311513/Cheese Manufacturing
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
61K
employees, 2023
61K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 568 US Cheese Manufacturing business locations employed 60,731 people and paid $3.9 billion in annual payroll, $63,875 per employee on average. Employment was up 0.9% from 2022. Wisconsin had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
568
-1.9% vs 2022
Employees
60,731
+0.9% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$3.9B
+3.3% vs 2022
Average pay
$63,875
+2.4% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Cheese Manufacturing in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 176 | 22,740 | $64,140 | 0.86% |
| California | 56 | 6,942* | $69,884 | 0.04% |
| Missouri | 6 | 3,049* | $62,829 | 0.12% |
| New York | 37 | 2,957 | $55,656 | 0.03% |
| Idaho | 13 | 2,685 | $58,276 | 0.38% |
| Ohio | 23 | 2,485 | $62,649 | 0.05% |
| Minnesota | 21 | 2,260* | $69,977 | 0.08% |
| Utah | 8 | 2,026* | $63,549 | 0.13% |
| Illinois | 16 | 1,484 | $65,906 | 0.03% |
| South Dakota | 8 | 1,364 | $61,984 | 0.36% |
| Pennsylvania | 25 | 1,361 | $71,872 | 0.02% |
| New Jersey | 22 | 1,315 | $57,157 | 0.03% |
| New Mexico | 3 | 1,264* | $56,953 | 0.19% |
| Oregon | 9 | 1,090* | $86,961 | 0.06% |
| Colorado | 7 | 1,021 | $64,773 | 0.04% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 33.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Cheese Manufacturing employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheboygan, WI | 9 | 3,301 | $73,586 |
| Wausau, WI | 8 | 2,415 | $63,894 |
| Green Bay, WI | 16 | 2,289 | $71,711 |
| Madison, WI | 29 | 2,210 | $62,835 |
| Appleton, WI | 15 | 1,876 | $70,115 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 32 | 1,865 | $52,601 |
| Logan, UT-ID | 3 | 1,579* | $67,125 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 3 | 1,572 | $73,751 |
| Cleveland, OH | 7 | 1,261* | $74,630 |
| Visalia, CA | 6 | 1,250* | $59,842 |
| Beaver Dam, WI | 10 | 1,175 | $58,198 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 13 | 1,088 | $74,245 |
| Fond du Lac, WI | 5 | 1,080 | $64,798 |
| Freeport, IL | 5 | 995 | $58,522 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 6 | 862* | $73,319 |
Business size
US Cheese Manufacturing business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 99 | 17.4% |
| 5 to 9 | 63 | 11.1% |
| 10 to 19 | 71 | 12.5% |
| 20 to 49 | 91 | 16.0% |
| 50 to 99 | 70 | 12.3% |
| 100 to 249 | 95 | 16.7% |
| 250 to 499 | 56 | 9.9% |
| 500 to 999 | 20 | 3.5% |
| 1,000 or more | 3 | 0.5% |
Related industries
The industries this code belongs to
Part of Manufacturing 31-33Food Manufacturing 311Dairy Product Manufacturing 3115Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing 31151
Questions and answers
How many people work in Cheese Manufacturing in the US?
60,731 people worked at 568 US Cheese Manufacturing business locations in 2023, up 0.9% from 2022. That is 0.04% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Cheese Manufacturing?
$63,875 a year per employee in 2023, from $3.9 billion in annual payroll (up 2.4% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Cheese Manufacturing jobs?
Wisconsin had the most, with 22,740 employees in 2023, followed by California (6,942) and Missouri (3,049).
Which metro areas have the most Cheese Manufacturing jobs?
Sheboygan, WI (3,301), Wausau, WI (2,415), Green Bay, WI (2,289) had the most Cheese Manufacturing employees in 2023.
Are most Cheese Manufacturing businesses small?
41.0% of the 568 Cheese Manufacturing business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 23 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.