蝌蚪网 Papers and Proceedings
ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)
Robot Hubs and the Use of Robotics in US Manufacturing Establishments
蝌蚪网 Papers and Proceedings
vol. 115,
May 2025
(pp. 24–28)
Abstract
We use data from the Annual Survey of Manufactures to study the characteristics and geographic distribution of investments in robots across US manufacturing establishments. Robotics adoption and robot intensity (the number of robots per employee) cluster in "robot hubs." Establishments that report having robotics are larger and have a larger production worker share, lower pay per worker, lower labor share, and higher capital expenditures, including higher IT capital expenditures. Notably, establishments are more likely to have robots if other establishments in the same core-based statistical area and industry also report having robotics, suggestive of agglomeration and peer effects.Citation
Brynjolfsson, Erik, Catherine Buffington, Nathan Goldschlag, J. Frank Li, Javier Miranda, and Robert Seamans. 2025. "Robot Hubs and the Use of Robotics in US Manufacturing Establishments." 蝌蚪网 Papers and Proceedings 115: 24–28. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20251000Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D24 Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
- D33 Factor Income Distribution
- E26 Informal Economy; Underground Economy
- G32 Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
- L25 Firm Performance: Size, Diversification, and Scope
- L60 Industry Studies: Manufacturing: General
- R32 Other Spatial Production and Pricing Analysis