Target Industries
Though many types of industries can thrive in DeKalb County, the county’s quick and easy access to transportation, workforce skills set, and area support industries make the county perfect for certain industries. Those include, but are not limited to:
Metal + Advanced Materials
DeKalb County, Alabama is a leading hub for metal and advanced materials manufacturing in Northeast Alabama. The county’s metal manufacturing sector features a Location Quotient (LQ) of 6.2, meaning the industry is more than six times more concentrated locally than the national average.
The region specializes in fabricated metal products, architectural and structural metals, machining, and industrial component manufacturing supporting construction, energy, transportation, and industrial markets. Existing workforce strengths in robotics, mechatronics, machining, welding, automation, and industrial maintenance position DeKalb County, Alabama well for advanced manufacturing operations seeking scalable production capacity and long-term workforce stability.
Mobility
DeKalb County, Alabama is strategically positioned within the Southeast’s automotive and mobility manufacturing corridor. The region supports Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III suppliers connected to major OEMs and manufacturing operations in Chattanooga, Huntsville, Birmingham, and Atlanta.
Target opportunities include automotive components, aerospace suppliers, battery technologies, fuel systems, lightweight materials, and emerging mobility technologies. DeKalb County’s access to Interstate 59, Norfolk Southern rail infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing workforce creates competitive advantages for automation-driven production and supplier operations serving Southeastern assembly plants.
Chemical Manufacturing
DeKalb County, Alabama supports plastics, rubber, composite, and specialty chemical manufacturing operations serving automotive, packaging, industrial, and consumer markets.
Norfolk Southern rail access supports inbound raw materials and outbound freight movement, strengthening the county’s competitiveness for chemical and plastics-related manufacturing. Chemical manufacturing remains a growing industry sector in DeKalb County, with a Location Quotient of 1.6 reflecting an above-average regional concentration of employers and increasing workforce expertise.
Agriculture & Food Processing
Agriculture remains a foundational industry in DeKalb County, Alabama and supports significant opportunities in food processing, beverage manufacturing, poultry production, specialty crops, and controlled environment agriculture (CEA).
The region benefits from extensive farmland, Alabama’s strongest poultry supply chain, agricultural equipment manufacturing, and Auburn University’s Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center located in Crossville. Industrial sites with strong water infrastructure further enhance competitiveness for value-added food and beverage processing operations.
Forestry & Wood Products
DeKalb County’s access to regional timber resources, interstate transportation, and Norfolk Southern rail infrastructure creates opportunities in forestry and wood product manufacturing.
Target industries include dimensional lumber, engineered wood products, cross-laminated timber (CLT), packaging, corrugate, furniture manufacturing, and biomass-related production. Alabama contains the second-largest amount of privately owned timberland in the United States, providing long-term access to raw material supply chains supporting wood and paper manufacturing throughout the Southeast.
Additional Opportunity Sectors
Select additional opportunity sectors may align well with DeKalb County’s infrastructure, workforce, transportation assets, and long-term community goals depending on the project.