5 American-Made Kitchen Appliance Brands

The phrase "buy American" has long been a mantra in the United States as a way to show pride in the country. However, patriotism is not the only reason a person may want to buy home appliances manufactured in the U.S. Wishing to support local jobs and the economy may also factor in, as well as having concerns about differing environmental regulations or working conditions, or it might simply come down to logistics. Transporting goods within a country is much faster, easier and more economical than shipping something across the globe. This can be a real concern when parts break, and you need your stove in working order ASAP. So it can be useful to know which brands are American-made before investing in a new kitchen appliance.

This isn't always an easy question to answer. Some companies may manufacture in both the U.S. and abroad. Some brands are foreign-owned, but manufacturing takes place domestically. Read on to learn about five American-made brands — BlueStar, GE, Maytag, Viking, and Vitamix — that may help you feel more informed about your purchases.

Prizer-Painter Stove Works, BlueStar's parent company, began manufacturing stoves in 1880 in Reading, Pennsylvania, and the company remains in the area to this day. But it wasn't until 2002, under the name BlueStar, that Prizer started marketing its restaurant-quality, high-performance stoves to home consumers. In 2016, BlueStar added built-in refrigerators to its lineup, and induction cooktops followed in 2018, widening the company's kitchen appliance offerings. The award-winning products are highly customizable with more than 1,000 color and finish options. This means ranges, cooktops, ovens, hoods, and fridge-freezers can not only be made to fit the individual needs of a chef, but they can complement the cabinets too.

For the serious home chef, BlueStar might be the perfect brand. While exact prices vary based on features, the type of fuel, and unit model, be prepared to pay a minimum of $5,000 for a BlueStar stove. A top-end range will cost up to five times that amount. Whatever you pay, you can rest assured your stove was made in America.

Savvy consumers may already know that GE Appliances is owned by Haier, an electric appliance company headquartered in Shandong, China. But you might be surprised to learn that the acquisition by a foreign company didn't gut manufacturing jobs in the United States. GE actually expanded its Louisville, Kentucky, facilities in 2021, adding hundreds of new jobs in the process. At the time, GE Appliances President and CEO Kevin Nolan told The Center Square, "We're committed to bringing manufacturing back to the United States because it makes good business sense and because it's the right thing to do for our communities."

However, GE is a large company with manufacturing locations across the eastern United States as well as Mexico and China. If you are serious about buying American-made products, your best bets are GE's larger kitchen appliances, like stoves, refrigerators, and dishwashers. Small kitchen appliances, such as microwaves, are more likely to be manufactured abroad. Check the model of the item you are considering to help suss out its country of origin.

Maytag has a reputation for reliability among those who would know best: the customers. (Remember the company's "Lonely Repairman" ad campaign?) Founded in Newton, Iowa, in 1893 by Frederick L. Maytag, the eponymous home appliance company remained its own corporation until 2006, when it merged with former competitor Whirlpool Corporation. With its global headquarters in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Whirlpool and its subsidiaries now make up the largest U.S.-based home appliance company. While some corporate jobs moved to Mexico after the purchase, many stayed in the U.S. even if they relocated from Maytag's former Iowa headquarters.

More than 8,000 workers manufacture around 80% of Maytag brand products — such as refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, and dryers — in Whirlpool factories in Iowa and Ohio. Up to 96% of the steel used to build its machines is also American-made rather than being imported. For consumers looking to support a U.S.-based company with domestic manufacturing, Maytag is a solid choice.

Based in Greenwood, Mississippi, Viking creates high-end kitchen appliances and cookware that chefs love. Author and celebrity chef Ina Garten has a Viking range in "the barn," the nickname of her Barefoot Contessa studio kitchen. In 2012, Viking became a subsidiary of The Middleby Corporation, a food service equipment company headquartered in Elgin, Illinois. However, manufacturing is split between the U.S. and China, so to buy American, check the labels.

When it comes to its cookware, Viking manufactures its' 5-ply professional stainless steel cookware collection in the U.S., though the materials are globally sourced. The company's remaining cookware appears to be made in China. Viking maintains factories in its home state of Mississippi where its large kitchen appliances are built. Just remember: These are luxury appliances, so if you want to support this particular American-made brand, expect to pay more than $5,000. (Prices go as high as $33,000 for the very top-of-the-line double oven and dual-fuel range.)

Vitamix is a brand of high-performance blenders popular with celebrities like Reese Witherspoon and Kourtney Kardashian. Known for having high price tags, Vitamix blenders are also famously durable and rated as one of the most reliable options on the market. And they've been around for nearly a century! William Grover Barnard founded Vitamix in 1921 in Olmsted, Ohio. In the 1930s, he began marketing the blenders as a way to make healthy eating more accessible and palatable.

The Barnard family still owns Vitamix, and the blenders continue to be made in Ohio where the company is also headquartered. Some of the parts, such as the blades and containers, are also made in the U.S., while other pieces come from abroad. Per the company's website, "to ensure that our products are accessible to the greatest number of people, we create relationships around the world with sourcing and production partners who help us strike the perfect balance of quality and value."