The last major sneaker maker still building in the USA
⚠️ Mostly Made in USA
Where New Balance products are made
Maine & Massachusetts
Five company-owned factories cut, mold, sew and assemble the MADE in USA collection.
MADE collection
Premium domestic models (e.g., the 990 series) carry at least 70% domestic value.
Most made abroad
The majority of New Balance shoes sold are manufactured overseas — check for the MADE label.
New Balance applies its ‘Made in USA’ label where domestic value is 70% or greater — meaning up to ~30% of content by value may be imported, a qualified claim it discloses on packaging. Most New Balance models are made overseas, so look for the dedicated MADE in USA collection.
The story
Founded in Boston in 1906, New Balance began making arch supports — its founder, William Riley, reportedly drew inspiration from watching chickens balance on three-toed feet. The company grew into a running-shoe pioneer and, under Jim Davis’s ownership from 1972, into a global athletic brand. Through it all its headquarters never left Boston, and it became the rare big-name sneaker company that kept stitching shoes on American soil.
That domestic commitment is real and unusual: New Balance runs five factories across Maine and Massachusetts and has poured tens of millions into expanding them, employing well over a thousand US workers who cut, mold, sew and assemble its MADE in USA collection. It’s also a commitment the company describes honestly — those shoes carry a domestic value of ‘70% or greater,’ a qualified standard disclosed on its boxes. The honest takeaway: a New Balance MADE shoe is genuinely assembled by American hands from substantially American content, while most New Balance models sold are made overseas.
The rare big-name sneaker company that kept stitching shoes on American soil.
Why they matter
Athletic footwear is almost entirely imported, so the last major sneaker maker building in the US is worth championing.
Buying New Balance’s MADE in USA collection supports more than 1,000 manufacturing jobs in Maine and Massachusetts.
Featured products
Browse New Balance footwear available now in the Buy American store.
Frequently asked questions
Are all New Balance shoes made in the USA?
No — only the dedicated ‘MADE in USA’ collection is assembled at New Balance’s Maine and Massachusetts factories. Most New Balance shoes sold worldwide are made overseas. Look for the ‘Made in USA’ label and collection name.
What does New Balance’s ‘Made in USA’ actually mean?
New Balance applies the label when the shoe’s domestic value is 70% or greater, meaning up to about 30% of content by value may be imported. It’s a qualified claim disclosed on packaging, not a 100%-domestic one.
Where are the US factories?
In Maine (Norridgewock, Norway and Skowhegan) and Massachusetts (Lawrence and Methuen), employing well over 1,000 American manufacturing workers.
