Description of Industries and Summary of Findings

INDUSTRY 2273, CARPETS AND RUGS

This industry is made up of establishments primarily engaged in
manufacturing woven, tufted, and other carpets and rugs, such as art
squares, floor mattings, needle punch carpeting, and door mats and
mattings, from textile materials or from twisted paper, grasses, reeds,
coir, sisal, jute, or rags.

The 1992 definition of this industry is the same as that used in the 1987
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. The SIC number and title
also are the same.

In the 1992 Census of Manufactures, Industry 2273, Carpets and Rugs, had
employment of 49.4 thousand. The employment figure was 7 percent below the
53.3 thousand reported in 1987. Compared with 1991, employment increased 2
percent. The 1991 data are based on the Census Bureau's annual survey of
manufactures (ASM), which is a sample survey conducted each year between
censuses.

The leading State in employment in 1992 was Georgia, accounting for
approximately 64 percent of the industry's employment. This same State was
the leader in 1987 when it accounted for 62 percent of the industry's
employment.

The total value of shipments for establishments classified in this industry
was $9.8 billion.

Establishments in virtually all industries ship secondary products as well
as products primary to the industry in which they are classified and have
some miscellaneous receipts, such as resales and contract receipts.
Industry 2273 shipped $9.5 billion of products considered primary to the
industry, $145.8 million of secondary products, and had $197.7 million of
miscellaneous receipts, resales, and contract work.  Thus, the ratio of
primary products to the total of both secondary and primary products
shipped by establishments in this industry was 98 percent (specialization
ratio). In 1987, the specialization ratio was 97 percent.

Establishments in this industry also accounted for 99 percent of products
considered primary to the industry no matter where they were actually
produced (coverage ratio). In 1987, the coverage ratio also was 99 percent.

The products primary to industry 2273, no matter in what industry they were
produced, appear in file MC92F6A and aggregate to $9.5 billion. For further
explanation of specialization and coverage ratios, see file MC92F5B and the
appendixes.

The total cost of materials, services, and fuels and energy used by
establishments classified in the carpets and rugs industry amounted to $6.4
billion. Data on specific materials consumed appear in file MC92F7.

Single-establishment companies in this industry with less than 20 employees
were excluded from the mail portion of the census. The data for these
establishments (and a small number of larger establishments whose reports
were not received at the time the data were tabulated) were obtained from
administrative records of other agencies or developed from industry
averages. These establishments accounted for 1 percent of the total value
of shipments.