1992 CENSUS OF WHOLESALE TRADE
ESTABLISHMENT AND FIRM SIZE
    
=>CENSUS COVERAGE AND METHODOLOGY
=>  STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF ENUMERATION

All wholesale firms that had at least one quarter of payroll in 1992 were
included in the census of wholesale trade and were mailed either a regular
census form or a short form designed to collect basic data and
classification information only.  The coverage and the method of obtaining
census information from each follow:

Large companies, i.e., all multiunit firms and all single unit firms above
the payroll size cutoff established to separate large from small employers,
and a 10-percent sample of the small employers were mailed the appropriate
1992 Census of Distributive Trades establishment report forms.  Although the
payroll cutoff varied by kind of business, small employers generally
included firms with one to three employees and represented about 10 percent
of total wholesale sales.  For the large companies, a report of company
organization is conducted periodically to identify firms which operated
establishments at more than one location and to obtain information on
payroll and mid-March employment at each location.  The 1991 Report of
Company Organization was used as a coverage check in the census.  In the
1992 Census, all multiestablishment firms were asked to notify the Census
Bureau of any establishments for which a form was not received.  Report
forms were subsequently provided to the firms for these establishments.

Small companies other than those included in the 10-percent sample described
above were mailed the short forms, which did not include questions on sales
by commodity lines and employment by principal activity.

=>  METHOD OF CLASSIFYING KINDS OF BUSINESS

Establishments receiving the regular census forms were classified on the
basis of their answers to questions on sales by commodity lines and other
inquiries.  Those that received short forms were classified on the basis of
their self designation and answers to other inquiries.

=>COMPARABILITY OF THE 1987 AND 1992 CENSUSES

The 1987 and 1992 censuses were conducted under similar conditions and
procedures except for the following:

=>  CLASSIFICATIONS

In both 1992 and 1987, classifications are based on the 1987 Standard
Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual (Standard Industrial Classification: 
1987.  For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC 20402.  Stock No. 041-001-00314-2).  As a result of a
later clarification in 1992, the sale of industrial controls has been
classified in electrical apparatus and equipment, wiring supplies, and
construction materials (SIC 5063) as it was in 1982 and all previous
censuses.  In 1987, the sale of industrial controls was classified in
industrial machinery and equipment (SIC 5084).