America's 25 Dying Industries

Source: Thinkstock

20. Support activities for printing
> Employment change from 2006-2015: -46.7%
> Employment total: 26,378
> Wage growth from 2006-2015: 14.6%
> Avg. annual wage: $51,078

Much like the decline in the newspaper industry, employment decline in the printing support industry is largely the result of the proliferation of digital media. Jobs in the industry include tasks related to pre printing such as typesetting, and tasks related to post printing such as bookbinding and indexing. The increased demand for e-books and online media content has likely contributed to the decline in industry employment. Support activities for printing is one of several rapidly dying industries in the manufacturing sector.

Source: Thinkstock

19. Manufactured, mobile, home dealers
> Employment change from 2006-2015: -47.0%
> Employment total: 12,833
> Wage growth from 2006-2015: 21.3%
> Avg. annual wage: $46,355

Manufactured home dealers sell mobile homes, or trailers, as well as related parts and equipment. The number of people working in the industry has declined by close to half in the past decade. Over that time, the number of mobile home dealerships also fell from about 4,100 to less than 2,300.

The mobile home industry does not typically benefit from housing booms — times when families prefer to buy standing homes — or from ensuing market crashes, as people during these times tend to be financially worse off. Further, as on-site built homes became much more affordable, mobile home parks were more likely to sell on-site units, eliminating the need for mobile home dealerships.

Source: Thinkstock

18. Broadwoven fabric mills
> Employment change from 2006-2015: -47.1%
> Employment total: 27,322
> Wage growth from 2006-2015: 25.1%
> Avg. annual wage: $42,888

The broadwoven fabric industry classification includes blanket, canvas, denim, and cotton fabric weaving. In the past decade, the number of Americans employed in the industry dropped from 51,653 to only 27,322. The broadwoven fabric industry is one of many suffering from a roughly three-decade long decline. The industry’s decline had an outsized effect on rural areas in the Southeastern United States.

Source: Thinkstock

17. Newspaper publishers
> Employment change from 2006-2015: -47.2%
> Employment total: 190,426
> Wage growth from 2006-2015: 18.5%
> Avg. annual wage: $48,413

With an increasing number of Americans finding their news through television and on the internet, the newspaper publishing industry is in decline. The share of adults who get news from social media alone has risen to more than 60%. In contrast, newspaper circulation in 2015 experienced its largest decline since 2009. In the past decade, employment in the industry has declined from about 361,000 to just above 190,000. Many smaller publishers have merged or been acquired by larger publishers as the industry is consolidating.

Source: Thinkstock

16. Satellite telecommunications
> Employment change from 2006-2015: -47.2%
> Employment total: 8,650
> Wage growth from 2006-2015: 25.1%
> Avg. annual wage: $103,840

With the growth of streaming services such as Netflix, HBO Now, Hulu, and more, cable and satellite television services have suffered. While the decline in television subscription has hurt sales, satellite communications has also likely suffered from the growth in the use of fiber optic communications, which can be more efficient for business-to-business communication than satellite. Total employment in the industry declined by 47% between 2006 and 2015.