42/Wholesale Trade
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
6.24M
employees, 2023
6.24M
employees, 2023
In 2023, 382,081 US Wholesale Trade business locations employed 6.24 million people and paid $564.4 billion in annual payroll, $90,505 per employee on average. Employment was up 1.5% from 2022. California had the most employees. US Wholesale Trade revenue (market size) was $11.87 trillion in 2022, up 35.9% from 2017, from 265,472 firms.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
382,081
-1.7% vs 2022
Employees
6,236,357
+1.5% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$564.4B
+5.5% vs 2022
Average pay
$90,505
+3.9% vs 2022
Industry economics
Market size, prices and output of Wholesale Trade, from official US government statistics
Market size, 2022
$11.87T
+35.9% vs 2017 · 265,472 firms
Share of US GDP
6.30%
$1.95T value added, 2025
Monthly sales
$817.5B
Aug 2026 · +15.6% vs a year earlier
Monthly sales
US dollars per month, seasonally adjusted. Latest: Aug 2026.
Share of US GDP
Value added of Wholesale Trade as a percent of US GDP, by year
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Wholesale Trade in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 54,671 | 809,519 | $106,868 | 4.93% |
| Texas | 33,316 | 566,990 | $90,555 | 4.72% |
| Florida | 30,723 | 365,417 | $79,443 | 3.66% |
| Illinois | 15,961 | 322,193 | $97,991 | 5.69% |
| New York | 26,515 | 315,835 | $94,594 | 3.60% |
| New Jersey | 12,856 | 272,397 | $116,115 | 6.90% |
| Pennsylvania | 12,804 | 249,480 | $89,336 | 4.37% |
| Ohio | 12,323 | 232,316 | $77,973 | 4.57% |
| Georgia | 12,389 | 219,978 | $82,829 | 4.99% |
| North Carolina | 11,177 | 209,564 | $89,326 | 4.90% |
| Michigan | 10,034 | 184,396 | $84,135 | 4.56% |
| Massachusetts | 6,646 | 152,588 | $119,562 | 4.38% |
| Minnesota | 7,025 | 141,431 | $102,494 | 5.04% |
| Washington | 8,436 | 136,913 | $88,917 | 4.48% |
| Missouri | 6,781 | 133,638 | $75,194 | 5.08% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Revenue by state
Revenue (market size) of Wholesale Trade in each state, 2022. States where the number is not published are gray.
Revenue by state
US dollars, in millions
States with the most revenue
Revenue and the share of the US total
| State | Revenue 2022 | Change | Share of US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $1.88T | +56.2% vs 2017 | 15.9% |
| California | $1.58T | +32.1% vs 2017 | 13.3% |
| Illinois | $724.5B | +24.1% vs 2017 | 6.1% |
| New Jersey | $583.7B | +26.0% vs 2017 | 4.9% |
| Florida | $578.3B | +45.5% vs 2017 | 4.9% |
| New York | $509.1B | +12.9% vs 2017 | 4.3% |
| Pennsylvania | $411.3B | +32.5% vs 2017 | 3.5% |
| Georgia | $406.2B | +35.3% vs 2017 | 3.4% |
| Ohio | $396.6B | +43.5% vs 2017 | 3.3% |
| Michigan | $378.6B | +23.9% vs 2017 | 3.2% |
| Massachusetts | $299.6B | +39.7% vs 2017 | 2.5% |
| North Carolina | $293.1B | +34.1% vs 2017 | 2.5% |
| Minnesota | $243.4B | +27.0% vs 2017 | 2.1% |
| Tennessee | $217.4B | +31.3% vs 2017 | 1.8% |
| Washington | $213.5B | +30.9% vs 2017 | 1.8% |
The 15 states with the most revenue. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Wholesale Trade employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 30,739 | 410,779 | $109,421 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 27,945 | 336,540 | $89,503 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 12,261 | 253,713 | $103,938 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 9,324 | 190,752 | $90,916 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 9,596 | 155,666 | $95,724 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 8,164 | 150,040 | $88,239 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 15,088 | 139,081 | $81,496 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 6,873 | 137,781 | $101,609 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 4,982 | 114,549 | $130,077 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 5,144 | 93,327 | $141,785 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 4,893 | 92,501 | $90,200 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 4,759 | 92,071 | $100,327 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 4,815 | 87,295 | $85,971 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 4,679 | 79,408 | $95,799 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 2,131 | 78,075 | $215,821 |
Layoffs
Layoffs in Wholesale Trade from WARN notices, SEC filings and news reports
Layoffs, 12 months
23
Layoff events
Workers, 12 months
3,438
Where the sources state it
Layoffs in all
688
The earliest dated Dec 1988
Layoffs and discharges
73,000
Aug 2026, every employer (JOLTS)
| Date | Company | Place | Workers | Status | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 2026 | Republic National Distributing Company, LLC | Illinois | 280 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Sep 23, 2026 | Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. | Danville, IL | 90 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Sep 2, 2026 | Fulton Troika, LLC | Chicago, IL | 109 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 24, 2026 | BFG Supply Company, LLC | Danville, IL | 35 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 24, 2026 | BFG Supply Co., LLC | California | 39 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 10, 2026 | TV Hardware Distribution, LLC | Chicago, IL | 116 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 5, 2026 | Latch, Inc. LTCH | United States | 65 | Confirmed | SEC 8-K |
| Aug 3, 2026 | Essendant Co. | Illinois | 644 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Aug 3, 2026 | Essendant Co. | California | 103 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Yerba Mate Co., LLC | California | 25 | Confirmed | WARN notice |
Layoff events per month
Oct 2024 to Oct 2026; the newest month is not complete
Top states, last 12 months
| State | Events | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 11 | 1,668 |
| Maryland | 5 | 431 |
| California | 4 | 174 |
| Florida | 1 | 1,046 |
| Indiana | 1 | 54 |
Top companies, last 12 months
| Company | Events | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Essendant Co. | 3 | 791 |
| Republic National Distributing Company, LLC | 2 | 1,326 |
| BFG Supply Co., LLC | 2 | 74 |
| Republic National 8 Distributing D Company, LLC J 2 | 1 | 318 |
| S&S Activewear | 1 | 195 |
| TV Hardware Distribution, LLC | 1 | 116 |
| Fulton Troika, LLC | 1 | 109 |
| Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc. | 1 | 90 |
| Cox Automotive Corp Svc., LLC 4 | 1 | 70 |
| D & H DISTRIBUTING COMPANY | 1 | 68 |
Layoffs and discharges per month
United States, Wholesale trade, every employer, in thousands, seasonally adjusted (JOLTS)
Business size
US Wholesale Trade business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 193,569 | 50.7% |
| 5 to 9 | 71,935 | 18.8% |
| 10 to 19 | 54,142 | 14.2% |
| 20 to 49 | 39,959 | 10.5% |
| 50 to 99 | 12,899 | 3.4% |
| 100 to 249 | 6,787 | 1.8% |
| 250 to 499 | 1,906 | 0.5% |
| 500 to 999 | 656 | 0.2% |
| 1,000 or more | 228 | 0.1% |
Sub-industries by revenue
The industries directly below Wholesale Trade, ranked by revenue, 2022
Largest by revenue
| Code | Industry | Revenue | Change vs 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 424 | Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods | $6.17T | +41.9% |
| 423 | Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods | $4.92T | +33.4% |
| 425 | Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers | $785.9B | +11.9% |
Related industries
Wholesale Trade and the 3 industries directly below it
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 423 | Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods | 3,633,921 | $94,991 |
| 424 | Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods | 2,358,648 | $85,510 |
| 425 | Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers | 243,788 | $71,985 |
Questions and answers
How big is the US Wholesale Trade market?
$11.87 trillion in revenue in 2022, up 35.9% from $8.73 trillion in 2017, earned by 265,472 firms. Texas had the most revenue ($1.88 trillion), followed by California ($1.58 trillion).
How many people work in Wholesale Trade in the US?
6.24 million people worked at 382,081 US Wholesale Trade business locations in 2023, up 1.5% from 2022. That is 4.46% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Wholesale Trade?
$90,505 a year per employee in 2023, from $564.4 billion in annual payroll (up 3.9% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Wholesale Trade jobs?
California had the most, with 809,519 employees in 2023, followed by Texas (566,990) and Florida (365,417).
Which metro areas have the most Wholesale Trade jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (410,779), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (336,540), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (253,713) had the most Wholesale Trade employees in 2023.
Are most Wholesale Trade businesses small?
83.7% of the 382,081 Wholesale Trade business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 884 had 500 or more.
How much does Wholesale Trade add to US GDP?
6.30% of US GDP in 2025: $1.95 trillion in value added.
How many layoffs were there in Wholesale Trade in the last 12 months?
23 layoffs were announced in Wholesale Trade in the last 12 months, affecting 3,438 workers where the number was stated, from WARN notices, SEC filings and news reports. The companies with the most layoff events were Essendant Co. (3), Republic National Distributing Company, LLC (2), BFG Supply Co., LLC (2).
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes. Market size is counted every five years; producer prices, output and sales are monthly and the newest month is revised later.
