Summary of Findings


Alabama had 7,066 wholesale establishments in 1992 with $32.0
billion in sales. This represents a 5.9 percent increase in wholesale
establishments and a 31.3 percent increase in sales over 1987 according
to the 1992 Census of Wholesale Trade conducted by the Bureau of the
Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. 

Merchant wholesalers accounted for 85.2 percent or 6,023 of the total
establishments and 64.7 percent or $20.7 billion of the total sales in
1992 compared with 85.1 percent of the establishments and 63.3 percent
of the sales in 1987. Manufacturers' sales branches and offices with
498 establishments and $6.8 billion in sales and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants with 545 establishments and $4.5 billion in sales
made up the rest of the wholesale trade total in 1992. 

Petroleum bulk stations and terminals were the largest group of
wholesalers by kind of business in terms of sales with $2.5 billion
followed by groceries and related products, n.e.c., wholesalers with
$2.3 billion and metals service centers and offices with $1.9 billion.
Out of 69 kind of business groups, these three accounted for 21.0
percent of the total sales in the State. 

Annual payroll for all wholesalers in the State was up from $1.5
billion in 1987 to $2.0 billion in 1992. Merchant wholesalers had
annual payroll of $1.5 billion in 1992 while manufacturers' sales
branches and offices recorded $295.4 million and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants had $106.0 million. 

Employment by all wholesalers in Alabama as of mid-March 1992 was
80,080, an increase of 3.3 percent since 1987. Merchant wholesalers
with 67,100 employees accounted for 83.8 percent of the total wholesale
employment in 1992 compared with 83.5 percent in 1987. 

Inventories of $2.3 billion were held at wholesale establishments in
the State at the end of 1992. Merchant wholesalers held 89.1 percent of
these inventories while manufacturers' sales branches and sales offices
held 10.6 percent and agent, brokers, and commission merchants held .3
percent. Inventories of all wholesalers decreased during 1992 by 6.0
percent while those of merchant wholesalers decreased 5.9 percent. 

Payroll per employee in the State averaged $24.4 thousand for all
wholesalers in 1992, an increase of 22.0 percent since 1987. Merchant
wholesalers averaged $23.1 thousand per employee while manufacturers'
sales branches and offices was $33.1 thousand and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants were $26.1 thousand in 1992. 

Annual payroll as a percent of operating expenses for all wholesalers
increased from 48.4 percent in 1987 to 48.7 percent in 1992. The ratio
for merchant wholesalers was 49.3 percent; for manufacturers' sales
branches and offices it was 45.3 percent; and for agents, brokers and
commission merchants it was 50.2 percent.