Summary of Findings

Idaho had 2,288 wholesale establishments in 1992 with $8.9 billion
in sales. This represents a 7.5 percent increase in wholesale
establishments and a 74.9 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 89.3 percent or 2,044 of the total
establishments and 61.2 percent or $5.4 billion of the total sales in
1992 compared with 89.0 percent of the establishments and 73.6 percent
of the sales in 1987. Manufacturers' sales branches and offices with
165 establishments and $2.7 billion in sales and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants with 79 establishments and $711.4 million in sales
made up the rest of the wholesale trade total in 1992. 

Lumber, plywood, millwork, and wood panels wholesalers were the largest
group of wholesalers by kind of business in terms of sales with $1.4
billion followed by packaged frozen foods wholesalers with $1.2 billion
and grain and field beans wholesalers with $586.9 million. Out of 69
kind of business groups, these three accounted for 36.0 percent of the
total sales in the State. 

Annual payroll for all wholesalers in the State was up from $353.4
million in 1987 to $528.2 million in 1992. Merchant wholesalers had
annual payroll of $444.2 million in 1992 while manufacturers' sales
branches and offices recorded $69.7 million and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants had $14.3 million. 

Employment by all wholesalers in Idaho as of mid-March 1992 was 24,894,
an increase of 19.6 percent since 1987. Merchant wholesalers with
21,720 employees accounted for 87.2 percent of the total wholesale
employment in 1992 compared with 89.3 percent in 1987. 

Inventories of $804.8 million were held at wholesale establishments in
the State at the end of 1992. Merchant wholesalers held 80.0 percent of
these inventories while manufacturers' sales branches and sales offices
held 19.9 percent and agent, brokers, and commission merchants held .1
percent. Inventories of all wholesalers increased during 1992 by 6.3
percent while those of merchant wholesalers increased 4.8 percent. 

Payroll per employee in the State averaged $21.2 thousand for all
wholesalers in 1992, an increase of 25.0 percent since 1987. Merchant
wholesalers averaged $20.5 thousand per employee while manufacturers'
sales branches and offices was $35.5 thousand and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants were $11.8 thousand in 1992. 

Annual payroll as a percent of operating expenses for all wholesalers
increased from 46.6 percent in 1987 to 47.6 percent in 1992. The ratio
for merchant wholesalers was 47.6 percent; for manufacturers' sales
branches and offices it was 46.5 percent; and for agents, brokers and
commission merchants it was 56.0 percent.