U.S. Manufacturers With No Paid Staff Increase 6%

Built for Production, an online store for phase converters and VFDs, reported that the number of U.S. manufacturers with no paid staff increased by 6% from 2022 to 2024. This growth, according to the Census Bureau's data, is slightly faster than the 7.3% increase in nonemployers across all industries over the same period. The report notes that the Census counts of businesses with no paid staff, which it calls nonemployers, are the closest measure to home or hobby shops, which are not directly counted.

Machine shops with fewer than five employees saw a significant decline, falling 12.8% from 2012 to 2023, from 9,030 to 7,877. This trend highlights a shift in the manufacturing sector, with smaller operations becoming less common.

The demand for new metalworking machinery has surged, with U.S. orders reaching $4.76 billion from January to August 2026, a 36.9% increase from the same period in 2025. According to the Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT), this growth indicates a robust market for new industrial machines, not used ones typically purchased by home shops.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that U.S. manufacturers had 522,000 open jobs in August 2026, an increase of 106,000 from the previous year. Factory employment rose by 0.3% in the year to September, and the BLS expects about 30,400 openings annually for machinists and tool and die makers through 2035, primarily due to retirements and job changes.

Utilities across the country have adjusted their pricing for line extensions, which are the new lines a utility runs to bring service to a building. Of the 13 utilities that print a per-foot price for both single phase and three phase lines, 12 charge more for three phase. The median gap in price for overhead lines was 36% per foot. For example, Pioneer Electric Cooperative in Kansas runs the first quarter mile of single phase line at no line cost but charges for three phase line from the first foot. At its overhead rate of $9.50 per foot, a quarter mile of three phase line lists at $12,540. Colorado Springs Utilities' 2026 standards set a three phase service threshold of 25 horsepower of connected three phase load or more than 40 kW of total load.

Joseph's store, based in Portland, Oregon, offers phase converters and VFDs for home shops, small fabrication shops, and farm shops that run three phase machines on single phase power.