31135/Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
42K
employees, 2023
42K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 1,253 US Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing business locations employed 42,020 people and paid $2.3 billion in annual payroll, $54,226 per employee on average. Employment was down 5.7% from 2022. Pennsylvania had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
1,253
-2.0% vs 2022
Employees
42,020
-5.7% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$2.3B
-1.0% vs 2022
Average pay
$54,226
+5.0% 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 Chocolate and Confectionery 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 121 | 8,062 | $58,381 | 0.14% |
| California | 122 | 6,536 | $50,808 | 0.04% |
| Illinois | 63 | 3,880 | $79,756 | 0.07% |
| Wisconsin | 53 | 2,051 | $70,196 | 0.08% |
| Virginia | 16 | 1,942* | $58,331 | 0.05% |
| Texas | 43 | 1,863 | $55,953 | 0.02% |
| New York | 98 | 1,847 | $42,336 | 0.02% |
| Tennessee | 24 | 1,415 | $54,527 | 0.05% |
| Kansas | 12 | 1,260 | $58,884 | 0.10% |
| Ohio | 39 | 1,257 | $45,334 | 0.02% |
| New Jersey | 51 | 1,244 | $56,227 | 0.03% |
| Colorado | 32 | 1,053 | $48,867 | 0.04% |
| Vermont | 23 | 903* | $46,350 | 0.35% |
| Washington | 40 | 852 | $51,143 | 0.03% |
| New Hampshire | 13 | 760* | $86,845 | 0.12% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 46.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 46 | 3,269 | $80,818 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 26 | 2,654 | $68,927 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 6 | 2,430* | $70,631 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 25 | 2,203* | $32,870 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | 10 | 1,607 | $55,121 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 35 | 1,366 | $63,793 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 80 | 1,162 | $48,781 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 28 | 1,001 | $71,976 |
| Reading, PA | 9 | 803 | $41,046 |
| Waco, TX | 3 | 768* | $71,266 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 11 | 758* | $51,670 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 6 | 740* | $74,095 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 21 | 641 | $57,245 |
| Lancaster, PA | 7 | 565 | $81,150 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 16 | 532 | $32,412 |
Business size
US Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 401 | 32.0% |
| 5 to 9 | 273 | 21.8% |
| 10 to 19 | 265 | 21.1% |
| 20 to 49 | 178 | 14.2% |
| 50 to 99 | 55 | 4.4% |
| 100 to 249 | 43 | 3.4% |
| 250 to 499 | 26 | 2.1% |
| 500 to 999 | 8 | 0.6% |
| 1,000 or more | 4 | 0.3% |
Related industries
Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing and the 2 industries directly below it
Part of Manufacturing 31-33Food Manufacturing 311Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing 3113
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 311352 | Confectionery Manufacturing from Purchased Chocolate | 32,379 | $51,275 |
| 311351 | Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans | 9,641 | $64,136 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing in the US?
42,020 people worked at 1,253 US Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing business locations in 2023, down 5.7% from 2022. That is 0.03% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing?
$54,226 a year per employee in 2023, from $2.3 billion in annual payroll (up 5.0% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing jobs?
Pennsylvania had the most, with 8,062 employees in 2023, followed by California (6,536) and Illinois (3,880).
Which metro areas have the most Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing jobs?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (3,269), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (2,654), Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA (2,430) had the most Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing employees in 2023.
Are most Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing businesses small?
74.9% of the 1,253 Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 12 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.