Mapping Gun Manufacturers By US State

Gun manufacturing in the U.S. has been increasing steadily in recent years, with a significant spike during the pandemic.

According to the Violence Policy Center, there are almost five times as many gun manufacturers as there are colleges in the country.

This map, via Visual Capitalist’s Kayla Zhu, visualizes the number of Type 7 Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) in each U.S. state in 2022, and the percentage increase in FFLs from 2017 to 2022. Type 7 FFLs are the basic federal license required to manufacture and sell guns and ammunition in America.

The data comes from the Violence Policy Center and reflects 2022 data.

Which U.S. States Have the Most Gun Manufacturers?

While most production is concentrated in the hands of a few key players, a majority of gun manufacturers actually don’t operate out of big commercial facilities, but instead, out of homes or offices.

Rank
State
Number of gun manufacturers
Increase (2017-2022)
1
Texas
2,321
78%
2
Florida
1,214
59%
3
Arizona
1,026
55%
4
North Carolina
737
70%
5
Ohio
715
51%
6
Pennsylvania
669
79%
7
Georgia
607
77%
8
California
580
6%
9
Colorado
573
56%
10
Utah
515
66%
11
Michigan
470
70%
12
Virginia
459
48%
13
Tennessee
454
74%
14
Missouri
440
41%
15
Oklahoma
437
42%
16
Idaho
432
62%
17
Washington
427
71%
18
Wisconsin
371
46%
19
New York
365
77%
20
South Carolina
347
78%
21
Indiana
323
53%
22
Alabama
323
50%
23
Arkansas
312
42%
24
Nevada
291
40%
25
Massachusetts
290
44%
26
Minnesota
274
42%
27
Illinois
267
25%
28
Louisiana
264
51%
29
Oregon
263
35%
30
Kentucky
255
70%
31
Kansas
254
58%
32
Montana
250
46%
33
Iowa
235
81%
34
New Hampshire
197
31%
35
Mississippi
193
40%
36
New Mexico
193
36%
37
Connecticut
193
14%
38
Wyoming
188
100%
39
Maryland
178
37%
40
West Virginia
150
85%
41
Maine
120
26%
42
Alaska
118
57%
43
South Dakota
117
121%
44
Nebraska
115
53%
45
Vermont
89
48%
46
North Dakota
68
325%
47
New Jersey
30
7%
48
Rhode Island
27
42%
49
Hawaii
15
114%
50
Delaware
12
71%

Texas, Florida, and Arizona, the three states with the most gun manufacturers in 2022, all have business-friendly policies including low or no income taxes and fewer regulations, as well as strong gun cultures.

Large firearms companies have also increasingly chosen to move their headquarters and production to red states, especially in the South.

Other Southern red states are capitalizing on this trend. In Oklahoma, just north of Texas, Governor Kevin Stitt has promoted the state’s “pro-Second Amendment” stance to attract more firearms manufacturers.

Out of the top five states with the most manufacturers, four (Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Ohio) have constitutional carry laws. These laws allow individuals to carry a firearm without a permit.

Many of these top states also do not require permits for people to carry concealed weapons, such as handguns, in public.

To learn about gun ownership in America, check out this graphic that shows how gun ownership rates in the U.S. have changed over the past decade.