Laser printer statistics span more than device sales. The available measures cover U.S. printing-industry employment and establishments, productivity, labor costs, ENERGY STAR criteria, paper waste and workplace outcomes.
Because the definitions differ, printing-industry figures should not be read as direct measures of laser-printer ownership or household use.
Key Laser Printer Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- In August 2026, 338.5 thousand people were employed in U.S. printing and related support activities under NAICS 323.
- In Q1 2026, 27,291 private-industry printing establishments operated in the United States.
- In 2025, U.S. printing and related support activities recorded a 3.1% annual decline in output.
- In 2025, labor productivity in U.S. printing and related support activities fell 0.4% from the prior year.
- In 2025, unit labor costs in U.S. printing and related support activities rose 3.3% from the prior year.
- In August 2026, average hourly earnings in U.S. printing and related support activities were $31.13.
- In August 2026, employees in U.S. printing and related support activities averaged 37.3 hours per week.
- In 2025, first-line printing production supervisors had a median annual wage of $65,320 in the United States.
- Effective January 1, 2014, ENERGY STAR used two requirement groups for imaging equipment, separating laser office printers and multifunction devices from other products.
- For ENERGY STAR monochrome non-MFD printers at 5 images per minute or less, the TEC requirement was 0.3 kWh per week.
- For ENERGY STAR monochrome non-MFD printers operating from more than 40 through 65 images per minute, the TEC formula was 0.16 times speed minus 3.8 kWh per week.
- On October 1, 2026, the ENERGY STAR imaging-equipment catalog displayed 2,735 certified imaging-equipment results.
- In 2018, U.S. paper and paperboard municipal solid waste totaled 67.4 million tons generated.
- In 2018, 46.0 million tons of U.S. paper and paperboard were recycled.
- In 2018, the U.S. paper-and-paperboard recycling rate was 68.2%.
- In 2018, U.S. landfills received 17.2 million tons of paper and paperboard municipal solid waste.
- In 2024, printing and related support activities recorded 1.6 total recordable injury-and-illness cases per 100 full-time workers.
Contents
- Printing-industry scale and laser printer context
- Printing productivity and output trends
- Printing labor costs, hours and pay
- Laser-printer energy criteria and certification signals
- Paper consumption, recycling and disposal
- Printing workplace outcomes and operational pressure
Printing-Industry Scale and Laser Printer Context
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) NAICS 323 series measures “Printing and Related Support Activities.” It is a broad industry measure, so it includes printing and support activities rather than laser-printer manufacturing, ownership or usage alone.
| Measure | Period | U.S. value | Definition and status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | May 2026 | 340.3 thousand | Seasonally adjusted; observed |
| Employment | June 2026 | 339.7 thousand | Seasonally adjusted; observed |
| Employment | July 2026 | 339.6 thousand | Seasonally adjusted; preliminary |
| Employment | August 2026 | 338.5 thousand | Seasonally adjusted; preliminary |
| Private printing establishments | Q2 2025 | 27,377 | Each establishment is one physical location |
| Private printing establishments | Q1 2026 | 27,291 | Preliminary BLS count |
Source: Printing and Related Support Activities: NAICS 323, BLS Industry at a Glance. The establishment figures are not a count of printer-owning businesses, and the employment series is not a count of people operating laser printers.
One occupation-specific measure provides additional scale. In 2025, first-line supervisors and managers of production and operating workers in this industry numbered 15,950 employees, an OEWS estimate for an occupation common to NAICS 323 rather than total industry employment.
Printing Productivity and Output Trends
BLS productivity statistics describe annual changes from the prior year. “Labor productivity” means output per hour, while hours worked and output are separate measures; none is a direct speed test for an office laser printer.
| Year | Labor productivity | Hours worked | Output | Unit labor costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -2.1% | 0.8% | -1.3% | 11.3% |
| 2023 | -6.1% | -3.4% | -9.3% | 8.1% |
| 2024 | 1.1% | -3.3% | -2.3% | 2.3% |
| 2025 | -0.4% | -2.7% | -3.1% | 3.3% |
Source: Printing and Related Support Activities: NAICS 323, BLS productivity tables. Every percentage in the table is an annual change from the preceding year, not a level.
The 2023 figures show the sharpest annual declines in this four-year series for labor productivity and output. The 2024 productivity measure turned positive at 1.1%, but output still declined 2.3%, and the 2025 series again showed a negative 0.4% productivity change alongside a 3.1% output decline.
Printing Labor Costs, Hours and Pay
BLS Current Employment Statistics provide a monthly, seasonally adjusted view for all employees in NAICS 323. The latest supplied observations show hourly earnings rising from $30.85 in May 2026 to $31.13 in August 2026, while average weekly hours moved from 37.5 to 37.3.
| Period | Average hourly earnings | Average weekly hours |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | $30.85 | 37.5 |
| June 2026 | $31.08 | 37.5 |
| July 2026 | $31.24 | 37.3 |
| August 2026 | $31.13 | 37.3 |
Source: Printing and Related Support Activities: NAICS 323, BLS earnings and hours tables. July and August 2026 values are preliminary where BLS marks them preliminary.
Occupation-level wage data provide a different perspective and should not be substituted for the industry-wide average. In 2025, first-line supervisors and managers of production and operating workers in printing had a $31.41 median hourly wage and a $33.69 mean hourly wage.
The same 2025 OEWS estimate reported a $65,320 median annual wage and a $70,060 mean annual wage for that occupation in the United States. These are occupation-specific wage estimates, not an industry-wide average and not the cost of operating a laser printer.
Laser-Printer Energy Criteria and Certification Signals
ENERGY STAR classifies imaging equipment into two requirement groups. Laser office printers and multifunction devices use Typical Electricity Consumption (TEC), while other products use Operational Mode requirements; this is a certification framework, not observed fleet consumption.
For monochrome non-MFD laser-printer categories, the supplied ENERGY STAR criteria vary by rated speed:
- At 5 images per minute or less, the TEC requirement is 0.3 kWh per week.
- From 5 to 20 images per minute, the formula is 0.04 times speed plus 0.1 kWh per week.
- Above 20 through 30 images per minute, the formula is 0.06 times speed minus 0.3 kWh per week.
- Above 30 through 40 images per minute, the formula is 0.11 times speed minus 1.8 kWh per week.
- Above 40 through 65 images per minute, the formula is 0.16 times speed minus 3.8 kWh per week.
Source: Imaging Equipment Key Product Criteria, ENERGY STAR. These are specification thresholds, and speed is measured in images per minute; they do not describe every printer sold or the energy use of a particular installation.
The same criteria page gives maximum TEC values for data-front-end equipment: 10.9 kWh per week for Type 1 Category A and 18.2 kWh per week for Type 2 Category B. Category B requires two physical CPUs or one CPU plus at least one discrete accelerator, and these thresholds apply to the DFE rather than whole-printer fleet use.
The ENERGY STAR ProductFinder provides a catalog signal, not adoption or market share. On October 1, 2026, its imaging-equipment results page displayed 1–20 of 2,735 certified imaging-equipment results and showed 17 certified digital duplicators in the type filter.
Source: ENERGY STAR ProductFinder | EPA ENERGY STAR. The dynamic result count is not specific to laser printers, multifunction devices or market share.
Paper Consumption, Recycling and Disposal Data
EPA paper statistics put printer output in the context of the wider U.S. municipal solid waste stream. The categories include office paper, newspapers, tissue, containers and packaging, so they are broader than laser-printer pages alone.
| 2018 U.S. paper measure | Quantity or rate | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Paper and paperboard generated | 67.4 million tons | Municipal solid waste |
| Share of total MSW generation | 23.1% | Paper and paperboard |
| Recycled | 46.0 million tons | Paper and paperboard |
| Recycling rate | 68.2% | Paper and paperboard |
| Combusted with energy recovery | 4.2 million tons | Paper and paperboard MSW |
| Sent to landfills | 17.2 million tons | Paper and paperboard MSW |
Source: Paper and Paperboard: Material-Specific Data, EPA. These are 2018 estimates based on AF&PA statistics and include all paper and paperboard products.
Recycling performance varied by category in the same 2018 EPA data. Corrugated boxes had a 96.5% recycling rate, newspapers had 64.8%, paper nondurable goods excluding newspapers had 43.1%, and paper containers and packaging excluding corrugated boxes had 20.8%.
Those rates should not be treated as printer-paper-specific outcomes. They show why paper disposal statistics need a defined material category before being used to describe office laser printing.
Printing Workplace Outcomes and Operational Pressure
BLS workplace measures cover employees in printing and related support activities, not people exposed to a particular laser-printer model. The series also has a classification break beginning in 2023 because of NAICS 2022.
| Workplace measure | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Workplace fatalities | 8 | 8 |
| Total recordable injury-and-illness rate | Not supplied | 1.6 per 100 full-time workers |
| Cases involving days away, restriction or transfer | Not supplied | 1.0 per 100 full-time workers |
| Cases involving days away from work | Not supplied | 0.6 per 100 full-time workers |
| Cases involving job transfer or restriction | Not supplied | 0.4 per 100 full-time workers |
Source: Printing and Related Support Activities: NAICS 323, BLS fatalities and injuries tables. The rates are work-related cases per 100 full-time workers, not laser-printer user exposure rates.
The two annual fatality observations are both 8 workplace fatalities, one in 2023 and one in 2024. Because the classification break begins in 2023, comparisons with earlier classifications require care; the supplied data do not establish a laser-printer-specific safety trend.
For readers evaluating the broader printing environment, the 2024 injury-and-illness measures distinguish total recordable cases from cases involving days away, restriction or transfer. Keeping those definitions separate prevents a workplace rate from being misread as a device reliability, emissions or consumer-health statistic.