The chemical industry is a keystone of the U.S. economy, converting raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, minerals) into more than 70,000 different products. Few goods are manufactured without some input from the chemical industry. Chemicals are used to make a wide variety of consumer goods, as well as thousands of products that are essential inputs to agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and service industries. Major industrial customers include rubber and plastic products, textiles, apparel, petroleum refining, pulp and paper, and primary metals. [ACC 2002]

Chemicals is nearly a $1.67 trillion global enterprise, and the U.S. chemical industry is the world's largest producer. [ACC 2001] There are over 9,500 chemical firms with more than 13,000 facilities operating in the United States. The industry records large trade surpluses and employs almost 900,000 people in the United States alone. The chemical industry is also the second largest consumer of energy in manufacturing and spends over $3 billion annually on pollution abatement. [ACC 2002, CMA 1998] The broad North American Industry Classification (NAICS) for the industry is NAICS 325 and encompasses many 6- and 7-digit NAICS categories.

Economic Profile and Trends
Chemical shipments are nearly $440 billion annually.

Energy Use
Chemicals is the second largest industrial user of energy.

State-Level Information
Texas, New Jersey, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Illinois are the nation's top chemical producers.

Technologies and Equipment
Distillation, catalytic, and electrochemical reactors are the workhorses of the industry.

Energy-Management Activities
4.9% of chemical facilities conduct energy management activities.

Sources

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