Music equipment manufacturing is a measurable industrial segment, not only a retail category. In the United States, the 2022 Economic Census counted 595 establishments in musical instrument manufacturing, with 11,833 employees and reported sales, value of shipments, or revenue of $2,297,391 thousand. These figures cover NAICS 339992, Musical Instrument Manufacturing, including musical instruments and related accessories. They do not represent every music-equipment retailer, service provider, or worldwide market.
Contents
- U.S. industry scale
- Establishments by state
- Employment by state
- Revenue by state
- Annual payroll by state
- First-quarter payroll by state
U.S. industry scale
The 2022 national snapshot comes from the EC2200BASIC — All Sectors: Summary Statistics for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2022, published by the U.S. Census Bureau. The source identifies 571 firms operating in U.S. musical instrument manufacturing during 2022. Those firms operated 595 establishments.
The distinction between firms and establishments matters when reading the industry’s structure. A firm is the business organization, while an establishment is a physical business location or operating unit counted in the economic statistics. The national total therefore shows 571 firms and 595 establishments, rather than treating the two measures as interchangeable.
The same 2022 table reported 11,833 people employed in the industry. Reported sales, value of shipments, or revenue totaled $2,297,391 thousand, equivalent to $2.297391 billion as reported in the table. Annual payroll was $645,805 thousand, while first-quarter payroll was $158,992 thousand. Revenue and payroll in the source are expressed in thousands of dollars.
| National measure | 2022 result |
|---|---|
| Firms | 571 |
| Establishments | 595 |
| Employment | 11,833 people |
| Sales, shipments, or revenue | $2,297,391 thousand |
| Annual payroll | $645,805 thousand |
| First-quarter payroll | $158,992 thousand |
These are reported manufacturing statistics for the specified classification and year. They should not be read as a forecast, a current-year estimate, or a complete estimate of all music equipment sold in the United States. The classification includes musical instruments and related accessories, so it is narrower than a broad market definition that might also include retail, rentals, repairs, recording services, or other businesses.
Establishments by state
The selected state observations show where musical instrument manufacturing establishments were counted in 2022. California had 104 establishments, the largest count among the states listed here. New York had 36, Tennessee 30, Massachusetts 28, Pennsylvania 27, and Ohio 22. Oregon had 21 establishments, Michigan 17, Minnesota 14, and Maryland 8.
| State | Establishments |
|---|---|
| California | 104 |
| New York | 36 |
| Tennessee | 30 |
| Massachusetts | 28 |
| Pennsylvania | 27 |
| Ohio | 22 |
| Oregon | 21 |
| Michigan | 17 |
| Minnesota | 14 |
| Maryland | 8 |
The state rows are selected disclosed observations from the same official table, not a complete ranking of every state and not a global music-equipment market estimate. California’s 104 establishments alone are more numerous than the combined selected counts for Michigan, Minnesota, and Maryland. Tennessee’s 30 establishments place it below California and New York by location count, while its employment and revenue figures provide a different view of industrial scale.
Employment by state
Employment varied substantially across the selected states. California musical instrument manufacturing employed 3,602 people in 2022. New York employed 1,370, Tennessee 1,206, Pennsylvania 871, and Ohio 610. Maryland reported 522 employees, followed by Massachusetts with 428 and Michigan with 272. Oregon employed 141 people, while Minnesota reported 89.
| State | Employees in 2022 |
|---|---|
| California | 3,602 |
| New York | 1,370 |
| Tennessee | 1,206 |
| Pennsylvania | 871 |
| Ohio | 610 |
| Maryland | 522 |
| Massachusetts | 428 |
| Michigan | 272 |
| Oregon | 141 |
| Minnesota | 89 |
California’s employment count is the largest among the selected observations, and it is also the state with the largest number of establishments in this list. Tennessee illustrates why establishment counts alone do not describe the size of a manufacturing presence: its 30 establishments were associated with 1,206 employees in the 2022 table. Maryland had only 8 establishments but reported 522 employees. These comparisons describe the reported observations; they do not establish why the counts differ or measure productivity.
Revenue by state
The Census table reports state sales, value of shipments, or revenue in thousands of dollars. California reported $745,026 thousand in 2022, followed by New York at $315,757 thousand and Tennessee at $230,426 thousand. Pennsylvania reported $194,835 thousand.
The remaining selected observations were Maryland at $88,804 thousand, Ohio at $88,581 thousand, Massachusetts at $83,146 thousand, Oregon at $26,130 thousand, Michigan at $15,669 thousand, and Minnesota at $9,831 thousand.
| State | Reported revenue or shipments |
|---|---|
| California | $745,026 thousand |
| New York | $315,757 thousand |
| Tennessee | $230,426 thousand |
| Pennsylvania | $194,835 thousand |
| Maryland | $88,804 thousand |
| Ohio | $88,581 thousand |
| Massachusetts | $83,146 thousand |
| Oregon | $26,130 thousand |
| Michigan | $15,669 thousand |
| Minnesota | $9,831 thousand |
The wording “sales, value of shipments, or revenue” follows the source measure and is important for interpretation. It does not necessarily describe consumer retail sales. These state values are manufacturing observations for NAICS 339992 in 2022, and the selected rows should not be combined into a national total because the dataset does not present them here as a complete state list.
Annual payroll by state
Annual payroll provides another view of the labor scale recorded by the 2022 Economic Census. California reported $202,272 thousand in annual payroll. New York reported $85,049 thousand, Tennessee $63,181 thousand, and Pennsylvania $60,137 thousand.
Among the other selected states, Maryland reported $30,223 thousand, Ohio $31,197 thousand, Massachusetts $25,578 thousand, Michigan $5,481 thousand, Minnesota $3,814 thousand, and Oregon $6,801 thousand.
| State | Annual payroll |
|---|---|
| California | $202,272 thousand |
| New York | $85,049 thousand |
| Tennessee | $63,181 thousand |
| Pennsylvania | $60,137 thousand |
| Ohio | $31,197 thousand |
| Maryland | $30,223 thousand |
| Massachusetts | $25,578 thousand |
| Oregon | $6,801 thousand |
| Michigan | $5,481 thousand |
| Minnesota | $3,814 thousand |
Annual payroll is the full-year measure supplied for 2022, rather than a wage rate or an average individual salary. It is therefore best used here to compare the reported payroll scale of the selected manufacturing observations. The figures do not include an explanation of compensation mix, hours, occupations, or employment status.
First-quarter payroll by state
The source also reports first-quarter payroll for 2022. California recorded $50,347 thousand, New York $20,656 thousand, Tennessee $15,747 thousand, and Pennsylvania $16,814 thousand. Ohio reported $6,943 thousand, Maryland $7,148 thousand, and Massachusetts $6,415 thousand.
The other selected figures were $3,372 thousand for Michigan, $1,584 thousand for Oregon, and $867 thousand for Minnesota.
| State | First-quarter payroll |
|---|---|
| California | $50,347 thousand |
| New York | $20,656 thousand |
| Tennessee | $15,747 thousand |
| Pennsylvania | $16,814 thousand |
| Ohio | $6,943 thousand |
| Maryland | $7,148 thousand |
| Massachusetts | $6,415 thousand |
| Michigan | $3,372 thousand |
| Oregon | $1,584 thousand |
| Minnesota | $867 thousand |
First-quarter payroll is a January-through-March measure for 2022, while annual payroll covers the full year. The two measures should remain labeled separately when comparing states. The reported values show the same broad ordering at the top of the selected observations—California, New York, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania—but they are not forecasts of later quarters and do not by themselves describe seasonal patterns.
How to read these music equipment statistics
Taken together, the 2022 figures describe a U.S. manufacturing segment with 571 firms, 595 establishments, 11,833 employees, $2,297,391 thousand in reported sales, shipments, or revenue, $645,805 thousand in annual payroll, and $158,992 thousand in first-quarter payroll. The state observations show a concentration of reported activity in California, New York, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania, alongside smaller disclosed counts in the other states listed.
The scope remains essential: these are U.S. Economic Census statistics for NAICS 339992, Musical Instrument Manufacturing, measured in 2022. They include musical instruments and related accessories, but they are not a complete measure of every music-equipment category or of retail and services. No later-year result, forecast, or worldwide estimate is represented by these figures.