A planned zone of factories and workshops, developed by the state industrial corporation on subsidised land.
1.9% of Sonepur's workforce works in small and medium enterprises, behind the typical district. The district has 9,878 manufacturing MSMEs. The Industrial Estate provides the plotted land and shared infrastructure this manufacturing base runs on.
57% of registered enterprises are in services while 43% are in manufacturing. Only 2% of employment is in small and medium enterprises. 72% of school-age children are enrolled in higher secondary school (classes 9–12).
In Sonepur, which ranks 20 of 30 in Odisha for youth opportunity, the overall opportunity score is 43 out of 100. It trails the national picture on value added per enterprise worker at ₹83,465 and formal-sector jobs at 4.9%.