The U.S. business of chemistry is the world’s second largest (after China), accounting for nearly 12% of the world’s total chemical production (by value).
Shipments & Production
Economic Elements of Chemistry — Last Updated Oct. 30, 2024
Shipments
The value of the chemical industry’s output is measured as the value of its shipments, the nominal value of products shipped from manufacturing establishments.
Business of Chemistry Shipments
Shipments by State
While chemical production occurs in every state in the U.S., shipments of chemicals along the U.S. Gulf Coast states account for the majority of chemicals produced in the U.S.
Chemistry in the States
Production Indices
Another set of measures of chemical industry output are the industrial production indices published by the Federal Reserve Bureau. The industrial production indices attempt to measure changes in output volumes, using a variety of metrics correlated with production (i.e, worker hours, power consumption, etc.). While generally a good indicator of output trends, ACC has reservations concerning the quality of the estimates, especially for industrial gases, organic chemicals and plastic resins.
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