Economic Statistics
SPI's statistical reports on the U.S. plastics industry include:
Size and Impact of the Plastics Industry on the U.S. Economy
Global Business Trends: A Detailed Survey of Plastic Trade Flows
Plastics' Contributions to the U.S. Economy
Plastics play an indispensable role in a wide variety of markets, ranging from packaging and building/construction to transportation, consumer and institutional products, furniture and furnishings, electronics and more.
A Few Facts on the Plastics Industry
- The plastics industry is the third largest manufacturing industry in the United States
- The U.S. plastics industry employs more than 885 thousand
- The U.S. plastics industry creates more than $380 billion in annual shipments
- When suppliers to the plastics industry are considered, there are 1.4 million workers and total shipments grow to $465 billion
- There are more than 16,200 plastics facilities in the United States
- The U.S. plastics industry had a $16.3 billion trade surplus in 2011
- The plastics industry has a presence in every state
- From1980 to 2011, U.S. plastics industry shipments have grown at a 0.1 percent annual rate
- From 1980 to 2011, productivity in plastics manufacturing has grown 2.4 percent per year, which is better than the 1.7 percent per year productivity growth for manufacturing as a whole
