Foreign-owned companies operating in the United States employed 8.57 million workers in 2024, a slight increase from the previous year, according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. These affiliates accounted for 6.1% of private-sector employment, with the largest job contributions coming from manufacturing and retail. Firms based in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany were the biggest sources of employment.

The affiliates contributed $1.52 trillion in U.S. value added, up 4.3% from 2023, while investment in property, equipment, and research and development also increased. R&D spending reached $95.5 billion, representing 12.4% of U.S. business R&D. California, Texas, and New York had the highest levels of foreign-affiliate employment, highlighting the continued role of global companies in the US economy.

Updates to Statistics on 2023 Activities of U.S. Affiliates of Foreign Multinational Enterprises[Billions of dollars, except as noted]
Preliminary
estimate		 Revised
estimate
Number of employees (thousands) 8,661.8 8,556.9
Value added 1,469.1 1,456.3
Expenditures for property, plant, and equipment 322.7 317.6
Research and development expenditures 87.8 90.6
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR