U.S. Automaker Woes Hit the East North Central Region

Recently announced layoffs have accelerated the pace that the nation's auto manufacturing center is shifting from northern to southern states. Traditionally, this hub has encompassed Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Since 2000, however, these states have lost more than 200,000 auto manufacturing jobs, as the southern states—with their lower labor and transportation costs—have added jobs.

The largest of these latest moves are detailed in the table below. Most of the layoffs are in northern states, with Michigan and Ohio at the top. Indeed, Ford's and Chrysler's announced layoffs this year and General Motors' ongoing layoffs announced in 2005 and 2006 have weighed down the economies of these states.

In contrast, the major expansions announced or implemented over the past few years have occurred mostly in the South, with the Honda plant in Indiana an anomaly. For example, Mississippi used large tax incentives, along with its low labor costs, to attract a Toyota plant in mid-2007.

Detailed layoff and expansion reports for all industries can be found on the state and metro pages of MyInsight.com.