3261/Plastics Product Manufacturing
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
677K
employees, 2023
677K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 9,636 US Plastics Product Manufacturing business locations employed 677,305 people and paid $40.5 billion in annual payroll, $59,808 per employee on average. Employment was up 0.8% from 2022. Ohio had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
9,636
-0.4% vs 2022
Employees
677,305
+0.8% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$40.5B
+5.1% vs 2022
Average pay
$59,808
+4.3% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Plastics Product Manufacturing in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 637 | 53,550 | $58,897 | 1.05% |
| Texas | 665 | 47,653 | $58,623 | 0.40% |
| Michigan | 517 | 46,953 | $54,455 | 1.16% |
| California | 976 | 45,039 | $67,310 | 0.27% |
| Indiana | 400 | 36,642 | $53,110 | 1.25% |
| Illinois | 540 | 35,895 | $65,320 | 0.63% |
| Pennsylvania | 493 | 35,817 | $60,254 | 0.63% |
| Wisconsin | 373 | 30,742 | $63,160 | 1.16% |
| North Carolina | 314 | 28,825 | $59,414 | 0.67% |
| Georgia | 302 | 26,967 | $55,510 | 0.61% |
| Tennessee | 249 | 20,557 | $55,171 | 0.69% |
| New York | 328 | 19,266 | $62,738 | 0.22% |
| Kentucky | 141 | 18,733 | $52,396 | 1.10% |
| South Carolina | 173 | 16,841 | $60,671 | 0.81% |
| Virginia | 125 | 16,648 | $58,005 | 0.46% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 50.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Plastics Product Manufacturing employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 451 | 28,007 | $67,753 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 215 | 19,120 | $58,602 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 421 | 18,965 | $72,508 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 177 | 17,254 | $55,431 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 339 | 16,581 | $60,080 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 191 | 15,639 | $54,009 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 103 | 11,613 | $57,561 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 170 | 10,338 | $67,025 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 187 | 10,280 | $60,772 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 177 | 9,119 | $58,680 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 101 | 9,094 | $60,108 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 144 | 9,039 | $82,227 |
| Cleveland, OH | 131 | 7,452 | $55,436 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 50 | 7,344 | $65,048 |
| Columbus, OH | 72 | 6,577 | $66,184 |
Business size
US Plastics Product Manufacturing business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 1,794 | 18.6% |
| 5 to 9 | 1,064 | 11.0% |
| 10 to 19 | 1,362 | 14.1% |
| 20 to 49 | 1,965 | 20.4% |
| 50 to 99 | 1,538 | 16.0% |
| 100 to 249 | 1,363 | 14.1% |
| 250 to 499 | 406 | 4.2% |
| 500 to 999 | 103 | 1.1% |
| 1,000 or more | 41 | 0.4% |
Related industries
Plastics Product Manufacturing and the 7 industries directly below it
Part of Manufacturing 31-33Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing 326
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32619 | Other Plastics Product Manufacturing | 410,729 | $56,854 |
| 32611 | Plastics Packaging Materials and Unlaminated Film and Sheet Manufacturing | 110,199 | $68,612 |
| 32612 | Plastics Pipe, Pipe Fitting, and Unlaminated Profile Shape Manufacturing | 44,297 | $65,654 |
| 32616 | Plastics Bottle Manufacturing | 37,673 | $61,261 |
| 32615 | Urethane and Other Foam Product (except Polystyrene) Manufacturing | 33,466 | $55,935 |
| 32614 | Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing | 28,573 | $58,745 |
| 32613 | Laminated Plastics Plate, Sheet (except Packaging), and Shape Manufacturing | 12,368 | $67,050 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Plastics Product Manufacturing in the US?
677,305 people worked at 9,636 US Plastics Product Manufacturing business locations in 2023, up 0.8% from 2022. That is 0.48% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Plastics Product Manufacturing?
$59,808 a year per employee in 2023, from $40.5 billion in annual payroll (up 4.3% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Plastics Product Manufacturing jobs?
Ohio had the most, with 53,550 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (47,653) and Michigan (46,953).
Which metro areas have the most Plastics Product Manufacturing jobs?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (28,007), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (19,120), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (18,965) had the most Plastics Product Manufacturing employees in 2023.
Are most Plastics Product Manufacturing businesses small?
43.8% of the 9,636 Plastics Product Manufacturing business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 144 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.