Dubois County: A Powerhouse of Manufacturing
Sourced from Southern Indiana Business Report
JANUARY 11, 2023 – JASPER, IN – A local economy that is more than four times as manufacturing-intensive as the United States overall, Dubois County and its cities of Jasper and Huntingburg carry outsized weight in the economy of southwestern Indiana.
Manufacturers in Dubois County accounted for $1.2 billion of GDP in 2021, half of the manufacturing sector’s GDP for the entire Radius eight-county region.
While motor vehicle parts and agribusiness are robust parts of the county’s manufacturing economy, furniture production is the foundation. Household and Institutional Furniture and Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturing has an astonishing location quotient of 87, indicating that it is that many times more concentrated in Dubois County than in the national economy overall.
Office furniture manufacturing surprisingly surpasses that figure with an LQ of 117. Together, they employ 59% of Dubois County’s manufacturing workforce.
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing has an LQ 0f 13.9, Rubber Product Manufacturing has an LQ of 14.3, and Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing has an LQ of 9.4, evidence of the diversity of work that takes place in the county.
The agribusiness sector of the economy is also strong, with Animal Slaughter and Processing firms establishing an LQ of 7 and Dairy Product Manufacturing holding an LQ of 4.8. What’s more, the Agribusiness sector relies upon an in-county supply chain for raw materials and components for 83% of supplier purchases.
The regional focus on manufacturing allows the work force to achieve a high (and improving) level of productivity. In the past 10 years the output of the local GDP has increased by 61% compared to the national manufacturing sector’s 29% increase in production.
Image from Southern Indiana Business Report
Dubois Strong is Dubois County, Indiana’s collaborative, public-private partnership that maximizes community resources and assets to foster economic growth. Dubois Strong works to grow new businesses and expand existing ones with marketing, networking, training seminars, access to capital, site selection assistance and intellectual properties. The Dubois Strong philosophy is to make a business startup, an expansion or a relocation as easy and as user friendly as possible. Dubois Strong is the county’s economic development source for innovative entrepreneurs and thriving businesses.
Media Contact | Samantha Gray Knies, sgray@duboisstrong.com