Packaging Industry Supports 1.8 Million U.S. Jobs
The packaging sector sustains 1.8 million jobs and contributes $63.35 billion in annual taxes for the U.S. economy.
Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Employment
Live Poll
Do you view the growth of the U.S. packaging industry as a net benefit for the economy?
The 2026 Packaging Industry Economic Impacts Study estimates that the industry supports 1.8 million jobs across the U.S. economy. Packaging manufacturers also contribute $63.35 billion in total federal, state, and local tax revenue.
Why it matters
The study highlights how deeply integrated packaging is across the broader economy, as it touches more than 500 distinct business sectors. Understanding this footprint helps operators benchmark the scale and tax contribution of one of the nation's core industrial supports.
The U.S. packaging industry accounts for 2.14% of GDP and supports 1.8 million jobs, with workers receiving $160.39 billion in combined wages and benefits. The industry additionally contributes $63.35 billion in total tax revenue, comprised of $40.13 billion in federal and $23.22 billion in state and local taxes.
The details
Using the IMPLAN economic model, researchers synthesized Data Axle employment records and U.S. Economic Census sales figures to map the industry's influence. This methodology accounts for direct employment, as well as the indirect impact of supplier networks and induced activity from worker spending. The resulting data demonstrates that packaging serves as a critical infrastructure layer influencing operations across more than 500 different U.S. economic sectors.
Timeline
The Packaging Industry Economic Impacts Study was released in 2026.
Market Landscape
This research builds upon the U.S. Economic Census by applying the IMPLAN modeling framework to quantify industry-wide economic contributions. It establishes a baseline for the sector's scale relative to the broader manufacturing and industrial supply chain.
Operators in any of the 500 impacted sectors should consider how packaging costs ripple through their procurement and tax-related operational overhead. These figures provide a baseline for business owners to assess their own industry's reliance on the packaging supply chain.
The takeaway
The packaging industry functions as an essential, high-reach multiplier for the national economy. Operators should track their packaging-related expenditures as a proxy for broader supply chain health, given the industry's influence on tax burdens and labor costs across hundreds of business sectors.
Further reading
For broader trends on labor shifts and industrial output, explore Employment.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Refrigeratedfrozenfood.
Live Poll
Do you view the growth of the U.S. packaging industry as a net benefit for the economy?
