Summary of Findings

Montana had 1,853 wholesale establishments in 1992 with $5.9 billion
in sales. This represents a 2.7 percent increase in wholesale
establishments and a 34.0 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 90.4 percent or 1,676 of the total
establishments and 81.6 percent or $4.8 billion of the total sales in
1992 compared with 90.2 percent of the establishments and 75.4 percent
of the sales in 1987. Manufacturers' sales branches and offices with 92
establishments and $452.5 million in sales and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants with 85 establishments and $631.9 million in sales
made up the rest of the wholesale trade total in 1992. 

Grain and field beans wholesalers were the largest group of wholesalers
by kind of business in terms of sales with $983.6 million followed by
petroleum bulk stations and terminals with $665.0 million and
general-line groceries wholesalers with $631.5 million. Out of 69 kind
of business groups, these three accounted for 38.7 percent of the total
sales in the State. 

Annual payroll for all wholesalers in the State was up from $264.2
million in 1987 to $343.0 million in 1992. Merchant wholesalers had
annual payroll of $310.5 million in 1992 while manufacturers' sales
branches and offices recorded $23.3 million and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants had $9.3 million. 

Employment by all wholesalers in Montana as of mid-March 1992 was
16,401, an increase of 10.6 percent since 1987. Merchant wholesalers
with 14,808 employees accounted for 90.3 percent of the total wholesale
employment in 1992 compared with 89.7 percent in 1987. 

Inventories of $564.7 million were held at wholesale establishments in
the State at the end of 1992. Merchant wholesalers held 95.4 percent of
these inventories while manufacturers' sales branches and sales offices
held 4.4 percent and agent, brokers, and commission merchants held .2
percent. Inventories of all wholesalers increased during 1992 by 2.7
percent while those of merchant wholesalers increased 3.0 percent. 

Payroll per employee in the State averaged $20.9 thousand for all
wholesalers in 1992, an increase of 17.4 percent since 1987. Merchant
wholesalers averaged $21.0 thousand per employee while manufacturers'
sales branches and offices was $27.2 thousand and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants were $12.6 thousand in 1992. 

Annual payroll as a percent of operating expenses for all wholesalers
decreased from 49.5 percent in 1987 to 48.3 percent in 1992. The ratio
for merchant wholesalers was 48.8 percent; for manufacturers' sales
branches and offices it was 43.3 percent; and for agents, brokers and
commission merchants it was 47.1 percent.