Summary of Findings

South Dakota had 1,809 wholesale establishments in 1992 with $6.5
billion in sales. This represents a .9 percent increase in wholesale
establishments and a 25.2 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 91.5 percent or 1,656 of the total
establishments and 74.0 percent or $4.8 billion of the total sales in
1992 compared with 91.6 percent of the establishments and 68.2 percent
of the sales in 1987. Manufacturers' sales branches and offices with 72
establishments and $257.0 million in sales and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants with 81 establishments and $1.4 billion in sales
made up the rest of the wholesale trade total in 1992. 

Livestock wholesalers were the largest group of wholesalers by kind of
business in terms of sales with $1.5 billion followed by grain and
field beans wholesalers with $1.3 billion and petroleum bulk stations
and terminals with $564.7 million. Out of 69 kind of business groups,
these three accounted for 51.6 percent of the total sales in the State.

Annual payroll for all wholesalers in the State was up from $255.0
million in 1987 to $334.8 million in 1992. Merchant wholesalers had
annual payroll of $298.2 million in 1992 while manufacturers' sales
branches and offices recorded $26.8 million and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants had $9.8 million. 

Employment by all wholesalers in South Dakota as of mid-March 1992 was
16,366, an increase of 6.9 percent since 1987. Merchant wholesalers
with 14,148 employees accounted for 86.4 percent of the total wholesale
employment in 1992 compared with 86.3 percent in 1987. 

Inventories of $634.4 million were held at wholesale establishments in
the State at the end of 1992. Merchant wholesalers held 96.9 percent of
these inventories while manufacturers' sales branches and sales offices
held 3.0 percent and agent, brokers, and commission merchants held .2
percent. Inventories of all wholesalers decreased during 1992 by .6
percent while those of merchant wholesalers decreased .7 percent. 

Payroll per employee in the State averaged $20.5 thousand for all
wholesalers in 1992, an increase of 22.8 percent since 1987. Merchant
wholesalers averaged $21.1 thousand per employee while manufacturers'
sales branches and offices was $28.8 thousand and agents, brokers, and
commission merchants were $7.6 thousand in 1992. 

Annual payroll as a percent of operating expenses for all wholesalers
remained unchanged at 48.8 percent in both 1987 and 1992. The ratio for
merchant wholesalers was 49.2 percent; for manufacturers' sales
branches and offices it was 47.7 percent; and for agents, brokers and
commission merchants it was 41.6 percent.