The industry comprised about 21,000 establishments in 2002, many of which were small, employing only one or a few workers. Large establishments of 250 workers or more employed the majority—63 percent—of the industry's workforce.

Under the new North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), workers in R&D establishments that are not part of a manufacturing facility are included in a separate industry—research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences. However, due to the importance of R&D work to the computer and electronic product manufacturing industry, computer and electronic product-related R&D is discussed in this statement even though a large proportion of the associated workers are not included in the employment data.