The office supply industry spans specialized stores, business-solutions providers, technology, furniture, printing, and related paper flows. The closest official U.S. retail classification counted 4,210 employer establishments in 2023, while company and federal data show how sales, channels, materials, and adjacent occupations fit around that retail core.
Key Office Supply Industry Statistics
The most useful high-level figures are:
- 4,210 employer establishments were counted in NAICS 45321, office supplies and stationery stores, in the United States in 2023.
- $1.278029 billion in annual payroll was reported for U.S. NAICS 45321 employer establishments in 2023.
- 1,513 establishments with fewer than 5 employees operated in U.S. NAICS 45321 in 2023.
- 1,366 establishments with 10–19 employees operated in U.S. NAICS 45321 in 2023.
- 2,557 corporate-form establishments were counted in U.S. NAICS 45321 in 2023.
- $3.358 billion in external sales came from the Office Depot Division in fiscal 2024 across its United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands operations.
- Office Depot Division sales declined 14% in fiscal 2024, following reported declines of 13% in 2023 and 8% in 2022.
- $121 million in operating income was reported by the Office Depot Division in fiscal 2024.
- 869 Office Depot retail stores were operating at the end of fiscal 2024, down from 916 at the end of fiscal 2023.
- 33% of Office Depot Division total sales came through e-commerce in fiscal 2024.
- $3.451 billion in consolidated supplies sales was reported by ODP in fiscal 2024.
- $1.928 billion in consolidated technology sales was reported by ODP in fiscal 2024.
- $620 million in consolidated copy and print sales was reported by ODP in fiscal 2024.
- 67.4 million tons of paper and paperboard were in U.S. municipal solid waste generation in 2018, representing 23.1% of total MSW generation.
- 46.0 million tons of paper and paperboard were recycled in the United States in 2018.
- 68.2% was the U.S. paper and paperboard recycling rate in 2018, compared with 42.8% in 2000.
- 30.6% of U.S. workers required sedentary strength in 2024, while 33.3% required light strength.
- 79.4% of the workday was spent sitting by U.S. office and administrative support workers in the 2023 BLS profile.
Contents
- U.S. office supply establishments and business structure
- Office supply sales, payroll, and company trends
- Office Depot retail, stores, and e-commerce
- Office supply product categories and internal flows
- Paper use, recycling, and waste data
- Office and retail work requirements
U.S. Office Supply Establishments and Business Structure
The Census Bureau’s NAICS 45321 classification is the closest official U.S. retail measure for this subject. It covers stores selling stationery, school supplies, office supplies, and combinations of office equipment, furniture, supplies, and computers, but excludes nonstore retailers.
The 2023 Census profile counted 4,210 employer establishments in the United States. County Business Patterns reported annual payroll of 1,278,029 thousand dollars, or $1.278029 billion, for those employer establishments.
| 2023 NAICS 45321 measure | Establishments | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Total employer establishments | 4,210 | United States |
| Fewer than 5 employees | 1,513 | Paid employees |
| 5–9 employees | 549 | Paid employees |
| 10–19 employees | 1,366 | Paid employees |
| 20–49 employees | 775 | Paid employees |
| 50–99 employees | 6 | Paid employees |
Source: CB2300CBP: County Business Patterns, 2023 — Office supplies and stationery stores and 45321: Office supplies and stationery stores — Census Bureau Profile.
The legal-form cross-tabulation counted 2,557 C-corporations and other corporate legal forms. Within that corporate category, 402 establishments had fewer than 5 employees, 219 had 5–9, 1,193 had 10–19, and 734 had 20–49 employees.
These Census measures cover employer establishments with paid employees, not nonemployers, brands, or online-only sellers. They therefore describe the store-based classified segment rather than every business participating in office-supply commerce.
Office Supply Sales, Payroll, and Company Trends
The ODP Corporation provides a detailed public-company view, but its results should not be treated as the whole industry. Its activities include office retail, business solutions, technology, furniture, supply-chain services, and other operations.
| ODP measure | Fiscal 2022 | Fiscal 2023 | Fiscal 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office Depot Division external sales | $4.451 billion | $3.884 billion | $3.358 billion |
| Office Depot Division operating income | $285 million | $230 million | $121 million |
| Operating income as share of sales | 6% | 6% | 4% |
Source: The ODP Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 28, 2024.
The Office Depot Division reported total-sales declines of 8% in 2022, 13% in 2023, and 14% in 2024. ODP’s consolidated sales were $6.990 billion in 2024 compared with $7.823 billion in 2023, an 11% decline; that consolidated measure includes three reportable divisions and is not limited to office-supply retail.
ODP Business Solutions Division sales were $3.578 billion in 2024 and $3.904 billion in 2023, down 8%. Veyer, the supply-chain services division, reported external sales of $54 million in 2024 versus $35 million in 2023, an increase of 54%, while its operating income was $22 million in 2024, $34 million in 2023, and $28 million in 2022.
Office Depot Retail, Stores, and E-Commerce Trends
Office Depot’s store network contracted during each year shown in the filing. The division opened with 1,038 stores and closed 58 in fiscal 2022, opened with 980 and closed 64 in 2023, and opened with 916 and closed 47 in 2024.
| Fiscal year | Opening stores | Stores closed | Ending stores |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,038 | 58 | 980 |
| 2023 | 980 | 64 | 916 |
| 2024 | 916 | 47 | 869 |
The company reported comparable-store-sales decreases of 6% in 2023 and 8% in 2024. Its comparable-store calculation covers stores open at least one year, with stores near closing, remodeling, disasters, or significant downsizing potentially excluded.
E-commerce represented 33% of Office Depot Division total sales in fiscal 2024, up from 30% in both 2023 and 2022. The company’s definition includes warehouse fulfillment, buy online and pick up in store, store-shipped online orders, and same-day delivery from store inventory, so the measure describes an omnichannel sales mix rather than only a warehouse-shipped website order.
Office Supply Product Categories and Internal Flows
ODP’s consolidated category figures show that office-supply commerce is broader than paper and stationery. The company reported supplies, technology, furniture and other, and copy and print as major sales categories.
| Consolidated ODP category | Fiscal 2022 | Fiscal 2023 | Fiscal 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplies | $4.144 billion | $3.899 billion | $3.451 billion |
| Technology | $2.454 billion | $2.171 billion | $1.928 billion |
| Furniture and other | $1.255 billion | $1.102 billion | $991 million |
| Copy and print | $631 million | $651 million | $620 million |
Source: The ODP Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 28, 2024.
The category definitions are company-specific and span ODP’s consolidated operations, so they are not equivalent to NAICS 45321 retail sales. Copy and print includes copy-and-print services and products reported by ODP.
Internal product flows also appear in the filing. Veyer’s internal sales to the Office Depot Division were $4.668 billion in 2024, $5.253 billion in 2023, and $5.855 billion in 2022; internal sales to ODP Business Solutions were $2.5 billion in 2023 and $2.9 billion in 2022.
These internal transactions are eliminated in consolidation and are not external industry revenue. The Business Solutions figures are rounded in the filing, while the Veyer figures describe internal sales rather than customer purchases.
Paper Use, Recycling, and Office Supply Waste Data
Federal paper statistics provide context for a major office-supply material, but they measure national municipal solid waste rather than office-paper consumption. EPA estimated that U.S. MSW contained 67.4 million tons of paper and paperboard generation in 2018, equal to 23.1% of total MSW generation.
| U.S. paper and paperboard measure | 2000 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recycling rate | 42.8% | 65.9% | 68.2% |
| Generation | 87.7 million tons | — | 67.4 million tons |
| Recycled | — | — | 46.0 million tons |
Sources: National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling and Paper and Paperboard: Material-Specific Data.
EPA estimated that 46.0 million tons of paper and paperboard were recycled in 2018, and that paper recycling equated to 1.16 pounds per person per day. The paper and paperboard generation series declined from 87.7 million tons in 2000 to 67.4 million tons in 2018.
Other 2018 material-flow estimates show why category boundaries matter: nondurable paper goods excluding newspapers had a 43.1% recycling rate, newspapers 64.8%, paper containers and packaging excluding corrugated boxes 20.8%, and corrugated boxes 96.5%.
EPA also estimated that 4.2 million tons of paper and paperboard were combusted in 2018, representing 12.2% of all MSW combusted. Landfills received 17.2 million tons, or 11.8% of MSW landfilled.
These are EPA estimates based on post-consumer MSW flows and material-flow methods. They should not be presented as office-paper consumption or office-supply recycling alone.
Office and Retail Work Requirements in Industry Statistics
BLS Occupational Requirements Survey data describe job requirements, not employment inside office-supply businesses. They are useful proxies for the work context around office and retail operations, but they do not measure hiring outcomes or industry-specific workforce shares.
In 2024, a sedentary strength level was required for 30.6% of U.S. civilian workers, while a light strength level was required for 33.3%. Among counter and rental clerks, 68.0% required sedentary or light strength, and 77.3% required more than a short demonstration and up to one month of preparation.
Among retail salespersons, 64.4% required sedentary or light strength in 2024. The preparation-time measure was 76.9% for more than a short demonstration and up to one month, describing the job requirement rather than actual training completion.
The BLS 2023 occupational profile reported that the choice to sit or stand while performing critical tasks was available to 80.9% of office and administrative support workers. That group spent an average 79.4% of the workday sitting and 20.6% standing.
Source: Occupational Requirements in the United States — 2024 A01 Results and Occupational Requirements Survey: Occupational Profiles.
The occupational groupings are broader than the office-supply industry, and the strength categories shown here do not sum to all workers because other levels are omitted. Their value is descriptive: they indicate the physical and preparation requirements reported for relevant office and retail occupations, not the size or performance of office-supply employment.