Gun ownership has been a staple of traditional American life since the inception of the country, and even long before then. Some Americans use guns only to go hunting, for sport, or home protection, but there are many gun enthusiasts who embrace the Second Amendment and load up on as many firearms as they can. Whether it is one gun or 20, selling guns in the United States is a lucrative business.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation estimates that Americans bought roughly 18.5 million firearms in 2021, the second most ever in a year and down only slightly from the record-high 21 million in 2020.
With these back-to-back years of historic gun sales, someone is profiting big, including some states.
Both directly and indirectly, the firearms sector accounts for a total of 11,680 jobs in Minnesota – 4,489 in firearm and ammunition manufacturing, sales, and distribution, and another 7,191 in supplier and ancillary industries – the 10th most among the 50 states.
The gun industry in Minnesota paid an average wage of $69,400 in 2021 and generated an estimated $211.0 million in federal business tax revenue that year.
When accounting for wages and taxes as well as indirect contributions, the firearms industry contributed to $2.8 billion in output in Minnesota in 2021, the sixth highest amount among states.
All data in this story is from the Shooting Sports Foundation’s Firearm and Ammunition Industry Economic Impact report.
| Rank | State | Total gun industry output, direct & indirect; 2021 ($B) | Total industry employment, direct & indirect; 2021 | Average industry wage ($) | Industry fed. business tax generation; 2021 ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 5.59 | 31,632 | 51,652 | 330.7 |
| 2 | California | 5.22 | 29,082 | 66,095 | 380.7 |
| 3 | Florida | 3.46 | 22,332 | 49,847 | 259.7 |
| 4 | Illinois | 2.86 | 13,051 | 63,913 | 183.9 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 2.85 | 10,151 | 74,899 | 192.6 |
| 6 | Minnesota | 2.78 | 11,680 | 69,400 | 211.0 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 2.72 | 9,950 | 70,698 | 203.3 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 2.67 | 18,891 | 52,165 | 193.6 |
| 9 | New York | 2.54 | 10,150 | 85,432 | 155.8 |
| 10 | Arkansas | 2.53 | 10,426 | 49,263 | 127.1 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 2.51 | 13,017 | 54,571 | 160.3 |
| 12 | Ohio | 2.37 | 15,256 | 50,652 | 147.1 |
| 13 | Arizona | 2.33 | 11,933 | 61,243 | 180.2 |
| 14 | Michigan | 1.88 | 11,759 | 52,206 | 123.6 |
| 15 | Oregon | 1.78 | 8,952 | 59,541 | 134.5 |
| 16 | Georgia | 1.78 | 9,045 | 52,865 | 99.4 |
| 17 | Idaho | 1.69 | 6,999 | 57,426 | 100.4 |
| 18 | Connecticut | 1.44 | 5,264 | 81,440 | 108.0 |
| 19 | Washington | 1.39 | 8,166 | 57,773 | 111.7 |
| 20 | Utah | 1.33 | 8,893 | 46,616 | 92.4 |
| 21 | Virginia | 1.29 | 7,424 | 49,889 | 81.9 |
| 22 | Missouri | 1.25 | 7,899 | 50,351 | 80.0 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 1.24 | 6,661 | 52,251 | 67.9 |
| 24 | South Carolina | 1.24 | 6,789 | 47,957 | 70.7 |
| 25 | Tennessee | 1.13 | 7,097 | 55,935 | 73.7 |
| 26 | New Jersey | 1.05 | 5,174 | 74,016 | 77.1 |
| 27 | Colorado | 1.02 | 6,712 | 53,436 | 77.5 |
| 28 | Indiana | 0.94 | 5,021 | 52,373 | 37.8 |
| 29 | Mississippi | 0.93 | 4,737 | 50,035 | 50.8 |
| 30 | Maryland | 0.89 | 4,286 | 66,649 | 62.4 |
| 31 | Kentucky | 0.85 | 5,101 | 49,287 | 47.3 |
| 32 | Alabama | 0.74 | 5,247 | 43,616 | 41.6 |
| 33 | Wyoming | 0.69 | 3,672 | 45,749 | 39.0 |
| 34 | Nebraska | 0.66 | 3,325 | 54,016 | 38.2 |
| 35 | Louisiana | 0.62 | 3,615 | 44,826 | 28.7 |
| 36 | Kansas | 0.58 | 2,133 | 71,945 | 12.8 |
| 37 | Nevada | 0.52 | 3,201 | 49,582 | 37.3 |
| 38 | Iowa | 0.48 | 2,779 | 49,903 | 22.3 |
| 39 | Maine | 0.42 | 3,523 | 42,660 | 29.5 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | 0.41 | 2,702 | 44,441 | 20.5 |
| 41 | South Dakota | 0.37 | 1,842 | 52,224 | 20.8 |
| 42 | Montana | 0.37 | 2,454 | 43,924 | 20.9 |
| 43 | West Virginia | 0.22 | 1,702 | 38,365 | 11.0 |
| 44 | Rhode Island | 0.18 | 826 | 62,397 | 9.0 |
| 45 | New Mexico | 0.16 | 1,442 | 37,847 | 8.7 |
| 46 | Vermont | 0.14 | 828 | 54,215 | 9.7 |
| 47 | Alaska | 0.12 | 1,029 | 47,151 | 6.1 |
| 48 | North Dakota | 0.08 | 652 | 45,653 | 4.5 |
| 49 | Hawaii | 0.07 | 578 | 49,461 | 5.0 |
| 50 | Delaware | 0.07 | 503 | 53,593 | 2.9 |
