Louisville takes the top spot among manufacturing cities in the Southweast United States, as measured by jobs, according to the 2007 Kentucky Manufacturers Register.
According to the report, Louisville accounts for 65,071 manufacturing jobs, topping Atlanta by 5,000 jobs. Rounding out the top five are Charlotte (49,957 jobs), Miami (49,603) and Jacksonville (44,780).
The publication reports Louisville’s largest industrial employers include two Ford Motor plants (9,300 employees), GE Consumer (5,220), and Brown Forman (1,500).
While research shows that Kentucky has lost more than 26,000 jobs since October 2002, in recent months the state’s industrial employment has shown signs of stabilizing. The state has lost just 726 manufacturing jobs in the past 12 months, the report says.