Manufacturing Independence Index
The Manufacturing Independence Index (MII) is a single 0‑to‑100 score that answers one blunt question:
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“If global trade stopped tomorrow, how much of America’s own critical stuff could it still make?”
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Think of it as a “Big‑Mac Index” for domestic production. A high score means U.S. factories, mines, and supply chains can cover most strategic needs on their own. A low score flags dangerous dependence on foreign suppliers.
Current Index Score
This score represents America's overall manufacturing independence on a scale of 0-100. A higher score indicates greater domestic production capacity, supply chain resilience, and workforce readiness across critical industries. The current score reflects significant vulnerabilities in semiconductor manufacturing and rare earth processing, partially offset by strength in aerospace production and heavy machinery.
Raw Materials
We look at America's ability to source critical minerals and materials domestically. Think everything from rare earth elements (REEs) used in electronics to lithium for batteries. Graphite and manganese are heavily imported, for example.
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Manufacturing Readiness
We look at the human element of manufacturing independence: workforce availability, technical capabilities, operational readiness, and domestic value creation. We track vocational training, automation adoption, capacity utilization, and the percentage of a product's labor made in US borders.
Strategic Goods
We review America's capacity to make finished products in important sectors, tracking production coverage ratios in aerospace, transportation, energy, electronics, medical equipment, and industrial essentials. We're famously vulnerable in semiconductor fabrication and battery production.​​​
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Methodology
The MII combines the four weighted sub-indices into a composite score summarizing America's manufacturing independence. Each component is calculated using standardized formulas applied to data from government agencies, industry associations, and company disclosures. We factor industry or material importance​​​​​​
into our calculations.
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Supply Chain
Even with domestic final assembly, we need robust supply networks. Here we look at subcomponent self-sufficiency, supplier diversity, logistics independence, and inventory stockpiling. Lower scores imply hidden vulnerabilities where seemingly "Made in America" products depend on overseas parts and materials, creating chokepoints during disruptions.
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Updates/News
Stay current with developments. We'll feature quarterly index updates, analysis of significant movements in component scores, and insights into policy or industry changes affecting manufacturing independence. We'll also track emerging trends, highlight success stories in reshoring, and identify vulnerabilities requiring attention. We want to provide context behind the numbers for those who want to get the deeper dynamics shaping America's industrial capacity.
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Data Explorer
(coming soon)
Dive deeper into the numbers that power the Manufacturing Independence Index. This interactive tool allows you to explore historical trends, compare sub-indices, and examine specific sectors or materials of interest. Visualize changes over time, identify correlations between different components, and generate custom reports focused on your areas of concern. For researchers, policymakers, and industry specialists looking to conduct more detailed analysis, the Data Explorer provides access to the underlying metrics that drive our headline scores.