Summary of Findings


Data from the 1992 Census of Retail Trade show that the District of
Columbia's 3,847 retail stores with payroll had sales totaling $3.6
billion. In 1987, 3,681 retail stores had sales of $3.4 billion. The
1992 data represent an increase of 4.8 percent in total retail sales
for the District. 

For establishments with payroll in 1992, sales of grocery stores
accounted for 15.8 percent of the District's total sales by retailers
compared with 15.5 percent in 1987. Other leading retail kinds of
business in 1992 were restaurants with 13.4 percent of sales,
refreshment places with 6.7 percent, and drug stores with 6.0 percent. 

For 1992, sales for establishments with payroll in the District
averaged $932 thousand per establishment, compared with $930 thousand
in 1987. In 1992, department stores (including leased departments)
averaged $30.1 million per establishment; new and used car dealers,
$13.1 million; grocery stores, $1.8 million; catalog and mail-order
houses, $1.5 million; and family clothing stores, $937 thousand. 

For retail establishments with payroll, 1992 sales per employee
averaged $76 thousand. New and used car dealers had sales per employee
of $205 thousand, which contrasts sharply with the $38 thousand per
employee average for restaurants. 

The 1992 payroll of retailers in the District amounted to $642 million,
compared with $575 million for 1987. Payroll as a percent of sales of
establishments with payroll averaged 17.9 percent for all retailers,
23.5 percent for retail bakeries, compared with 5.3 percent for
gasoline service stations. 

There were 46,890 paid employees (full- and part-time) engaged in
retail trade in the District as of mid-March 1992, compared with 54,549
employees in 1987. Large employers included restaurants with 12,521
employees, refreshment places with 6,258 employees, and grocery stores
with 4,079 employees.