North Central Appalachia · Regional Context
Transforming Appalachia into
a Hub for Modern Manufacturing
210 counties across 6 states — the backbone of American manufacturing
WV
West Virginia
55 counties
PA
Pennsylvania
52 counties
Zooming In · Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh's Industrial Powerhouse
Southwest PA · Historic steel country · 42,161 manufacturing jobs
42,161
Manufacturing Jobs (2023)
859
Manufacturing Establishments
$81,795
Avg. Annual Manufacturing Wage
LQ 0.68
Overall vs. US — below average, but subsectors tell a different story
💡 Aggregate LQ hides pockets of exceptional concentration. Which manufacturing subsectors truly punch above their weight?
NAICS 3-Digit · All Subsectors
Manufacturing Specialization by Subsector
Location Quotient within manufacturing — Allegheny County, PA · LQ > 1 means more concentrated than the national average
Identifying Competitive Strengths
Three Subsectors Define Allegheny's Edge
Primary Metal leads with LQ 5.06 — over 5× more concentrated than the national average
Drilling Deeper · NAICS 331 · Primary Metal Manufacturing
Inside Primary Metal: Where the Concentration Lives
Share of total Primary Metal Manufacturing (NAICS 331) employment · Allegheny County, PA
The Anchor Sector
Iron & Steel Mills & Ferroalloy
NAICS 331110 — Allegheny County's manufacturing heartbeat, inherited from Pittsburgh's steel era
NAICS 331110
Iron & Steel Mills & Ferroalloy
LQ 23.02×
within manufacturing
4,866
Jobs in Iron & Steel Mills & Ferroalloy in Allegheny County
23.02×
More concentrated here than the US average — a true regional anchor
$93,000
Average annual wage for NAICS 33 (Primary Metal Mfg) workers · Allegheny County, PA
→ Where can this inherited strength take Allegheny in the clean energy economy? Let's trace the supply chain.
Supply Chain Network · Clean Energy Economy
From Steel Mill to Clean Tech
Iron & Steel Mills (NAICS 331110) — the bridge between Appalachian industry and the clean energy transition