The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is in the northeastern area of the United States. From its early dependence on fishing and agriculture, Massachusetts transformed into a manufacturing center at the time of the Industrial Revolution (1820-1870). During the 20th century, the Massachusetts economy shifted from the manufacturing it relied on and added new service industries to the economic mix.
Today, Massachusetts is a leader in higher education, healthcare technology, health care support, high technology products, and financial services. Of the six New England states, Massachusetts is the most populous and ranks third among U.S. states in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. The estimated population of Massachusetts is about 6.6 million residents, according to current U.S. Census records. Boston, the largest city in the state, is also the capital.
Massachusetts was the nation’s first major industrial state. Nearly all major manufacturing sectors have plants in Massachusetts’s eastern counties. This significant concentration of the industrial and manufacturing industry is located along Route 128, the former Circumferential Highway, which is a beltway around Boston. A second “tech hub” is adjacent to Interstate 495. Massachusetts’ future as a manufacturing center depends on continued preeminence in the production of computers, optical equipment, and other sophisticated instruments. Important areas of manufacturing include electronic devices and other electronic equipment, instrumentation and related products, industrial machinery and equipment, printing and publishing, chemicals and allied products, food and food products, and fabricated metals.
Massachusetts is a leader in health care in the United States. One of the fastest growing job sectors in the state, the health care industry contributes substantially to the economy of Massachusetts and is the largest employer. Health care accounts for about one in six jobs and has provided stability through downturns and support during recoveries. This stalwart of the state economy is struggling these days as expenses rise, patient visits decline, reimbursements shrink, and pressure to control health care costs intensifies.
An ancillary portion of the health care field that greatly contributes to Massachusetts economy is the number of leading manufacturers of surgical medical devices and electronic medical devices. Workers in Massachusetts’ medical manufacturing jobs are more highly skilled, better educated, and better paid than workers in other manufacturing jobs in general. This concentration on surgical medical instruments, electro-medical, and electrotherapeutic instruments is bolstered by the concentration of electronic components, precision metals, and plastics manufacturers. R&D and improvements in these specific fields of technology are due to the investment and interest from the state’s health care providers and venture capital availability.
Massachusetts’ concentration of high tech manufacturing, metal and plastic products manufacturing, and chemical and solvent industries is a formula for success. It also provides an environment for industrial accidents that result in claims for social security disability benefits and workers’ compensation. The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development administers workers’ compensation in Massachusetts. . Workers who are denied compensation or who believe they are not getting proper compensation can file a dispute with the Department of Industrial Accidents.
