Manufacturing Economy Monitor

Paper Products Manufacturing in North Carolina

Paper Products manufacturing added $2.6B of value to North Carolina's economy in 2025, up 0.2% year over year. That ranks North Carolina 11th of 50 states and DC for this industry. It is 2.3% of North Carolina's manufacturing output. Nationally, paper products is a $70.9B industry (the 14th-largest of the 19 manufacturing subsectors), per the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Output and rank

  • Value added: $2.6B in 2025, #11 of 50 states and DC for this industry.
  • Growth: +0.2% year over year.
  • Share of North Carolina's manufacturing: 2.3% of the state's total manufacturing value added.
  • National context: paper products is a $70.9B industry nationally, #14 of the 19 manufacturing subsectors (+2.8% year over year).
  • Classification: nondurable goods manufacturing (BEA subsector 322).

Frequently asked questions

  • How big is the paper products industry in North Carolina? Paper Products added $2.6B of value in North Carolina in 2025, ranking the state 11th of 50 states and DC for this industry, per BEA state GDP-by-industry data.
  • Is paper products growing in North Carolina? North Carolina's paper products output grew 0.2% year over year to 2025. The chart above traces the full annual series since 1997.
  • What share of North Carolina's manufacturing is paper products? Paper Products is 2.3% of North Carolina's total manufacturing value added in 2025, 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 2026-10-01.