Sell plastic pallets in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania had 123,481 warehousing jobs in 2025, 3rd among the states, and its most concentrated pallet-using industry is warehousing and storage. Send the lot with its ZIP; the desk reads size, style, grade and marks, and rules it sold, returned or scrapped.
Last reviewed November 12, 2026
Pennsylvania in numbers
- Warehousing and storage jobs, 2025
- 123,481 (3rd of 50 states)
- Warehousing establishments
- 1,162 (4th of 50); about 106 jobs each
- Share of US warehousing jobs
- 6.49%
- Food manufacturing jobs
- 82,538 (4th of 50)
- Most concentrated pallet-using industry
- warehousing and storage, 1.6x the national share of employment
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing jobs
- 20,358
- Motor vehicle assembly jobs
- 3,556
- Auto parts jobs
- 5,730
- Refrigerated warehouse space, October 1, 2025
- 228 million cubic feet (7th of 50)
Reading a Pennsylvania lot
Count the warehouses and Pennsylvania comes 4th; count the jobs in them and it comes 3rd. Only 2 states are larger by warehousing jobs. With about 106 people a site against a national 82, a single dock here can hold a truckload at once.
Pennsylvania has 0.7 food manufacturing jobs for every warehousing job, against 0.9 across the fifty states. Distribution carries more weight than food production, and a dock that receives from many suppliers collects many marks. Among the other industries counted here, pharmaceutical manufacturing (20,358 jobs) is 5.7 times the size of motor vehicle assembly (3,556).
Luzerne County holds 11.0% of Pennsylvania's warehousing jobs, and the top 3 listed hold 29.1%. The jobs are spread across the state, so no one county sets the route. The dossier follows 6 metros in Pennsylvania: Lehigh Valley, Harrisburg-Carlisle, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pittsburgh, Lancaster and Scranton-Wilkes-Barre.
USDA counted 228 million cubic feet of refrigerated warehouse space in Pennsylvania, 7th of 50 and about 1,846 cubic feet for each warehousing job, against 2,254 across the states it reports. Cold storage is a smaller part of the picture here, so most lots come off ambient docks.
Where Pennsylvania's warehousing jobs sit
| County | Warehousing jobs | Share of the state's total |
|---|---|---|
| Luzerne | 13,602 | 11.0% |
| Cumberland | 12,506 | 10.1% |
| Lehigh | 9,774 | 7.9% |
What Pennsylvania's industries put on the dock
- Warehousing and storage: 123,481 jobs, 2025
- Plastics product manufacturing: 34,094 jobs, 2025
- Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing: 20,358 jobs, 2025
- Refrigerated warehousing: 4,102 jobs, 2025
By location quotient warehousing and storage leads in Pennsylvania, with 1.6 times the national share of employment. The page on distribution centers shows what that industry sets down on a dock.
Metros and freight clusters in Pennsylvania
Lehigh Valley. Lehigh Valley (Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton): 4 counties (Warren, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton). 19,122 private jobs in warehousing and storage in 2025 (1.01% of the US total; 5.7% of local private jobs), disclosed counties only. Largest warehousing counties: Lehigh (9,774), Northampton (9,164), Warren (184). Most concentrated: warehousing and storage at 4.0x the national share of employment. ZIPs with the most warehousing establishments (Census ZBP 2023): 18031 Breinigsville (12), 18015 Bethlehem (12), 18106 Allentown (10), 18045 Easton (9), 18020 Bethlehem (7).
Harrisburg-Carlisle. Harrisburg-Carlisle: 3 counties (Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry). 17,241 private jobs in warehousing and storage in 2025 (0.91% of the US total; 6.1% of local private jobs). Largest warehousing counties: Cumberland (12,506), Dauphin (4,735). Most concentrated: warehousing and storage at 4.3x the national share of employment. ZIPs with the most warehousing establishments (Census ZBP 2023): 17050 Mechanicsburg (20), 17013 Carlisle (17), 17055 Mechanicsburg (13), 17015 Carlisle (13), 17011 Camp Hill (10).
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington: 11 counties (Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Bucks, Chester, Montgomery...). 38,250 private jobs in warehousing and storage in 2025 (2.01% of the US total; 1.5% of local private jobs), disclosed counties only. Largest warehousing counties: Burlington (10,713), Gloucester (9,948), Philadelphia (4,671). Most concentrated: pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing at 2.3x the national share of employment. ZIPs with the most warehousing establishments (Census ZBP 2023): 08102 Camden (33), 19720 New Castle (25), 08085 Swedesboro (23), 08016 Burlington (21), 19007 Bristol (13).
Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh: 8 counties (Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Lawrence...). 9,826 private jobs in warehousing and storage in 2025 (0.52% of the US total; 1.0% of local private jobs), disclosed counties only. Largest warehousing counties: Allegheny (5,508), Westmoreland (2,899), Butler (707). Most concentrated: warehousing and storage at 0.7x the national share of employment. ZIPs with the most warehousing establishments (Census ZBP 2023): 16066 Cranberry Township (10), 15233 Pittsburgh (5), 15205 Pittsburgh (5), 15126 Imperial (5), 15108 Coraopolis (5).
Lancaster. Lancaster: 1 counties (Lancaster). 6,994 private jobs in warehousing and storage in 2025 (0.37% of the US total; 3.0% of local private jobs). Most concentrated: dairy product manufacturing at 4.5x the national share of employment. ZIPs with the most warehousing establishments (Census ZBP 2023): 17601 Lancaster (14), 17022 Elizabethtown (7), 17554 Mountville (5), 17517 Denver (4), 17557 New Holland (3).
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre. Scranton-Wilkes-Barre: 3 counties (Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming). 18,912 private jobs in warehousing and storage in 2025 (0.99% of the US total; 8.4% of local private jobs), disclosed counties only. Largest warehousing counties: Luzerne (13,602), Lackawanna (5,310). Most concentrated: warehousing and storage at 5.9x the national share of employment. ZIPs with the most warehousing establishments (Census ZBP 2023): 18640 Pittston (28), 18202 Hazleton (16), 18706 Wilkes Barre (4), 18504 Scranton (4), 18424 Gouldsboro (4).
Where Pennsylvania sits among the fifty
| Measure, 2025 | Pennsylvania | Next state above | Next state below |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warehousing jobs | 3rd: 123,481 | Texas, 175,579 (+52,098) | Florida, 105,401 (-18,080) |
| Warehousing establishments | 4th: 1,162 | Florida, 1,249 (+87) | Georgia, 1,150 (-12) |
| Food manufacturing jobs | 4th: 82,538 | Illinois, 98,300 (+15,762) | Wisconsin, 81,993 (-545) |
States next to Pennsylvania
| State | Warehousing jobs | Largest county for warehousing | Food manufacturing jobs | Top concentration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 55,371 | Onondaga (6,329) | 60,316 | food manufacturing |
| New Jersey | 76,152 | Middlesex (26,309) | 43,231 | pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing |
| Delaware | 12,495 | Sussex (80) | 11,157 | meat and poultry processing |
| Maryland | 29,966 | Harford (3,435) | 19,600 | pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing |
| West Virginia | 3,631 | Wood (684) | 3,636 | chemical manufacturing |
| Ohio | 98,354 | Franklin (18,179) | 66,120 | motor vehicle parts manufacturing |
Pennsylvania has more warehousing jobs than any of these. The largest of them, Ohio, has 0.8 times Pennsylvania's 123,481. A lot near a state line can be read against either side, so give the exact ZIP.
More on Pennsylvania from the sources
- Private employers in the US averaged 1,901,976 jobs across 23,345 establishments in warehousing and storage (NAICS 493) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: California (236,923), Texas (175,579), Pennsylvania (123,481), Florida (105,401), Ohio (98,354). (data.bls.gov)
- Private employers in the US averaged 73,136 jobs across 1,811 establishments in refrigerated warehousing (NAICS 49312) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: California (9,969), Texas (6,638), New Jersey (5,388), Georgia (4,453), Pennsylvania (4,102). (data.bls.gov)
- Private employers in the US averaged 1,775,008 jobs across 42,763 establishments in food manufacturing (NAICS 311) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: California (166,660), Texas (112,088), Illinois (98,300), Pennsylvania (82,538), Wisconsin (81,993). (data.bls.gov)
- Private employers in the US averaged 316,938 jobs across 16,316 establishments in beverage manufacturing (NAICS 3121) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: California (63,604), Texas (24,154), New York (13,802), Pennsylvania (13,207), Florida (12,661). (data.bls.gov)
Other pallet-using industries counted in Pennsylvania
| Industry | Jobs, 2025 | Against warehousing jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceutical manufacturing | 20,358 | 0.2 to 1 |
| Motor vehicle assembly | 3,556 | 0.0 to 1 |
| Auto parts | 5,730 | 0.0 to 1 |
Sending a lot from Pennsylvania
Count the stacks, give the ZIP where they stand, and use the sorter or the form below. If the dock holds strays and a mixed dock, say so in the message.
How many warehousing jobs does Pennsylvania have?
123,481 private-sector jobs across 1,162 establishments in 2025, 6.49% of the US total, which ranks Pennsylvania 3rd of 50.
Do you take plastic pallets from Pennsylvania?
Yes. The desk reads lots from every state, and the ZIP lets it read the route in Pennsylvania. This site states no price or pickup date.
Which Pennsylvania industry is most concentrated?
Warehousing and storage, at 1.6 times the national share of employment in the 2025 federal data used here.
What the sources say
- A 2010 insurer figure cited by ICC puts fire spread to a pallet above at about 18 minutes for plastic versus nearly 50 for wood. (iccsafe.org)
- California AB 1760 (2022) lets recyclers take possession of stray proprietary pallets if the owner cannot be identified or fails to retrieve them in time, with a 35-day period before they can be declared abandoned. (palletenterprise.com)
- Rehrig Pacific's 40 x 48 heavy-duty nestable pallet is 48.25 x 40.25 x 6.5 in, weighs 28.5 lb, is rated 10,000 lb static and 3,500 lb dynamic, has a 2.55 in nest increment and 1,200 units per 53 ft trailer; the page lists no racking rating. (rehrigpacific.com)
- Cabka says plastic export pallets are exempt from ISPM-15 treatment, that there is no single export size, and that its nestable export designs include extra-lightweight and air-freight versions. (cabka.com)
- Fastmarkets estimates 3.7 billion pallets were in circulation in the US in 2025, and that annual pallet production rose from about 800 million before the pandemic to nearly one billion afterward. (fastmarkets.com)
- Steel, aluminum, plastic and engineered-wood pallets are exempt from ISPM 15; wood must reach a core temperature of 56 C for at least 30 minutes for heat treatment. (en.wikipedia.org)
- That nestable has a 2.50 in nest increment and 1,260 units per 53 ft trailer. (rehrigpacific.com)
- Rehrig Pacific offers the standard-duty nestable with recycled content of up to 90 percent in black, and describes it as 100 percent recyclable. (rehrigpacific.com)
- PHS lists a 48 x 48 stackable pallet (STK 207) at 4,000 lb dynamic and 30,000 lb static. (phsinc.com)
- PHS lists a 48 x 32 stackable pallet (STK 783) at 3,500 lb dynamic and 15,000 lb static. (phsinc.com)
- Plastic pallets weigh about 3 to 15 lb when light and up to 300 lb when heavy; a typical GMA wood pallet weighs about 37 lb. (en.wikipedia.org)
- NFPA requires wood and plastic pallets to be stored outdoors or in a detached structure unless sprinklers protect them. (en.wikipedia.org)
Keep reading
Send a lot from your state
Size, count, grade, branding and ZIP. Photos help, and you can reply to the first answer with them. This site states no price or pickup date.