Manufacturing Economy Monitor

Paper Products Manufacturing in Iowa

Paper Products manufacturing added $681M of value to Iowa's economy in 2024, down 2.9% year over year. That ranks Iowa 31th of 51 states and DC for this industry. It is 1.5% of Iowa's manufacturing output. Nationally, paper products is a $75.2B industry (the 14th-largest of the 19 manufacturing subsectors), per the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Output and rank

  • Value added: $681M in 2024, #31 of 51 states and DC for this industry.
  • Growth: -2.9% year over year.
  • Share of Iowa's manufacturing: 1.5% of the state's total manufacturing value added.
  • National context: paper products is a $75.2B industry nationally, #14 of the 19 manufacturing subsectors (+1.1% year over year).
  • Classification: nondurable goods manufacturing (BEA subsector 322).

Frequently asked questions

  • How big is the paper products industry in Iowa? Paper Products added $681M of value in Iowa in 2024, ranking the state 31th of 51 for this industry, per BEA state GDP-by-industry data.
  • Is paper products growing in Iowa? Iowa's paper products output shrank 2.9% year over year to 2024. The chart above traces the full annual series since 1997.
  • What share of Iowa's manufacturing is paper products? Paper Products is 1.5% of Iowa's total manufacturing value added in 2024, per BEA state GDP-by-industry data.

About this data

  • Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (public domain). National quarterly values are seasonally adjusted annual rates. Corporate-profit industry detail reflects inventory valuation adjustment without capital consumption adjustment, per NIPA table 6.16D conventions.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.