The economic relationship between France and the American Midwest runs deeper than most realize — and it’s growing. French companies have long viewed the Midwest as an industrial anchor of the U.S. economy: a region with a skilled manufacturing workforce, deep logistics infrastructure, and proximity to automotive, aerospace, agri-food, and energy sectors that align directly with French industrial strengths.
Stellantis — the Franco-Italian-American automotive group born from the Fiat Chrysler and PSA merger — operates major U.S. production facilities in Michigan and Indiana, employing tens of thousands of Midwestern workers. French industrial giant Air Liquide has deep roots across the Midwest, supplying industrial gases to steel, automotive, food processing, and electronics manufacturers in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. Schneider Electric, headquartered in Paris, employs thousands across its Midwest operations in energy management and automation systems.
Business France — the national agency for French economic development — actively promotes these investment corridors through events like the Choose France Forum, which brings French institutions and U.S. decision-makers together to identify new opportunities in both directions. Chicago, as the Midwest’s business capital, sits at the center of that outreach.
The transatlantic investment relationship between France and the U.S. Midwest is a quiet success story that rarely makes headlines — but it employs hundreds of thousands and forms the backbone of bilateral economic ties. businessfrance.fr