The Lehigh Valley’s gross domestic product has reached $37 billion for the first time. That’s more than 97 countries in the world. Importantly, our economy is remarkably balanced, with our top four sectors all falling within $650 million of each other. Manufacturing is our top sector, making up nearly $6 billion – or 15 percent – of our total GDP. of our total GDP. We have more than 680 manufacturers in the region with about 32,000 employees. LVEDC tracked 31 business attraction/expansion projects either announced, under construction, or completed in the Lehigh Valley in 2016, creating 4,829 jobs and retaining 1,859 existing jobs. LVEDC also provided access to $240 million in financing in 2016, supporting more than a dozen projects that created 1,461 jobs.