Summary of Findings

In 1992, 831.0 thousand persons were employed in North Carolina's
manufacturing establishments. This figure represented a decrease of 1
percent from the 1987 figure of 842.4 thousand workers.

The total value added by manufacture for the State amounted to $65.3
billion in 1992. This figure, along with all dollar figures in this report,
are at prices current for the year specified and, therefore, are unadjusted
for changes in price levels. Consequently, when making comparisons to prior
years, users should take into consideration the inflation that has
occurred.

In the State, the leading industry groups ranked by employment were textile
mill products, furniture and fixtures, apparel and other textile products,
and industrial machinery and equipment. They accounted for approximately 47
percent of the State's 1992 employment.  The leading industry groups in
1987 were textile mill products, furniture and fixtures, and apparel and
other textile products.

The leading counties in the State ranked by employment were Guilford,
Mecklenburg, Catawba, and Forsyth. They accounted for approximately 23
percent of the State's 1992 manufacturing employment. These same counties
were the leaders in 1987 when they accounted for approximately 23 percent
of the State's employment.

Single-establishment companies with up to 20 employees (cutoff varied by
industry) were excluded from the mail portion of the census. The data for
these establishments (and a small number of larger establishments whose
reports were not received at the time the data were tabulated) were
obtained from administrative records of other agencies or developed from
industry averages. For this State, these establishments accounted for 4
percent of the total value of shipments.