Summary of Findings

Colorado had 7,554 wholesale establishments in 1992 with $46.9
billion in sales. This represents a 6.4 percent increase in wholesale
establishments and a 56.4 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 80.1 percent or 6,052 of the total
establishments and 46.3 percent or $21.7 billion of the total sales in
1992 compared with 79.9 percent of the establishments and 51.5 percent
of the sales in 1987. Manufacturers' sales branches and offices with
652 establishments and $19.7 billion in sales and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants with 850 establishments and $5.4 billion in sales
made up the rest of the wholesale trade total in 1992. 

Computers and computer peripheral equipment and software wholesalers
were the largest group of wholesalers by kind of business in terms of
sales with $5.2 billion followed by automobiles and other motor
vehicles wholesalers with $5.2 billion and petroleum bulk stations and
terminals with $3.4 billion. Out of 69 kind of business groups, these
three accounted for 29.3 percent of the total sales in the State. 

Annual payroll for all wholesalers in the State was up from $1.8
billion in 1987 to $2.5 billion in 1992. Merchant wholesalers had
annual payroll of $1.7 billion in 1992 while manufacturers' sales
branches and offices recorded $685.1 million and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants had $139.1 million. 

Employment by all wholesalers in Colorado as of mid-March 1992 was
84,006, an increase of 10.0 percent since 1987. Merchant wholesalers
with 62,662 employees accounted for 74.6 percent of the total wholesale
employment in 1992 compared with 75.0 percent in 1987. 

Inventories of $2.6 billion were held at wholesale establishments in
the State at the end of 1992. Merchant wholesalers held 82.3 percent of
these inventories while manufacturers' sales branches and sales offices
held 17.5 percent and agent, brokers, and commission merchants held .2
percent. Inventories of all wholesalers increased during 1992 by 4.7
percent while those of merchant wholesalers increased 6.4 percent. 

Payroll per employee in the State averaged $29.5 thousand for all
wholesalers in 1992, an increase of 27.3 percent since 1987. Merchant
wholesalers averaged $26.4 thousand per employee while manufacturers'
sales branches and offices was $41.1 thousand and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants were $29.7 thousand in 1992. 

Annual payroll as a percent of operating expenses for all wholesalers
increased from 50.2 percent in 1987 to 51.5 percent in 1992. The ratio
for merchant wholesalers was 50.6 percent; for manufacturers' sales
branches and offices it was 53.8 percent; and for agents, brokers and
commission merchants it was 51.6 percent.