Economic Contributions

Paints and coatings provide real value and are necessary for protecting and preserving the objects to which they are applied. Coatings are applied to almost everything we own and use, prolonging usefulness and providing protection from scratches, rust and corrosion.

The industry makes significant contributions to the U.S. economy and to the people employed in the industry.

  • In 2006, the paint and coatings industry’s contribution to the GDP was $20.9 billion.
  • The industry is comprised of approximately 54,200 establishment.
  • The U.S. paint and coatings industry employed over 354,900 people in 2006, up 3 percent or 10,400 jobs from 2005.
  • The payroll for the U.S. paint and coatings industry reached $13.1 billion in 2006.
  • The U.S. paint and coatings industry payroll grew by four percent between 2005 and 2006, compared to three percent growth for the entire private sector, adjusted for inflation.
  • The U.S. paint and coatings industry paid an average annual wage of $37,000 in 2006, an increase of one percent over 2005, adjusted for inflation.
  • The highest average annual wage was paid by the paint and coatings manufacturing sector at $55,200 in 2006.
  • The highest paid paint and coatings industry wages were those in Ohio, where the annual average wage was $49,700 in 2006, up by nine percent since 1997, adjusted for inflation.
  • New Jersey's 9,100 paint and coatings industry workers received the second highest annual average wages at $46,800 in 2006, jumping by eight percent between 2005 and 2006, adjusted for inflation.
  • According to 2006 data, coatings products increased the value of other products to which they were applied by more than $12 billion.


Top 10 States with the Highest Number of Paint and Coatings Inudustry Employees


Top 30 States with the Highest Number of Paint and Coatings Establishments


U.S. Exports

  • The United States exported $1.6 billion in paint and coatings products in 2006, up by 9 percent or $126 million from 2005.
  • The U.S. paint and coatings industry posted a trade surplus of $930 million in 2006, rising 6 percent from 2005 and 51 percent from 1997.
  • The third largest export market for U.S. paint and coatings products was China at $56 million in 2006.
  • Two-thirds of all U.S. paint and coatings industry exports were sold to our NAFTA partners in 2006, totaling more than $1 billion.
  • The U.S. NAFTA partners of Canada and Mexico were the first and second largest markets for U.S. exports in paint and coatings products for 2006. U.S. exports to Canada reached a record high of $749 million, while exports to Mexico totaled $268 million in 2006.
  • Germany and South Korea rounded out the top five leading export markets of U.S. paint and coatings products in 2006, at$46 million and $39 million, respectively.

 

This information was compiled by the National Paint and Coatings Association (NPCA). NPCA is a voluntary, nonprofit trade association representing paint and coatings manufacturers, raw materials suppliers and distributors. As the preeminent organization representing the paint and coatings industry in the United States, NPCA’s primary role is to serve as ally and advocate on legislative, regulatory and judicial issues at the federal, state and local levels.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Census, 2006 Annual Survey of Manufacturers; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; U.S. Bureau of Census, Foreign Trade Division, Origin of Movement Series.