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The U.S. furniture manufacturing industry has weathered a storm of challenges in recent years. The pandemic disrupted supply chains, driving up material and labor costs, and forcing businesses to adapt to rapidly changing market conditions. As a sales professional, you understand the critical role of online sales, yet furniture and fixture businesses were slower than many other industries to embrace digital opportunities. This hesitation left them vulnerable as brick-and-mortar patronage declined.
Despite years of offshoring, the U.S. furniture industry is showing promising signs of recovery. Homebound consumers have sparked a renewed interest in high-quality furniture to enhance their living and working spaces, while "Made in USA" pride continues to influence the market. This shift has opened up new opportunities for furniture manufacturers to innovate and expand their offerings. As the industry adapts to these changes, furniture manufacturers are exploring strategies to rebuild and enhance their businesses, including expanding online sales channels, attracting repeat customers, and tapping into new markets.
In this article, we will explore the latest trends, statistics, and outlook in the sector and zero in on some key furniture subindustries you should know about.
MNI, compiler and publisher of industrial business profiles for the U.S. industrial sector and informational engine behind IndustrySelect, surveyed the nation’s 5,600+ furniture manufacturers, directly collecting key data points on this essential industry. Let's take a look:
• There are currently 5,649 furniture & fixtures manufacturers in the U.S.
• 269,177 workers are employed in the sector.
• Employment in the industry has increased 1.25% over the past year (March 2024-March 2025)
• Average reported sales for America’s furniture industry stands at $104 billion
• 2% of companies are woman-owned.
• 23% of furniture companies report international distribution while 15% import raw materials.
• The U.S. South accounts for the most furniture manufacturers with 33%, followed by the Midwest with 28%.
Reach 5,600 companies and 13,500 executives in this powerful industry with the Furniture & Fixtures Industrial Database, only from MNI. Need a different industry? Explore all of our databases by region, industry, executive, niche market, and more.
You will find unique challenges and opportunities in each of these furniture manufacturing segments.
Household furniture and related products segment includes furniture, mattresses, window blinds, and fixtures. A variety of processes and skills go into making these products.
Workers bend metal, shape and cut wood, and extrude and mold plastics. The companies require materials and equipment to accomplish these functions. They also need skilled labor. Fabrication is only part of the production of these products. The manufacturers also need designers. This sector offers a promising prospecting field if you can fulfill these needs.
This subindustry comprises office furniture manufacturers, store furniture, and store fixtures. They produce stock and custom products. These may be marketed as fully assembled or in knockdown forms designed for more efficient storage and shipping.
If you sell packaging supplies, these companies could offer opportunities.
The companies in this sector manufacture furniture for:
● Schools.
● Theaters.
● Assembly halls.
● Churches
● Libraries.
The products include:
● Benches for public buildings.
● Wood blackboards.
● Portable bleacher seating.
● Portable folding chairs.
● Church pews and other furniture except for stone or concrete.
● School furniture except for stone or concrete.
● Seats for vehicles and public conveyances.
● Stadium seating.
Manufacturers require a wide array of materials, offering you various sales opportunities.
The partitions and fixtures sector deals with items such as partitions, shelving, lockers, and office and store fixtures. Picture an office full of cubicles, and you will get the idea. Accountants often refer to these as part of FFE, an abbreviation for furniture, fixtures, and equipment. These products are portable, with no permanent connection to the building. They include desks, chairs, tables, and partitions. Such items often need replacement over time, creating new business for manufacturers and suppliers.
These products include blinds and drapes and the equipment necessary to hang them. Examples are:
● Venetian blinds.
● Vertical blinds.
● Curtain rods, poles, and fixtures.
● Drapery rods, poles, and fixtures.
● Slatted porch shades.
● Window pulls.
● Window shades.
● Window shade rollers and hardware.
This subsector may contain prospects if your company offers packaging and shipping materials for similar products.
As with many manufacturers, the furniture and fixture industry has its pain points. The industry's reasonably recent history in North Carolina presents an unfortunate example. Many regard North Carolina as the world's furniture capital.
In the ten years between 1999 and 2000, the industry there went downhill fast, losing more than half its jobs. The culprit? Competition from China. Tariff barriers that fell in 1999 opened the floodgates to bargain-priced furniture. The story holds a strange irony. China undercut North Carolina like the state's furniture makers had undercut competitors in New England and Michigan.
Still, whereas COVID-19 complicated everything from obtaining materials to maintaining a workforce, it opened up new markets. Suddenly, homebound consumers began nesting, looking for higher-quality items to improve their working and living quarters. The furniture industry began to see resistance to imported goods of questionable quality. Sadly, manufacturers were reluctant to re-expand, fearing the gains were temporary.
Furniture and fixture manufacturers are looking at multiple strategies to rebuild or enhance their businesses. The first is finding more online channels. The pandemic may have ended, but the consumer tendency toward fingertip shopping has yet to abate. Furniture companies need to provide tempting and efficient options for web-based purchases.
Another trend is the attraction of customers for multiple transactions. Since many buyers consider furniture a significant purchase, it can take time to lure them back for more. If your company offers marketing skills in this direction, furniture makers may be a good fit as customers.
A third industry strategy is the opening of new markets. If a company has always aimed at a particular customer, say a suburban homeowner, it might look at right-sizing for apartments or dorm rooms. The sector studies what appeals to diverse communities and tries to fulfill those needs. Manufacturers may be eager for your pitch if you offer consulting services in these areas.
In addressing these industry demands, you must connect with the right set of eyes and ears. That's where IndustrySelect can help.
IndustrySelect can identify your best prospects by industry, location, and company size. You will get complete company profiles with executives' names, titles, and emails. IndustrySelect can also identify competitors among your sales targets, opening up additional prospecting opportunities. Try a free demo today and watch your prospects grow. For those looking, IndustrySelect offers a Furniture & Fixtures Industrial Database, complete with 5,900 companies and 14,000+ executives in this vital market.
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