Wood & Paper Products
The region is a center for furniture, barrel, hardwood flooring, and paper manufacturing. Manufacturers have found great success with the OhioSE region’s abundant and high-quality labor. Nearly 60 sawmills fuel many of these operations. An excellent four-lane highway system across the region links together the supply chain to get manufactured products to market.
Ohio is the #1 state for unupholstered wood furniture manufacturing and our region is home to coveted Appalachian Hardwoods.
Fast Facts
#1
state for unupholstered wood furniture manufacturing
85%
of Ohio’s Commercial Logging employees work in Appalachian Ohio
Below
Taxes, wage rates, and utility costs below national and regional averages
97%
of Ohio’s forests are hardwood species
4th
largest state measured by manufacturing output
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“We take great pride in the furniture we produce and now offer one of the most complete custom dining lines in the country. We are most appreciative to OhioSE and JobsOhio for their continued support.”
Bryan Coblentz / Mavin Furniture
Leading Wood & Paper Product Companies in the Ohio SE Region
Wood & Paper Stats
The OhioSE region has over 30 billion board feet of standing timber with over 400 million board feet of hardwood harvested each year. The hardwood and paper products supply chain is well developed with logging, sawmills, kilns, stave mills, and specialized trucking operations across the region.
Download the Industry Spec Sheet410
Businesses
8,760
Industry workers
231%
More jobs in the Wood & Paper Industry than the national average
1,225
Annual degrees completed in relevant industry fields
Key Regional Assets
Ohio has nine foreign trade zones and is the only state in the Midwest with direct shipping routes to Europe for both container and heavy goods. Our taxes, wage rates, and utility costs are below national and regional averages. Ohio taxes are some of the most favorable in the USA for manufacturing or any business selling goods and services outside of Ohio. In 2021, the Tax Foundation ranked Ohio 4th most favorable for capital-intensive manufacturers for mature firms and 3rd for capital-intensive manufacturing for new firms.
Why Ohio Southeast
The industry added over $900M into the region’s GRP.
In Southeast Ohio, the industry employs nearly 7,000 people.
Average annual wages are 10% below the national average and up to 25% lower than nearby metro areas.
Rail service includes Norfolk Southern, CSX Transportation, local and regional railroads.
Wood products manufacturing is driven by a workforce 4x more specialized than the national average.
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