Summary of Findings


California had 58,437 wholesale establishments in 1992 with $432.9
billion in sales. This represents a 8.7 percent increase in wholesale
establishments and a 32.2 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 85.1 percent or 49,736 of the total
establishments and 61.4 percent or $265.9 billion of the total sales in
1992 compared with 83.3 percent of the establishments and 63.3 percent
of the sales in 1987. Manufacturers' sales branches and offices with
4,047 establishments and $126.5 billion in sales and agents, brokers,
and commission merchants with 4,654 establishments and $40.5 billion in
sales made up the rest of the wholesale trade total in 1992. 

Automobiles and other motor vehicles wholesalers were the largest group
of wholesalers by kind of business in terms of sales with $56.8 billion
followed by computers and computer peripheral equipment and software
wholesalers with $43.7 billion and electronic parts and equipment,
n.e.c., wholesalers with $27.1 billion. Out of 69 kind of business
groups, these three accounted for 29.5 percent of the total sales in
the State. 

Annual payroll for all wholesalers in the State was up from $17.7
billion in 1987 to $23.5 billion in 1992. Merchant wholesalers had
annual payroll of $17.6 billion in 1992 while manufacturers' sales
branches and offices recorded $4.9 billion and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants had $1.1 billion. 

Employment by all wholesalers in California as of mid-March 1992 was
731,618, an increase of 6.9 percent since 1987. Merchant wholesalers
with 579,787 employees accounted for 79.2 percent of the total
wholesale employment in 1992 compared with 79.5 percent in 1987. 

Inventories of $29.0 billion were held at wholesale establishments in
the State at the end of 1992. Merchant wholesalers held 85.5 percent of
these inventories while manufacturers' sales branches and sales offices
held 14.1 percent and agent, brokers, and commission merchants held .4
percent. Inventories of all wholesalers increased during 1992 by 2.4
percent while those of merchant wholesalers increased 3.8 percent. 

Payroll per employee in the State averaged $32.2 thousand for all
wholesalers in 1992, an increase of 24.7 percent since 1987. Merchant
wholesalers averaged $30.3 thousand per employee while manufacturers'
sales branches and offices was $40.0 thousand and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants were $36.0 thousand in 1992. 

Annual payroll as a percent of operating expenses for all wholesalers
increased from 45.1 percent in 1987 to 46.8 percent in 1992. The ratio
for merchant wholesalers was 46.1 percent; for manufacturers' sales
branches and offices it was 48.4 percent; and for agents, brokers and
commission merchants it was 52.0 percent.