Description of Industries and Summary of Findings

INDUSTRY 3021, RUBBER AND PLASTICS FOOTWEAR

This industry is made up of establishments primarily engaged in
manufacturing fabric upper footwear having rubber or plastics soles
vulcanized, injection molded, or cemented to the uppers, and rubber and
plastics protective footwear. Establishments primarily engaged in
manufacturing rubber, composition, and fiber heels, soles, soling strips,
and related shoe making and repairing materials are classified in industry
3069; those manufacturing plastics soles and soling strips are classified
in industry 3089; and those manufacturing other footwear of rubber or
plastics are classified in industry group 314. Products of this industry
also are collected in the Current Industrial Report (CIR) MA-31A, Footwear.
For information regarding the CIR, see Contacts for Data Users at the end
of the Census of Manufactures section.

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 3021, Rubber and Plastics
Footwear, had employment of 13.6 thousand. The employment figure was 25
percent above the 10.9 thousand reported in 1987. Compared with 1991,
employment increased 16 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 States in employment in 1992 were Florida, California, North
Carolina, and Wisconsin, accounting for approximately 54 percent of the
industry's employment. This represents a shift from 1987 when California,
Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania accounted for approximately 51
percent of the industry's employment.

The total value of shipments for establishments classified in this industry
was $867.5 million.

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 3021 shipped $793.2 million of rubber and plastics footwear
products considered primary to the industry, $17.6 million of secondary
products, and had $56.7 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 96 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 was 98 percent.

The products primary to industry 3021, no matter in what industry they were
produced, appear in file MC92F6A and aggregate to $803.4 million. 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 rubber and plastics footwear industry
amounted to $410.8 million. Data on specific materials consumed appear in
file MC92F7.

Single-establishment companies in this industry with less than 15 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 2 percent of the total value
of shipments.