Ford was America’s top auto employer in 2023 with 57,000 hourly workers
Photo: Ford
For the sixth year in a row, Ford is America’s top automaker for total vehicles assembled, vehicles exported, and hourly employees. Data from S&P Global Mobility reveals that Ford topped these key metrics once again in 2023, and increased production of the Bronco and Ranger among other vehicles should help Ford maintain its standing for 2024.
Made in America: The Michigan-built Ford Bronco remains red hot with American drivers
“Ford is a uniquely American company,” said Ford Blue President Andrew Frick. “We are proud to serve our customers with vehicles that embody the best of American innovation and ingenuity.”
Per the data, Ford built 1.8 million vehicles in the United States last year, topping the next closest automaker by 130,000 vehicles. An impressive 79% of those vehicles were sold domestically, which is also best among auto manufacturers.
Ford was also America’s top auto exporter in 2023, sending 260,000 vehicles into other markets abroad. A significant percentage of those vehicles stay in North America, going to Canada and Mexico. Vehicles like the Bronco have a wide footprint, winding up in countries such as China and Saudi Arabia. Unsurprisingly, the F-Series is the most exported vehicle in the Ford lineup, followed by the Explorer and Escape.
A substantial workforce is needed to produce this high volume of vehicles, and Ford’s got that covered, too. Ford employs around 57,000 hourly workers in the United States, which once again makes it tops in the auto industry. And Ford is in the process of growing that figure with training underway for a third-shift crew at Michigan Assembly. Approximately 900 net new hires will help the plant produce the Bronco, Ranger, and Raptor models of both.
Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.
