U.S. textile plants are often located in small rural communities in the Southeast and often represent the major source of employment and taxes for many towns and cities. When a textile mill closes, the entire community feels the ramifications, with local businesses, churches and government being hurt. The industry is also a primary employer of women and minorities.

Textile mill jobs are highly sought after in their communities, with pay substantially higher than average wages for jobs in the service and retail industry. Benefits are better too and include health care and pension contributions. The average weekly salary for a textile worker is $527, sixty percent more than the average salary of $327 for a worker in a retail store.

The combined US textile sector - including cotton and man-made fiber producers, textile mills, apparel plants and textile machinery producers - is one of the largest employers in the United States. Over 600,000 workers are employed in this sector. The breakdown is: textiles 278,000; apparel 183,500; cotton 115,200; man-made fiber 27,200; textile machinery 8,000.

• Up-to-date Plant Closings -A chronological listing of U.S. textile plant closings since 1997 can be found here.
• Latest Job Loss Figures -Monthly job losses in the U.S. textile and apparel industry.