Guns Are Big Business Across All 50 States
Here's how the firearms industry affects the economy.
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Between the recent high-profile mass shootings in California, Texas and Ohio, student walkouts and a fierce political debate between gun-rights groups and gun-control advocates, hardly a week goes by when guns aren’t in the news. But in America, guns are more than just a hot political topic — they’re also very big business and a large employer across all 50 states.
The firearms and ammunition industry employs 149,000 people working for companies that make, distribute and sell guns, ammunition and hunting equipment. An additional 163,000 people work supporting those companies.
Overall the gun industry is responsible for more than 300,000 jobs and more than $15 billion in wages, according to a report by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which represents gun retailers, owners, distributors and manufacturers.
In the following slideshow, states are ranked from least to most gun-related jobs. Keep reading to see how the gun industry impacts jobs in your state.
Washington, D.C.
Total jobs: 16
Total wages: $1,372,600
Delaware
Total jobs: 293
Total wages: $12,109,000
Hawaii
Total jobs: 328
Total wages: $13,129,700
Rhode Island
Total jobs: 514
Total wages: $34,779,200
Vermont
Total jobs: 717
Total wages: $34,269,500
North Dakota
Total jobs: 901
Total wages: $33,507,800
Wyoming
Total jobs: 1,152
Total wages: $43,868,500
Alaska
Total jobs: 1,155
Total wages: $43,448,200
New Mexico
Total jobs: 1,210
Total wages: $35,870,000
West Virginia
Total jobs: 1,378
Total wages: $44,952,600
South Dakota
Total jobs: 1,905
Total wages: $79,425,300
Iowa
Total jobs: 2,143
Total wages: $84,428,800
Nevada
Total jobs: 2,492
Total wages: $97,161,700
Maine
Total jobs: 2,493
Total wages: $95,266,200
Montana
Total jobs: 2,622
Total wages: $96,246,800
New Jersey
Total jobs: 2,743
Total wages: $185,662,000
Maryland
Total jobs: 3,484
Total wages: $208,801,600
Nebraska
Total jobs: 3,768
Total wages: $181,807,400
Kentucky
Total jobs: 3,779
Total wages: $153,363,600
Oklahoma
Total jobs: 4,006
Total wages: $154,320,400
Louisiana
Total jobs: 4,256
Total wages: $165,550,900
Mississippi
Total jobs: 4,834
Total wages: $202,642,800
Kansas
Total jobs: 5,015
Total wages: $194,347,400
Colorado
Total jobs: 5,184
Total wages: $252,655,400
Wisconsin
Total jobs: 5,187
Total wages: $226,940,300
Indiana
Total jobs: 5,430
Total wages: $215,861,500
Virginia
Total jobs: 5,431
Total wages: $254,491,000
Connecticut
Total jobs: 5,477
Total wages: $413,924,800
Alabama
Total jobs: 5,870
Total wages: $242,847,400
South Carolina
Total jobs: 6,064
Total wages: $274,702,600
Tennessee
Total jobs: 6,125
Total wages: $278,130,000
Arkansas
Total jobs: 6,455
Total wages: $284,881,900
New Hampshire
Total jobs: 6,470
Total wages: $429,785,000
Utah
Total jobs: 6,669
Total wages: $311,160,300
Washington
Total jobs: 6,833
Total wages: $317,388,100
Oregon
Total jobs: 7,342
Total wages: $436,112,500
Idaho
Total jobs: 7,436
Total wages: $319,761,600
Arizona
Total jobs: 8,043
Total wages: $427,554,300
Michigan
Total jobs: 8,273
Total wages: $369,093,900
New York
Total jobs: 8,986
Total wages: $655,168,400
Massachusetts
Total jobs: 9,288
Total wages: $678,578,000
Georgia
Total jobs: 9,374
Total wages: $432,502,100
Missouri
Total jobs: 10,381
Total wages: $425,558,000
North Carolina
Total jobs: 10,509
Total wages: $469,537,900
Ohio
Total jobs: 11,981
Total wages: $499,892,800
Pennsylvania
Total jobs: 12,575
Total wages: $655,308,100
Minnesota
Total jobs: 12,760
Total wages: $796,863,300
Illinois
Total jobs: 13,186
Total wages: $803,730,900
Florida
Total jobs: 15,691
Total wages: $714,196,500
California
Total jobs: 20,162
Total wages: $1,181,389,500
Texas
Total jobs: 23,605
Total wages: $1,167,437,600
More on Jobs and Money:
- 50 Ways You’re Throwing Money Away
- Best Rewards Credit Cards of 2019
- A Strong Economy Still Calls For Caution When it Comes to Personal Finances
Methodology: All of the data for this article was sourced from the NSSF’s 2019 Firearms and Ammunition Industry Economic Impact Report.
About the Author
Andrew Lisa
Andrew Lisa has been writing professionally since 2001. An award-winning writer, Andrew was formerly one of the youngest nationally distributed columnists for the largest newspaper syndicate in the country, the Gannett News Service. He worked as the business section editor for amNewYork, the most widely distributed newspaper in Manhattan, and worked as a copy editor for TheStreet.com, a financial publication in the heart of Wall Street’s investment community in New York City.
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