A nationwide economic study released this week shows how America’s corn refiners contribute to the nation’s economy, finding the industry has massive, outsized impacts across the country. 

The study shows the industry supports 8,300 direct jobs, and an estimated total of 237,000 total jobs, with a total output of $71 billion. 

 

Because corn refiners produce essential ingredients across so many industries, they have a powerful multiplier effect on the nation’s economy. 

The Corn Refiners Association says that for years, ingredients from corn have been used to make food taste better, cosmetics last longer, pharmaceuticals easier to swallow and plastics environmentally-friendly. 

 

Today, corn products are used in 3-D printing inks and studied by nanotechnology scientists as a method for delivering cancer treatments. 

Corn Refiners CEO John Bode says the study “reveals that our industry stands at a powerful juncture in corn’s economic value chain, helping turn the bounty of America’s heartland into an engine of economic growth.”