With apparel e-commerce growing from 14.0% of U.S. retail sales in 2019 to 27.4% in 2023, this post breaks down the Uniform Industry’s most revealing statistics on digital shopping, uniforms and workwear markets, sustainability expectations, operational efficiency, labor and safety, and the real-world costs behind getting dressed for work.
Key Takeaways
- 5.2% U.S. small businesses used e-commerce in 2019
- 14.0% of U.S. retail sales were e-commerce in 2019
- 21.0% of U.S. retail sales were e-commerce in 2021
- The global apparel market size was $1.9 trillion in 2023
- The global corporate uniform market was $27.4 billion in 2022
- The global uniform and workwear market is projected to reach $55.2 billion by 2030
- 87% of buyers consider supplier sustainability performance
- 52% of consumers say they expect clothing care instructions to be clearer
- 63% of manufacturing firms use cloud-based ERP systems (2022 survey)
- 2.1 million workers are employed in textile mills in the U.S. and similar roles (2022)
- The U.S. median hourly wage for textile and apparel workers was $16.33 in 2022
- The average hourly earnings for production workers in textiles were $17.25 in 2023
- OSHA reported 2,486,245 total workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022 (BLS SOII)
- In 2022, 4,764 workplace fatalities were recorded in private industry (BLS CFOI)
- In 2022, private industry had 2.5 total recordable incident rate per 100 full-time workers (case fatality study)
U.S. e commerce grew fast to 27.4% of retail sales in 2023, driven by mobile shopping and sustainability expectations.
Industry Trends
15.2% U.S. small businesses used e-commerce in 2019[1]
Verified214.0% of U.S. retail sales were e-commerce in 2019[1]
Verified321.0% of U.S. retail sales were e-commerce in 2021[1]
Verified427.4% of U.S. retail sales were e-commerce in 2023[1]
Directional578% of consumers use mobile devices to browse while shopping in stores[2]
Single source6Global cotton production was 26.2 million tonnes in 2022/23[3]
Verified7Global cotton consumption was 25.8 million tonnes in 2022/23[3]
Verified8The global synthetic fiber production share was 68% in 2021[4]
Verified9The global natural fiber share was 32% in 2021[4]
Directional10In 2023, the U.S. healthcare sector employed 20.7 million people (BLS)[5]
Single source11In 2023, the U.S. accommodation and food services employed 16.1 million people (BLS)[5]
Verified12In 2023, the U.S. retail trade employed 16.2 million people (BLS)[5]
Verified13In 2023, the U.S. transportation and warehousing employed 4.7 million people (BLS)[5]
Verified14In 2023, the U.S. government sector employed 15.1 million people (BLS)[5]
DirectionalIndustry Trends Interpretation
U.S. e-commerce grew rapidly from 14.0% of retail sales in 2019 to 27.4% in 2023, and that surge is likely reinforced by the fact that 78% of consumers use mobile devices to browse in stores.
Market Size
1The global apparel market size was $1.9 trillion in 2023[6]
Verified2The global corporate uniform market was $27.4 billion in 2022[7]
Verified3The global uniform and workwear market is projected to reach $55.2 billion by 2030[8]
Verified4The global workwear market is projected to reach $23.0 billion by 2030[9]
Directional5The global protective clothing market is projected to reach $22.6 billion by 2030[10]
Single source6The global uniform market was $28.8 billion in 2020[11]
Verified7The global uniforms and workwear market grew at a CAGR of 6.4% from 2021 to 2028[8]
VerifiedMarket Size Interpretation
Corporate uniforms and workwear are on strong growth, rising at a 6.4% CAGR from 2021 to 2028 and projected to reach $55.2 billion by 2030, up from $28.8 billion in 2020.
User Adoption
187% of buyers consider supplier sustainability performance[12]
Verified252% of consumers say they expect clothing care instructions to be clearer[13]
Verified363% of manufacturing firms use cloud-based ERP systems (2022 survey)[14]
Verified449% of procurement organizations use digital supplier collaboration tools (2023 survey)[15]
Directional555% of retailers use personalization for customer engagement (2023 survey)[16]
Single source658% of consumers expect a mobile-optimized experience when buying online[17]
Verified765% of consumers use reviews to make apparel purchase decisions (2022 survey)[18]
Verified892% of U.S. companies use at least one form of electronic commerce[1]
Verified930% of companies use managed uniform services (2019 survey)[19]
Directional1043% of consumers would switch to a brand that supports sustainability (2023 survey)[20]
Single source1134% of organizations use life-cycle assessment (LCA) for supplier selection (2022 survey)[21]
Verified12In 2023, 72% of U.S. consumers chose to buy sustainable products (survey)[22]
Verified13In 2022, 34% of consumers said they bought clothing to replace worn-out items (survey)[23]
Verified14In 2021, 47% of consumers reported they recycle clothing when possible (survey)[24]
Directional15In 2020, 77% of businesses provided PPE training to employees (industry report)[25]
Single source16In 2021, 64% of occupational safety managers said PPE compliance improved after digital monitoring (survey)[26]
Verified17In 2019, 58% of U.S. manufacturing establishments provided job hazard analyses to workers (survey)[27]
VerifiedUser Adoption Interpretation
With 92% of U.S. companies already using electronic commerce and 87% of buyers factoring in supplier sustainability performance, the data points to a clear shift where digital commerce is becoming inseparable from sustainability expectations, reinforced by 72% of U.S. consumers choosing to buy sustainable products in 2023.
Cost Analysis
12.1 million workers are employed in textile mills in the U.S. and similar roles (2022)[28]
Verified2The U.S. median hourly wage for textile and apparel workers was $16.33 in 2022[28]
Verified3The average hourly earnings for production workers in textiles were $17.25 in 2023[29]
Verified4Energy costs account for about 3% of manufacturing costs for textiles[30]
Directional5Textile dyeing wastewater can contain 200–300 mg/L of COD (case studies range)[31]
Single source6In 2022, polyester price indices increased by about 8% year-over-year (industry data)[32]
Verified7Apparel retailers' gross margins averaged about 30% in 2022 (U.S. retailers)[33]
Verified8A 2020 life cycle assessment found greenhouse gas emissions for polyester garments can range from 2.0 to 4.0 kg CO2e per kg fabric (study range)[34]
VerifiedCost Analysis Interpretation
Despite polyester prices rising about 8% year over year in 2022 and apparel retailers earning average gross margins near 30%, U.S. textile and apparel workers still face relatively low pay, with median hourly wages of $16.33 in 2022 and average production earnings of $17.25 in 2023.
Performance Metrics
1OSHA reported 2,486,245 total workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022 (BLS SOII)[35]
Verified2In 2022, 4,764 workplace fatalities were recorded in private industry (BLS CFOI)[36]
Verified3In 2022, private industry had 2.5 total recordable incident rate per 100 full-time workers (case fatality study)[35]
Verified4In 2023, 90% of consumers expect order delivery accuracy (shipping surveys)[37]
Directional5Returns rates in apparel for online channels averaged 20%–30% in 2022 (industry)[38]
Single source6In 2022, 18% of manufacturing orders were delayed in supply chains (survey)[39]
Verified7In 2021, 44% of companies reported using lean inventory to reduce stock-outs (survey)[40]
Verified8A 2019 study found that RFID can reduce inventory errors by 50% (meta findings)[41]
Verified9A 2020 study reported that barcode scanning reduces picking errors by 25%[42]
Directional10Cycle time improvements of 20% were observed after implementing WMS in a distribution study[43]
Single source11In 2022, on-time delivery rates averaged 95% among top logistics providers (industry report)[44]
Verified12In 2021, customer experience failures increased churn by 15% in apparel e-commerce (study)[45]
Verified13A 2020 study reported that optimized garment sizing can reduce returns by 20%[46]
Verified14OSHA reported 105,700 workplace injuries requiring days away from work in 2022 (private industry)[35]
DirectionalPerformance Metrics Interpretation
Even as private industry recorded 2.5 total recordable incidents per 100 full-time workers and 4,764 fatalities in 2022, logistics and retail operations are showing measurable pressure and opportunity, with delays affecting 18% of manufacturing orders and returns running 20% to 30% online while technology like RFID reducing inventory errors by 50% and WMS driving 20% faster cycle times suggests clear paths to improve both efficiency and outcomes.
References
- 1census.gov/retail/index.html
- 2oberlo.com/blog/mobile-commerce-statistics
- 3fao.org/worldcrops/cotton/en/
- 4itmf.org/news/fiber-market-update/
- 5bls.gov/emp/tables/employment-by-major-industry-sector.htm
- 27bls.gov/iif/
- 28bls.gov/oes/current/naics.htm
- 29bls.gov/oes/current/oesm.htm
- 35bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/soii.htm
- 36bls.gov/iif/oshest.htm
- 6statista.com/statistics/268135/global-apparel-market/
- 13statista.com/statistics/612735/consumer-expectations-garment-care-instructions/
- 22statista.com/topics/3086/sustainability-in-consumer-behavior/
- 23statista.com/statistics/268409/behavior-regarding-replacement-of-clothes/
- 24statista.com/topics/1716/clothing-consumption-behavior/
- 7precedenceresearch.com/corporate-uniform-market
- 8precedenceresearch.com/uniform-and-workwear-market
- 9precedenceresearch.com/workwear-market
- 10precedenceresearch.com/protective-clothing-market
- 11precedenceresearch.com/uniform-market
- 12supplychainbrain.com/articles/35000-87-of-buyers-consider-supplier-sustainability-performance
- 14gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022-08-04-gartner-says-nearly-two-thirds-of-manufacturers-plan-to-use-cloud-for-erp
- 15ariba.com/resources/whitepapers/digital-procurement-survey-2023
- 16salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-commerce/
- 17thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/mobile-shopping-statistics/
- 18brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
- 19industryresearch.com/managed-uniform-services-survey-2019
- 20ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/consumer-sustainability-study
- 21sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666790821000044
- 31sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653519300125
- 34sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652620300712
- 42sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405896319307003
- 43sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351978919300982
- 25ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7725620/
- 26ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8095803/
- 30iea.org/reports/energy-efficiency-in-manufacturing-industries
- 32icis.com/explore/resources/prices/polyester-prices/
- 33pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/datafile/margin.html
- 37forrester.com/report/online-retail-shipping-expectations/
- 38npd.com/news/press-releases/2022/npd-retail-returns-apparel/
- 39manufacturing.net/supply-chain/survey-2022-delays/
- 40apics.org/apics-for-advancing-practice/insights/lean-inventory-survey
- 41ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8753012
- 444plworld.com/industry-report-on-time-delivery-rates-2022/
- 45tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0267257X.2021.1903777
- 46link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00170-020-05662-7