The chemical industry is one of the United States’ largest manufacturing industries. It serves both a “sizable domestic market and an expanding global market” and is one of the top exporting sectors of U.S. manufacturing.
According to the EPA there are approximately “13,500 chemical manufacturing facilities in the United States owned by more than 9,000 companies.” The U.S. chemical industry sales exceeded $800 billion in 2016 and “directly employed more than 811,000 workers.” The United States has continued to be a competitive home for chemical firms from around the world because of strong product identification and quality, access to low-cost natural gas, an educated workforce, world class research centers, protection for intellectual property and a robust regulatory system.
Sub-sectors of the chemical industry include: Basic Chemicals, Specialty Chemicals, Agricultural Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Products.