Vermont Business Magazine Vermont maintained its "C" grade for manufacturing, says a report from Ball State University. While Vermont retained its overall grade in manufacturing, in the subcategories it earned grades in human capital of "B," benefits costs "F," tax climate "D,” diversification "C," and expected fiscal liability gap "C." The state grades improved in logistics ("F" to "D-") and productivity and innovation ("C-" to "C"). The state decreased its grade in global position ("C+" to "C").
The Northeast did relatively poorly overall in large part because of tax policies. New Hampshire did best overall in the region, but slipped from a B to a B-. The best states were generally in the middle of the country. The worst were generally in the Mountain West.
The 2017 Manufacturing and Logistics Report Card, prepared by Ball State’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) for Conexus Indiana, the state's advanced manufacturing initiative, shows how each state ranks among its peers in several areas of the economy that underlie the success of manufacturing and logistics. Indiana was one of a few states that received the highest overall grade. Ball State is in Muncie, Indiana.
CBER director Michael Hicks, the George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Economics and Business Research, also explains why U.S. manufacturing and logistics industries experienced dramatic growth over the past generation with his report, Manufacturing and Logistics: A Generation of Volatility & Growth.
The study found that US manufacturing production grew 11 percent since the dot.com bust (2000-03) and the ensuing economic turbulence of the 2001 and 2007-09 recessions.
“According to folklore, this has been a terrible generation for manufacturing and those who move goods,” Hicks said. “That isn’t really what the data says. Indeed, 2015 was a record manufacturing production year in inflation-adjusted dollars. While 2016 fell just short with some weakness in the first and second quarter, 2017 looks to be a new record year.”
Source: Ball State University. Reports are available at http://conexus.cberdata.org/