Tire Manufacturing and Employment Statistics 2026

Tire Manufacturing & Employment Statistics 2026

Last updated: May 2026 · Reviewed annually

The U.S. tire manufacturing industry has a $259.5 billion annual economic footprint and supports more than 936,000 jobs nationwide. This page collects the most-cited tire manufacturing and tire industry employment statistics — U.S. and global — from USTMA, BLS, IBISWorld, U.S. Census, and the largest tire-maker investor disclosures, all sourced and dated.

Key Findings

• U.S. tire manufacturing's annual economic footprint is $259.5 billion (USTMA, 2025).
• The industry supports more than 936,000 U.S. jobs nationwide — 329,527 directly in manufacturing, distribution, and retail, plus 606,477 supplier and induced jobs.
• USTMA's 11 member companies operate 55 tire manufacturing facilities across 16 states.
• Manufacturing workers in the tire industry earn $7.9 billion in wages annually; supplier and induced workers earn an additional $46.1 billion.
• The U.S. tire manufacturing industry (NAICS 326211) generated approximately $26.8 billion in revenue in 2026, across roughly 285 establishments.
• USTMA forecasts 338.9 million U.S. tire shipments in 2026 — a new annual record, surpassing 337.3 million in 2024.
• Michelin led the world's tire makers in 2024 with $25.7 billion in tire sales, followed by Bridgestone ($24.8 billion) and Goodyear ($17.5 billion).
• Goodyear alone employs roughly 68,000 people worldwide and operates 53 manufacturing facilities in 20 countries.
• South Carolina is the largest U.S. tire-manufacturing state, hosting 12 plants — more than any other state — collectively producing about 110,000 tires per day.
• The U.S. tire industry contributes $35.09 billion in overall tax revenue, including $16.2 billion in state and local taxes.

Table of Contents

1. U.S. Tire Manufacturing Economic Impact
2. U.S. Tire Manufacturing Employment
3. Manufacturing Facilities & State Footprint
4. Wages, Compensation & Tax Contribution
5. U.S. Tire Shipments & Production Volume
6. Global Tire Manufacturing Footprint
7. Top Tire Manufacturer Employment
8. Capital Investment & New Plant Activity
9. Frequently Asked Questions
10. Related Topics
11. Methodology & Sources

U.S. Tire Manufacturing Economic Impact

The U.S. tire manufacturing industry is one of the country's most economically significant manufacturing segments. Beyond the plants themselves, tire production generates a broad ripple of activity through suppliers, distributors, dealers, and induced consumer spending. According to the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association's most recent Economic Impact Study, the industry's reach far exceeds what its direct headcount alone would suggest.

• The U.S. tire manufacturing industry has a $259.5 billion annual economic footprint.
• USTMA member companies generate about $36.8 billion in annual sales.
• The industry contributes $35.09 billion in overall tax revenue, including $16.2 billion in state and local tax revenue.
• USTMA members and affiliate members accounted for 76% of the 336.3 million passenger, light truck, and truck tire shipments in the U.S. in 2025.
• The U.S. tire manufacturing industry (NAICS 326211) is forecast to reach $26.8 billion in revenue by year-end 2026, with a 5.2% five-year CAGR.
• Tire manufacturing is one of the largest segments of the U.S. rubber product manufacturing industry (NAICS 3262).

U.S. Tire Manufacturing Employment

The tire industry is a significant employer across manufacturing floors, distribution warehouses, and the retail dealer channel. Per the USTMA Economic Impact Study, more than 329,000 Americans work directly in tire manufacturing, distribution, and retail, with another 606,000 supplier and induced jobs tied to the industry.

• U.S. tire manufacturing supports more than 936,004 jobs nationwide.
• 329,527 U.S. jobs are direct — in manufacturing, distribution, and retailing.
• An additional 606,477 jobs are supported through supplier purchases and induced consumer spending.
• Tire manufacturing alone accounts for 76,884 direct U.S. manufacturing jobs.
• The average U.S. tire manufacturer employed roughly 192 people in 2025, per IBISWorld industry data.
• U.S. tire-manufacturing payroll employment has tracked broader manufacturing softness in 2025, even as headline shipment volumes hit record levels.
• Tire dealers (NAICS 4413, separate from manufacturing) added a further 31,858 U.S. businesses in 2025 — up 2.1% year over year and 3.2% CAGR since 2019.

Manufacturing Facilities & State Footprint

USTMA's 11 member companies — the U.S. arms of Bridgestone, Continental, Giti, Goodyear, Hankook, Kumho, Michelin, Nokian, Pirelli, Toyo, and Yokohama — operate the bulk of America's tire-making capacity. The footprint clusters heavily in the Southeast, where right-to-work laws, supply-chain logistics, and rail and port access have made South Carolina the de facto tire-manufacturing capital of the United States.

• USTMA's 11 member companies operate 55 tire-related manufacturing facilities in 16 states.
• South Carolina has 12 tire plants — more than any other U.S. state — collectively producing about 110,000 tires per day.
• Six of South Carolina's 12 tire plants are owned and operated by Michelin North America Inc.
• Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, and Virginia are among the other major U.S. tire-manufacturing states.
• Goodyear operates multiple U.S. tire plants across Ohio, Virginia, and Oklahoma.
• Bridgestone operates U.S. tire-manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Illinois, South Carolina, and Iowa.
• Continental operates three U.S. tire plants — in Sumter, SC; Mount Vernon, IL; and Clinton, MS — collectively employing more than 6,700 people.
• Per IBISWorld, the U.S. tire manufacturing industry contained roughly 285 establishments in 2026, a slight decline from 2025 as smaller plants consolidate.

Wages, Compensation & Tax Contribution

Tire manufacturing remains one of the higher-paying manufacturing segments in states where it operates, due to capital-intensive processes, multi-shift schedules, and a still-significant share of unionized labor at legacy plants. Across the full tire-industry footprint — manufacturing plus suppliers and induced activity — total annual wages exceed $54 billion.

• U.S. tire manufacturing represents 76,884 jobs and $7.9 billion in manufacturing-related wages annually.
• Supplier and induced workers tied to the industry earn an additional $46.1 billion in annual wages.
• Combined, the U.S. tire industry pays out roughly $54 billion in wages each year, supporting workers in all 50 states.
• The industry generates $35.09 billion in total annual tax revenue, including $16.2 billion in state and local tax revenue.
• Average federal tax contribution per industry worker is roughly $20,000 annually when distributed across the 936,004-job total.
• BLS wage data for the broader rubber-product manufacturing sector (NAICS 326200) shows median pay for production-floor occupations — tire builders, machine operators, vulcanization workers — running well above the U.S. median for production workers overall.

U.S. Tire Shipments & Production Volume

USTMA's semi-annual shipment forecasts are the industry's most-cited single source of U.S. tire-volume data. Replacement-tire demand drives the bulk of all shipments, while original-equipment (OE) shipments rise and fall with vehicle production. In 2026, total U.S. tire shipments are projected to set a new all-time record.

• USTMA projects total U.S. tire shipments of 338.9 million units in 2026 — a new all-time record.
• 2025 U.S. tire shipments came in at 336.3 million units; 2024 totaled 337.3 million; 2019 was 332.7 million.
• Replacement passenger tires alone account for the largest single segment, projected at 223.3 million units in 2026.
• OE passenger tires are projected at 41.6 million units in 2026, up 0.8% versus 2025.
• Light-truck replacement shipments are projected at 38.0 million units; truck and bus replacement shipments at 24.7 million.
• Truck and bus OE shipments are projected to grow 8.3% in 2026, the largest year-over-year category increase.
• Replacement-tire volume has consistently outpaced OE volume by a wide margin every year — replacement is roughly 6× OE in passenger tires.

Global Tire Manufacturing Footprint

Globally, the tire industry produces roughly 2.5 billion tires per year across thousands of plants in dozens of countries. Asia — led by China, India, and Thailand — accounts for the largest share of manufacturing capacity, while North America and Europe remain the highest-value markets per tire.

• An estimated 2.5 billion tires are produced worldwide each year.
• China is the world's largest tire manufacturing base by capacity and by export value.
• Thailand has emerged as a top-five tire exporter, supplying both Asian and U.S. markets.
• India and Mexico have been among the fastest-growing tire-export markets between 2023 and 2024.
• Bridgestone operates 73 tire-related plants worldwide, including 49 new-tire plants spanning Japan, the Americas, EMEA, China, and Asia-Pacific.
• Goodyear operates 53 manufacturing facilities across 20 countries.
• Michelin operates 36 production facilities across the United States and Canada alone, with global production spanning more than a dozen additional countries.
• USTMA member companies account for the bulk of U.S. production but represent a smaller share of global tire output, where Chinese producers Zhongce and Sailun have rapidly gained share over the past decade.

Top Tire Manufacturer Employment

Headcount at the world's largest tire companies runs into the tens of thousands. These figures combine plant workers, R&D and engineering staff, corporate headquarters teams, and — for some companies — large company-owned retail networks. Tire Business's Global Tire Report and individual company annual reports are the primary public sources.

• Michelin Group — the world's largest tire maker by 2024 tire revenue — generated $25.7 billion in tire sales in fiscal 2024.
• Michelin North America alone has approximately 22,000 U.S. employees, including nearly 10,000 across 15 facilities in South Carolina.
• Bridgestone Americas employs approximately 34,300 people across the U.S., including nearly 10,000 manufacturing workers and 2,200 company-owned retail stores.
• Bridgestone's Wilson, NC plant alone employs 1,900 people, making it one of the largest single industrial employers in Wilson County.
• Bridgestone Americas overall has more than 50 production facilities and 55,000 employees across the Americas.
• Goodyear employs approximately 68,000 full-time and temporary associates worldwide, down from 71,000 in 2023.
• Goodyear's fiscal 2024 tire sales were $17.5 billion, third behind Michelin and Bridgestone.
• Continental's three U.S. tire plants — in Sumter, SC; Mount Vernon, IL; and Clinton, MS — employ more than 6,700 people combined.
• Continental's full-year 2024 tire-business sales totaled $12.5 billion.
• Pirelli generated $7.3 billion in 2024 tire sales, with Sumitomo Rubber close behind at $6.9 billion.

Capital Investment & New Plant Activity

Tiremakers are investing heavily in U.S. manufacturing capacity, both to serve domestic demand and to insulate against tariff and supply-chain risk. Tire Business tracks combined annual industry capex at roughly $13 billion — the largest single category of investment in any rubber-product segment.

• Combined global tire-industry capital expenditure reached approximately $13 billion in 2024.
• Hankook is mid-construction on a $1.6 billion expansion of its Clarksville, TN consumer-tire plant — adding capacity to double passenger and light-truck output to 11 million units annually and adding TBR (truck and bus radial) production.
• Bridgestone Americas's TBR tire plant in Warren County, TN is in a $550 million, 850,000-sq-ft expansion announced in 2022.
• Continental has invested more than $1.5 billion in its U.S. tire-manufacturing operations over the last decade.
• ENSO, a U.S.-based EV-tire startup, has signed a Letter of Interest with the Export-Import Bank for a $500 million carbon-neutral tire factory targeting 5 million EV tires per year and 2,400 jobs at full build-out.
• Tire-industry investment is increasingly steered toward EV-specific tire production lines, sustainable-material capability, and automation upgrades at legacy plants.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Topics

Dig deeper into specific tire industry data:

• Tire Industry Statistics 2026: 50+ Key Stats You Need to Know — comprehensive hub of all tire industry data — market size, shipments, brand share, and more.
• Tire Market Size & Revenue Statistics 2026 — global and U.S. tire market valuations, revenue, and forecasts through 2032.
• Tire Brand Market Share 2026 — global tire brand rankings, U.S. replacement-tire share, and retailer rankings.
• EV Tire Statistics 2026 — EV-specific tire wear, market growth, and how manufacturers are pivoting capacity to EV production lines.
• Tire Recycling & Environmental Statistics 2026 — end-of-life tire management, scrap rates, and the manufacturing-recycling nexus.

Methodology & Sources

Data in this article was compiled from authoritative public sources between 2022 and 2026. Sources include the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, IBISWorld industry reports, the U.S. Census Bureau, Tire Business's Global Tire Report, and the most recent annual reports of the largest publicly traded tire manufacturers (Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Continental, Pirelli, Sumitomo Rubber). Job, wage, and tax figures cite USTMA's most recent Economic Impact Study unless otherwise noted. Revenue figures are reported in current-year USD. We update annually; if you find a stat that has changed, please reach out.

U.S. Tire Manufacturing Economic Impact

• USTMA Economic Impact, 2025 — annual economic footprint, jobs, wages, tax contribution.
• IBISWorld — Tire Manufacturing in the US, 2026 — U.S. tire-manufacturing industry revenue, business count, growth rate.

U.S. Tire Manufacturing Employment

• USTMA Economic Impact, 2025 — 76,884 direct manufacturing jobs and 936,004 total jobs supported.
• BLS — Manufacturing Industry NAICS 31-33 — manufacturing-employment context and payroll trends.
• IBISWorld — Tire Manufacturing Employment Statistics — employment per establishment and five-year employment CAGR.

Manufacturing Facilities & State Footprint

• USTMA — Our Members — 11 member companies operating 55 facilities in 16 states.
• Modern Tire Dealer — South Carolina Has the Most Plants — state-by-state tire-plant counts; South Carolina #1 with 12 plants.
• Continental — 2024 U.S. tire-plant milestones — Continental's three U.S. tire plants and 6,700-plus employees.
• South Carolina Department of Commerce — Tire Industry Leader — South Carolina tire-manufacturing footprint and history.

Wages, Compensation & Tax Contribution

• USTMA Economic Impact, 2025 — $7.9B manufacturing wages, $46.1B supplier/induced wages, $35.09B total tax revenue.
• BLS — Rubber Product Manufacturing OEWS 2024 — rubber-product industry occupation-level wage estimates.

U.S. Tire Shipments & Production Volume

• USTMA February 2026 Forecast — 338.9M projected 2026 U.S. tire shipments and category breakdown.
• USTMA Factbook — historical U.S. tire shipment data by category.

Global Tire Manufacturing Footprint

• Tire Business — 2025 Global Tire Report — global Top 75 ranking, regional production share, and capex tracking.
• Bridgestone Data 2026 — global plant count and worldwide manufacturing footprint.
• Smithers — Global Tire Manufacturing Output — global tire-production volume and growth trajectory.

Top Tire Manufacturer Employment

• Tire Business — Michelin Leads 40th Global Tire Report — top-10 tire-maker revenue rankings for fiscal 2024.
• Goodyear 2024 Annual Report — Goodyear's 68,000 worldwide associates and 53 manufacturing facilities in 20 countries.
• Bridgestone Americas — Wilson Plant 50th Anniversary — Bridgestone Americas employee count and Wilson, NC plant detail.
• Michelin in the US — Michelin North America's 22,000 U.S. employees and 36 plants in U.S./Canada.

Capital Investment & New Plant Activity

• Tire Business — Capex 2024: $13 billion to expand production — industry-wide capital-investment tracking.
• Modern Tire Dealer — Tiremakers Continued to Invest in Manufacturing in 2024 — Hankook, Bridgestone, and Continental U.S. plant-expansion detail.
• Expansion Solutions — ENSO $500M Tire Factory — ENSO EV-tire factory plan and projected job creation.

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