Shoppers who are concerned about tariffs driving up the costs of their favorite products might think that \u201cMade in USA\u201d goods could offer financial relief. But finding domestically manufactured, budget-friendly items may take effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Americans like the idea of buying more American-made products. A November 2024 poll by Morning Consult, conducted for the Alliance for American Manufacturing, found that 60% of Americans said they made an effort to buy U.S.-made goods over the past year. And 82% said they\u2019d buy more if retailers made those products easier to find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Buying American products doesn\u2019t mean avoiding tariffs<\/a> or the global supply chain. Even the most well-known U.S. companies depend on imported components to make finished goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take Crayola, for example: It\u2019s headquartered in Pennsylvania and has manufacturing facilities in the U.S., but it also produces some of its products in Mexico. Some other iconic American brands base at least some \u2014 if not all \u2014 of their manufacturing outside the U.S. where labor and other production costs are lower. That includes Levi\u2019s jeans, L.L. Bean apparel, Converse\u2019s Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers, Ray-Ban sunglasses, Major League baseballs, American Girl dolls, Fender guitars and essentially everything Nike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even distinctly American auto companies like Ford, General Motors and Stellantis assemble cars domestically but need to source parts from elsewhere. Some 30,000 parts go into assembling a car. In the process of sourcing, producing and shipping, many components will be subject to tariffs each time they cross borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In essence, any U.S.-made goods that require imports somewhere in the production process will face higher production costs while tariffs are in place. And when import prices go up, the final products made in the U.S. could become more pricey for consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something else to consider: Even if \u201cMade in USA\u201d products are 100% sourced and produced domestically, it doesn\u2019t mean those goods will be cheaper than foreign or import-dependent, U.S. goods that come with tariffs. The cost of labor, materials and regulatory compliance can make U.S. manufacturing expensive. Shoppers need time to find and compare their options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding \u201cMade in USA\u201d products that are fully produced in America \u2014 as in, sourced and manufactured here \u2014 can be a needle-in-a-haystack pursuit. But it truly depends on what you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recently, I went looking for a cast-iron pan. It\u2019s the one kitchen item that I grew up with but don\u2019t currently own. And because it somehow feels American in my mind, I went hunting for an American-made cast-iron pan. Turns out, in this case it wasn\u2019t too hard! But costs varied pretty widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I started with a well-known U.S. brand: All-Clad, a cookware company that\u2019s headquartered in western Pennsylvania and bases its manufacturing there, as well. Its boundless stainless steel cookware is made entirely in the U.S. But when I looked at the product specifications on its 12-inch enameled cast-iron skillet with a stainless steel lid, it says it is made in Vietnam. Not a deal breaker for me, personally, but for the purposes of this article it\u2019s not a winner. For the record, the price tag was $109.99 \u2014 on sale from $189.99.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another Pennsylvania-based cookware company, Lancaster Cast Iron produces every one of its products in-state, including its No. 10 skillet, a nearly 12-inch pan that runs for $225.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there was Field Company, a small cast-iron skillet company based in New York City. Its No. 10 pan \u2014 at almost 12 inches and advertised as a \u201csmoother, lighter\u201d cast-iron skillet \u2014 came in at $215, while the matching cast-iron lid was $140. A pan-and-lid set was $300. All of Field\u2019s sourcing is done in the U.S., and its production is in Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, I looked for a budget cast-iron-specific kitchenware company and found Lodge Cast Iron \u2014 a 129-year old company based in Tennessee. It prides itself on producing 80% of its products in the U.S.; some are produced overseas, like its enamel-coated cast-iron. But its classic seasoned 12-inch cast-iron skillet is made in the U.S. Last I checked, it was on sale for $24.90. A cast-iron lid cost around $30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given my limited kitchen prowess, I went with Lodge \u2014 the most affordable option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To promote products as \u201cMade in USA,\u201d the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says the products must meet its standards. It\u2019s been that way for decades, but it wasn\u2019t until 1997 that the FTC provided specific guidance to companies on using the \u201cMade in USA\u201d label. In order to advertise that a product is \u201cmade,\u201d \u201cmanufactured,\u201d \u201cbuilt,\u201d \u201cproduced,\u201d \u201ccreated,\u201d or \u201ccrafted\u201d in the U.S., the majority of that company\u2019s products must actually be \u201call or virtually all\u201d made in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All-Clad and Lodge Cast Iron can broadly promote themselves as \u201cMade in USA\u201d because the overwhelming majority of their products are. But in advertising specific products, companies can\u2019t claim the products are made in the U.S. when they\u2019re not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, choosing to purchase American-made products is a matter of personal priorities. Whatever the reason \u2014 cost, quality, ethics or desire \u2014 shoppers will need to do some research. Depending on the product, cost-conscious consumers may have to make the decision between supporting domestic manufacturing and buying what\u2019s affordable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s unclear if President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s tariffs will bring more manufacturing<\/a> to U.S. soil \u2014 as he says they will. Even with tariffs, some companies may still find it cheaper to manufacture goods in countries where costs of labor, sourcing and production are less expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, domestic manufacturing is growing: The most recent data shows that in March 2025, spending on manufacturing construction was 3.7% higher than a year earlier. It\u2019s part of a broader upward trend that began in 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. \u2014 also known as reshoring \u2014 won\u2019t happen overnight. It takes time to build factories, fill positions and get production going. That means that even if investments are being made, there\u2019s bound to be a lag before more \u201cMade in USA\u201d products become available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Photo by Mario Tama\/Getty Images News via Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n More From NerdWallet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Anna Helhoski writes for NerdWallet. Email: anna@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @AnnaHelhoski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The article Facing Tariffs, Should Shoppers Seek \u2018Made in USA\u2019 Goods? originally appeared on NerdWallet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shoppers who are concerned about tariffs driving up the costs of their favorite products might think that \u201cMade in USA\u201d goods could offer financial relief. But finding domestically manufactured, budget-friendly items may take effort. Americans like the idea of buying more American-made products. A November 2024 poll by Morning Consult, conducted for the Alliance for […]","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":3912,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","attr_excerpt":["Shoppers who are concerned about tariffs driving up the costs of their favorite products might think that \u201cMade in USA\u201d goods could offer... "],"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[7,21,35,43,12,20],"class_list":["post-4552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-financial-wellness","tag-bank","tag-checking","tag-digital-banking","tag-financial-wellness","tag-resources","tag-savings"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat happened when I went looking for a pan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What it takes to get the \u2018Made in USA\u2019 label<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Are tariffs bringing manufacturing back to the U.S?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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