10 New State Videos Show Dairy's Impact on Jobs

Shareable, data-based motion graphics showcase the multi-billion dollar economic boost the dairy industry gives California, Wisconsin, Texas, New York, Florida and five other states. 

Ten new videos created by a coalition of dairy organizations showcase the huge impact the industry has on state economies.

When you factor in the dairy's industry's "ripple effect" to related industries like retailing and manufacturing, the numbers are eye-opening.

For example, the dairy industry supports more than 390,000 jobs and pumps $98 billion into the California economy alone. 

1. California: 390,175 jobs

Nationally, dairy supports 2.9 million American jobs.

Data for the state videos comes from Dairy Delivers®—the International Dairy Foods Association's economic impact tool, as well as quantitative analysis by the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the National Milk Producers Federation.

The three dairy groups have joined forces to educate the public with one voice and a unified message: "Dairy creates jobs, exports create more."

2. Wisconsin: 215,128 jobs

The motion graphic videos—each one minute and 16 seconds in length—were created for easy sharing on social media. They visually illustrate the boost dairy gives the economies of California, Wisconsin, Texas, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan. 

3. Texas: 203,254 jobs

GotDairyJobs.org and the "Got Jobs?" campaign created the videos with no permission needed to use on websites and presentations. Those wishing to share online are asked to use the hashtag #GotDairyJobs for tracking and searching purposes.

 4. New York: 183,375 jobs

Since the year-long "Got Jobs" campaign launched in May, social media content showing "dairy" within five words of "jobs" has been posted or reposted more than 1,600 times, primarily on Facebook and Twitter.

Those metrics come from Meltwater News' social media monitoring service.

5. Florida: 150,712 jobs

The release of the new videos is expected to boost amplification of the message further, with a geographic focus on states. A video showcasing dairy's national economic impact can be found here.

6. Pennsylvania: 137,653 jobs 

When data from all the states is combined, the U.S. dairy industry supports nearly 3 million workers, generates more than $39 billion in direct wages and has an overall economic impact of more than $628 billion.

7. Ohio: 114,053 jobs

Nationally, dairy is also responsible for $24.9 billion in state and local business tax revenues and another $39.5 billion in federal business tax revenues.

8. Illinois: 109,967 jobs

The collaborative dairy campaign provides a clearinghouse of information on the Medium storytelling platform, accessed at GotDairyJobs.org. The portal offers features, videos and plenty of hard facts that demonstrate dairy’s continued impact on jobs, tax revenue and communities around the country.

The publication Associations Now profiled the low-cost, high-impact effort of the dairy "Got Jobs?" campaign as a model for how different organizations within the same industry can work together to speak with one voice. 

9. Minnesota: 99,455 jobs

To create its interactive tool, IDFA engaged John Dunham and Associates, an economic research firm, to quantify and break down the economic impact of dairy on the 48 mainland states and all 435 congressional districts.

You can get concise, downloadable "info bundles" for all 48 continental U.S. states at GotDairyJobs.org.

10. Michigan: 89,480 jobs

Dairy is just one part of the economy's vast food and agricultural sector.

An economic impact study also done by John Dunham and Associates found that roughly one-fifth of the nation’s economy is linked, either directly or indirectly, to the food and agriculture sectors, accounting for more than 22 million jobs or nearly 15 percent of U.S. employment.

Those findings are available at FeedingTheEconomy.com.

Questions or comments? Contact Mark O'Keefe at mokeefe@usdec.org.

Learn more:

• Got U.S. Jobs? Dairy Creates Nearly 3 Million!
• VIDEO: "Got Jobs?" Dairy Campaign to Launch

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The U.S. Dairy Export Council fosters collaborative industry partnerships with processors, trading companies and others to enhance global demand for U.S. dairy products and ingredients. USDEC is primarily supported by Dairy Management Inc. through the dairy farmer checkoff. How to republish this post.