Houston 1st in Nation for Manufacturing

EVANSTON, Ill., May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Houston ranks first among U.S. cities
for number of manufacturing plants and related jobs, according to the 2009
Texas Manufacturers Register, an industrial guide published annually by
Manufacturers' News, Inc. (MNI) Evanston, IL. MNI
(http://www.manufacturersnews.com) reports industrial employment in Houston
ranks above that of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070213/MNILOGO)

According to the Register's newest data, Houston is home to 3,957
manufacturers employing 221,697 workers, with employment unchanged over the
past twelve months. Texas as a whole is home to 23,589 manufacturers employing
1,218,586 workers.

"Houston's combination of low cost living, favorable business climate,
educated work force and proximity to the oil industry have made it the choice
of many manufacturers and other Fortune 500 companies," says Tom Dubin,
President of the Evanston, IL-based company which has been surveying industry
since 1912.

MNI reports industrial machinery and equipment manufacturing is Houston's top
sector, accounting for 58,716 of the city's manufacturing jobs or 27% with
virtually no change in employment reported over the year survey year, which
runs from April 2008 to April 2009. Oil & gas extraction ranks second with
30,584 jobs, up 7.8% over the year while third-ranked fabricated metals
account for 28,903, down 5.4%.

Other sectors losing jobs in Houston include paper products, down 16%;
rubber/miscellaneous plastics down 6.4%; textiles/apparel down 5.6%;
stone/clay/glass down 2.6% and printing/publishing down 1.8%.

Sectors gaining jobs include electronics, up 6.5% and transportation
equipment, up 13%. Employment remained unchanged in the food products,
lumber/wood, furniture/fixtures, chemicals and primary metals sectors,
according to MNI.

According to the industrial directory, Dallas ranks second in the state for
industrial jobs, with 89,819 workers, and ranks 6th in the nation for
industrial employment. Fort Worth is third with 67,283 jobs, while
fourth-ranked San Antonio is home to 53,196. Austin accounts for 42,434 of
Texas' industrial jobs, according to MNI.

Detailed profiles of Texas' 23,589 manufacturers and 2,568 industrial
distributors can be found in the 2009 Texas Manufacturers Register, available
in print for $199 and on CD-ROM from $313. Each profile provides up to 30
facts, including vital contact information (phone, web, e-mail), names and
titles of 73,570 key executives, product(s) manufactured, annual sales, number
of employees, and more. Visitors to http://www.mnileads.com may generate
custom company selections using thirteen different criteria, including area or
zip code, county, SIC, sales volume, number of employees, and more.

Manufacturers' News, Inc., publisher of manufacturers' directories since 1912,
compiles and produces manufacturing guides, statistics and databases for all
50 states. For more information, contact Manufacturers' News, Inc., 1633
Central St., Evanston, IL, 60201, 847-864-7000, FAX 847-332-1100.

TOP 10 US INDUSTRIAL CITIES BY INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENT

City Manufacturing Manufacturing
Jobs Plants
1 Houston 221,697 3,957
2 New York 152,252 2,785
3 Chicago 121,539 3,006
4 Cincinnati 95,968 1,422
5 Los Angeles 90,628 1,625
6 Dallas 89,819 1,651
7 St. Louis 88,450 1,559
8 Indianapolis 85,072 1,352
9 Phoenix 82,711 1,831
10 San Diego 73,928 790

SOURCE Manufacturers' News, Inc.

Jennifer Ratcliff of Manufacturers' News, Inc., +1-847-864-9440, ext. 241,
jratcliff@manufacturersnews.com