In our ongoing, semi-weekly look at establishment and employee counts of graphic arts businesses, we have been looking at packaging/paper converting establishments. In 2012, there were 348 establishments in NAICS 322219 (Other Paperboard Container Manufacturing), and by 2022, that number had declined to 266, a drop of -24%.
The Bureau of the Census definition for this business classification:
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in converting paperboard into paperboard containers (except corrugated, solid fiber, and folding paperboard boxes) without manufacturing paperboard.
As you may have guessed, this is a catchall category that rounds up all the businesses that don’t fit into 32221 (Paperboard Container Manufacturing). This NAICS was created in 2012 after the 2012 Economic Census, and was used to round up discontinued subcategories, such as setup paperboard box manufacturing; fiber can, tube, drum, and similar products manufacturing; and nonfolding sanitary food container manufacturing. Some of the products that are produced by establishments in this NAICS include fiber cans and drums (i.e., all-fiber, non-fiber ends of any material) made from purchased paperboard, milk cartons, sanitary food containers, and other forms of liquid packaging, such as that used to hold water, soft drinks, dairy products, and fruit juices.
Establishments in this category are larger than we usually see in the printing and publishing industries. Small paperboard container manufacturers (1–9 employees and 10–19 employees) each account for 14% of all establishments, while large manufacturers (50+ employees) account for 39% of establishments. Mid-size establishments account for 33%.
These counts are based on data from the Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns. Every other week, we update these data series with the latest figures. These counts are broken down by printing business classification (based on NAICS, the North American Industrial Classification System).
Next up, we’ll continue through the converting NAICS categories:
- 32222 Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturing
- 32223 Stationery Product Manufacturing
- 32229 Other Converted Paper Product Manufacturing
- 322291 Sanitary Paper Product Manufacturing
- 322299 All Other Converted Paper Product Manufacturing
To clarify what is included in the 2022 CBP, establishment counts represent the number of locations with paid employees at any time during the year. If an establishment existed at any point during the year, it would be included in the CBP count of the number of establishments for 2022 CBP.
These data, and the overarching year-to-year trends, like other demographic data, can be used not only for business planning and forecasting, but also sales and marketing resource allocation.
This Macro Moment…
Last week, the BEA released its second estimate of Q2 GDP growth, and it was revised up from 3.0% to 3.3%.
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.3 percent in the second quarter of 2025 (April, May, and June), according to the second estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP decreased 0.5 percent.
Bureau of Economic Analysis
The increase in real GDP in the second quarter primarily reflected a decrease in imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, and an increase in consumer spending. These movements were partly offset by decreases in investment and exports.
As for how Q3 is shaping up, the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow estimates, as of September 2, that GDP growth will be 3.0%.
