U.S. Department of Commerce

Wholesale Trade

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Definition: NAICS 42, Wholesale Trade

The Wholesale Trade sector comprises establishments engaged in wholesaling merchandise, generally without transformation, and rendering services incidental to the sale of merchandise. The merchandise described in this sector includes the outputs of agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and certain information industries, such as publishing.

The wholesaling process is an intermediate step in the distribution of merchandise. Wholesalers are organized to sell or arrange the purchase or sale of (a) goods for resale (i.e., goods sold to other wholesalers or retailers), (b) capital or durable nonconsumer goods, and (c) raw and intermediate materials and supplies used in production.   more

Guide to Data Sources from the U.S. Census Bureau

Frequency Title (with link to data) Contents Number of Industry Categories Geography
Monthly Monthly Wholesale Trade Monthly sales, inventories, and inventory/sales ratios for merchant wholesalers 22 U.S.
Manufacturing and Trade Inventory and Sales Sales, inventories, and inventory/sales ratios 1 U.S.
Quarterly Quarterly Financial Report Income, retained earnings, balance sheets, and related financial and operating ratios for the domestic operations wholesale trade corporations with assets over $50 million.
1
U.S.
Quarterly Workforce Indicators Employment, job creation, separations, turnover, average monthly earnings
23
States, metro areas, counties
Annual Annual Wholesale Trade Sales, inventories, purchases, and expenses 22 U.S.
Annual Capital Expenditures Survey Capital expenditures for structures and equipment for companies with paid employees
1
U.S.
Information and Communication Technology Survey Non-capitalized expenditures for information and communication technology equipment and software
1
U.S.
Business R & D and Innovation Survey Current and projected R&D spending and employment. Data are published by NSF.
1
U.S.
County Business Patterns Employees; payroll; number of establishments with paid employees by employment size of establishment
165
U.S., states, metro areas, counties, ZIP codes, Puerto Rico
E-Stats (E-Commerce Statistics) Total sales and e-commerce sales, receipts or value of shipments 22 U.S.
Nonemployer Statistics Number of establishments and sales of firms with no paid employees
37
U.S., states, metro areas, counties
Profile of U.S. Exporting Companies Number of exporters and value of exports by employment size of company for the U.S.; number of exporting companies by state 1 U.S., states
Statistics of U.S. Businesses Number of firms, employees, payroll, (and revenue, for 2002 only) by employment-size of the enterprise
165
U.S., states, metro areas
Statistics of U.S. Businesses -- Employment Change Number of establishments and year-to-year change in employment for births, deaths, expansions, and contractions.
23
U.S., states, metro areas, counties
Business Dynamics Statistics Number of establishments and year-to-year change in employments for births, death, expansions, and contractions by firm age and employment-size. Sector classification is by SIC.
1
U.S., states
Every 5 years Economic Census Number of establishments, sales, employees, and payroll (for additional topics available, see Economic Census details)
301
U.S., states, metro areas, counties, places, island areas
Economic Census of Island Areas Number of establishments, sales, employees, and payroll for establishments with payroll
Varies
Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa
Business Expenses Operating expenses by type 13 U.S.
Survey of Business Owners Number of firms, sales, employees, and payroll for all businesses and for businesses owned by females, Hispanics, and major race categories (plus national-only data on veteran status and other owner and business characteristics)
1
U.S., states, metro areas

 
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau | Business and Industry | (301)763-2547 | econ@census.gov | |  Last Revised: March 02, 2012