobacco 312 | 394 | 10,978 | 51 |
| Printing 323 | 421 | 8,983 | 81 |
| Glass, cement and stone 327 | 351 | 8,853 | 545 |
| Furniture 337 | 321 | 8,471 | 100 |
| Paper 322 | 89 | 7,923 | 53 |
| Medical devices and other goods 339 | 452 | 7,499 | 47 |
| Electrical equipment and appliances 335 | 86 | 6,889 | 56 |
| Primary metals 331 | 35 | 3,488 * | 62 |
| Textile mills 313 | 32 | 2,922 | 43 |
| Textile products 314 | 108 | 2,845 | 11 |
| Petroleum and coal products 324 | 35 | 787 | 196 |
| Apparel 315 | 44 | 490 | 15 |
| Leather goods 316 | 23 | 340 * | 3 |
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 Virginia
| Project | Industry | Status | Announced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia drug substance facility (Rivanna Futures)AstraZeneca, Charlottesville area | Pharmaceuticals | Under construction | $4.5B600 jobs |
| Hurt solid rocket motor plantAvio USA Inc. (Avio S.p.A.), Hurt | Aerospace and defense | Under construction(reported) | $500M1,000 jobs |
| Richmond-area ADC / API facilityEli Lilly and Company, Goochland County (West Creek) | Pharmaceuticals | Under construction | $5.0B650 jobs |
| South Boston large power transformer facilityHitachi Energy, South Boston | Other manufacturing | Under construction | $457M825 jobs |
| Chesapeake HVDC submarine cable plantLS GreenLink USA, Inc. (LS Cable & System), Chesapeake | Electrical equipment | Under construction | $681M330 jobs |
| LEGO Manufacturing Virginia (Meadowville Technology Park)The LEGO Group, Chesterfield | Plastics and packaging | Under construction(reported) | $1.0B1,760 jobs |
| Virginia Beach Innovation Park enclosure manufacturing facilityAcoustical Sheetmetal Company, Virginia Beach | Electrical equipment | Announced | $46M350 jobs |
| Albemarle County biopharmaceutical facility expansionAfton Scientific, Albemarle County | Pharmaceuticals | Announced | $200M200 jobs |
| Prince William County biomanufacturing facilityATCC, Prince William County | Pharmaceuticals | Announced | $55M75 jobs |
| James City County power distribution equipment plantCEL Critical Power, Williamsburg | Electrical equipment | Announced | $5M250 jobs |
| Valley Innovation Park chocolate and coatings plantClasen Quality Chocolate, Winchester area | Food and beverage | Announced | $230M250 jobs |
| Lynchburg transformer plant expansionDelta Star Inc., Lynchburg | Electrical equipment | Announced | $35M300 jobs |
| Henrico power distribution equipment campusEaton, Henrico | Electrical equipment | Announced | $50M200 jobs |
| Roanoke County night vision plant expansionElbit Systems of America, Roanoke | Aerospace and defense | Announced | $30M288 jobs |
| Bland dry-type transformer plant expansionHitachi Energy, Bland | Electrical equipment | Announced | $23M120 jobs |
| Danville premium packaging plant expansionInfinity Global Inc., Danville | Plastics and packaging | Announced | $34M150 jobs |
| James City County missile production facilityKongsberg Defence & Aerospace Inc. (KONGSBERG Group), James City | Aerospace and defense | Announced | $71M180 jobs |
| Newport News mining equipment plant expansionLiebherr Mining Equipment, Newport News | Other manufacturing | Announced | $72Mjobs not stated |
| Chesapeake copper rod, magnet wire and rare-earth magnet complexLS Cable & System Ltd., Chesapeake | Steel and metals | Announced | $689M430 jobs |
| Elkton Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Small Molecule ManufacturingMerck & Co. (MSD), Elkton | Pharmaceuticals | Announced | $3.0B500 jobs |
| Manassas DRAM fab expansionMicron Technology, Inc., Manassas | Semiconductors | Announced | $2.2B340 jobs |
| Southern Virginia Megasite battery separator plantMicroporous, LLC, Danville area (Berry Hill) | Batteries | Announced | $1.4B2,015 jobs |
| Daleville climate control equipment plant expansionMunters Corporation, Daleville | Appliances and HVAC | Announced | $30M270 jobs |
| Tin Ridge tin refining plantNathan Trotter, Martinsville area | Steel and metals | Announced | $65M118 jobs |
| Richmond ice cream sandwich production facility and headquartersNightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches, Richmond | Food and beverage | Announced | $6M166 jobs |
| Chesterfield ballistic fiber plant expansionSolstice Advanced Materials Inc., Chesterfield | Chemicals | Announced | $220M100 jobs |
| Chesterfield County coil manufacturing expansionSuper Radiator Coils, Chesterfield County | Appliances and HVAC | Announced | $22M160 jobs |
| Meadowville Technology Park SOEC electrolyzer plantTopsoe, Chester (Meadowville Technology Park) | Electrical equipment | Announced | $400M150 jobs |
| Danville fully cooked food production plantTyson Foods, Inc., Danville | Food and beverage | Operating | $300M376 jobs |
Factory pages in Virginia
33 Virginia 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 33, grouped by industry.
Questions
What is made in Virginia?
Virginia has 5,019 manufacturing establishments employing 246,819 people (Census County Business Patterns, 2023), 2.0% of US manufacturing jobs and the 20th most of any state. The largest industries by employment are vehicles, aircraft and parts, food and plastics and rubber.
How many manufacturers are in Virginia?
5,019 manufacturing establishments (Census, 2023). EPA's ECHO database lists 2,837 active manufacturing facilities in Virginia that it regulates, 701 of which report to the Toxics Release Inventory.
Are new factories being built in Virginia?
We track 29 large plant projects in Virginia announced since 2021: 6 under construction, 22 announced, 1 operating.
Can you tour a factory in Virginia?
Yes: A. Smith Bowman Distillery Tour, Catoctin Creek Distillery Tour, Copper Fox Distillery Tour (Williamsburg), George Washington's Distillery at Mount Vernon and 3 more.