Summary of Findings


New York had 40,934 wholesale establishments in 1992 with $287.7
billion in sales. This represents a 2.0 percent decrease in wholesale
establishments and a 1.4 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 86.4 percent or 35,382 of the total
establishments and 66.9 percent or $192.6 billion of the total sales in
1992 compared with 85.8 percent of the establishments and 71.7 percent
of the sales in 1987. Manufacturers' sales branches and offices with
1,822 establishments and $63.2 billion in sales and agents, brokers,
and commission merchants with 3,730 establishments and $31.9 billion in
sales made up the rest of the wholesale trade total in 1992. 

Groceries and related products, n.e.c., wholesalers were the largest
group of wholesalers by kind of business in terms of sales with $19.0
billion followed by women's, children's, and infants' clothing and
accessories wholesalers with $16.2 billion and piece goods, notions,
and other dry goods wholesalers with $14.7 billion. Out of 69 kind of
business groups, these three accounted for 17.3 percent of the total
sales in the State. 

Annual payroll for all wholesalers in the State was up from $12.6
billion in 1987 to $15.2 billion in 1992. Merchant wholesalers had
annual payroll of $11.6 billion in 1992 while manufacturers' sales
branches and offices recorded $2.9 billion and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants had $720.6 million. 

Employment by all wholesalers in New York as of mid-March 1992 was
433,640, a decrease of 6.9 percent since 1987. Merchant wholesalers
with 348,002 employees accounted for 80.3 percent of the total
wholesale employment in 1992 compared with 81.7 percent in 1987. 

Inventories of $19.6 billion were held at wholesale establishments in
the State at the end of 1992. Merchant wholesalers held 88.2 percent of
these inventories while manufacturers' sales branches and sales offices
held 11.6 percent and agent, brokers, and commission merchants held .2
percent. Inventories of all wholesalers increased during 1992 by 7.6
percent while those of merchant wholesalers increased 8.3 percent. 

Payroll per employee in the State averaged $35.1 thousand for all
wholesalers in 1992, an increase of 29.4 percent since 1987. Merchant
wholesalers averaged $33.2 thousand per employee while manufacturers'
sales branches and offices was $43.5 thousand and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants were $39.5 thousand in 1992. 

Annual payroll as a percent of operating expenses for all wholesalers
increased from 44.0 percent in 1987 to 46.3 percent in 1992. The ratio
for merchant wholesalers was 45.9 percent; for manufacturers' sales
branches and offices it was 46.6 percent; and for agents, brokers and
commission merchants it was 52.1 percent.