REFERENCE DESK · UPDATED SEPTEMBER 28, 2026
Six sourced facts about the U.S. screen-printing industry, its workforce, and the broader printing sector. Built for reporters, writers, researchers, and apparel professionals who need numbers they can verify.
WHAT THIS COVERS
Screen printing sits at the crossroads of apparel, events, team identity, and small-business branding. The official datasets do not capture every custom-apparel technique separately, so each statistic below names its exact industry scope. That makes the page more useful to quote accurately.
CITABLE FACTS
5,854
The Census Bureau counted 5,854 employer establishments in Commercial Screen Printing, NAICS 323113, in 2023. This classification expressly includes printing on apparel and textile products such as T-shirts, caps, jackets, towels, and napkins.
SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU, COUNTY BUSINESS PATTERNS, 2023 ↗STAT 01144,000
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 144,000 printing press operator jobs in the United States in 2024. The occupation covers operators of digital, letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, and other printing machines.
SOURCE: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS, 2024 ↗STAT 02131,400
BLS projects 131,400 printing press operator jobs in 2034, down 8.7% from 2024. Its projection still identifies an average of 12,100 openings a year from replacement needs and other turnover.
SOURCE: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS, 2024–34 ↗STAT 03$45,780
The 2024 median annual wage for printing press operators was $45,780, according to BLS projections data.
SOURCE: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS, 2024 ↗STAT 041.6
Printing and related support activities recorded 1.6 total recordable injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers in 2024. This is an industry-wide safety measure for NAICS 323, not a screen-printing-only rate.
SOURCE: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS INDUSTRY SAFETY DATA, 2024 ↗STAT 051.0
Within the same NAICS 323 industry measure, 1.0 cases per 100 full-time workers involved days away from work, job restrictions, or a job transfer in 2024.
SOURCE: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS INDUSTRY SAFETY DATA, 2024 ↗STAT 06METHODOLOGY & SOURCES
Last reviewed September 28, 2026. This page uses the most recently available figures from the public sources below. Census NAICS 323113 is the closest official U.S. industry classification for commercial screen printing, and it includes printing on apparel and textile products. Workforce and safety figures use the broader occupation or industry categories identified with each fact.
CITE THIS PAGE
Urban World Screen Printing & Embroidery. “Screen Printing Industry Statistics: U.S. Facts & Workforce Outlook.” Updated September 28, 2026. https://urbanworldtshirts.com/screen-printing-statistics
Looking for a partner to put a design into print? Explore screen printing, direct to garment, embroidery, DTF, custom patches, or rhinestone apparel printing.