Industry Definition & Types

Industry can be defined as the sector of an economy made up of manufacturing enterprises - different categories of businesses. The backbone of the United States' economy are the many businesses and enterprises that employ millions and supply goods and services for the world. Below are a few of the leading industries of the United States.

	Aerospace: The United States manufactures many planes, jets, etc. used throughout the world for their fleets. Such companies as Boeing/Martin are industry leaders.
	Automobile: Ford, General Motors have been world leaders in the auto industry which has seen competition in recent decades from foreign companies such as Honda, Toyota, etc..
	Health Care and related industries: Such industries as pharmaceuticals that make drugs, biomedical that are making exciting strides in genetic research, are an increasing portion of the American economy as well as hospitals, HMOs, etc..
	Clothing and retail stores: Our country leads in fashion, retailing clothing andaccessories. New York City is the an epicenter of the garment industry and fashion.
	Entertainment: American movies,television,books, magazines, electronic games lead the world in this media age. The mergers of giant companies such as Time-Warner/AOL, MSNBC with Newsweek, etc. have made some companies extremely powerfu that combine print media, the web, motion pictures, cable and network television, etc.
	Defense contracts have supported many industries that help keep our country safe.
	Technology: The United States dominates in such areas as software design and Internet presence led by such companies as Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, Cisco, AOL.etc..
	Travel and tourism: Booking trips in our country and abroad has made this a growing industry, supporting the restaurant, hotel, gaming, recreation industries.
	Building, construction and housing are important in providing shelter and also providing factories and other places of business.
	Energy industries such as oil, coal. electrical utilities are key in heating our homes, powering our electrical appliances, providing fuel for transportation, etc. As precious natural resources become more scarce, industries relating to the conservation of energy have become more prominent.
	Finance industry - Wall Street, Goldman-Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Visa, Charles Schwab, MasterCard are but a few of the powerful names in finance in this country.