4238/Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
800K
employees, 2023
800K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 55,426 US Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers business locations employed 799,752 people and paid $70.1 billion in annual payroll, $87,675 per employee on average. Employment was up 4.3% from 2022. Texas had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
55,426
+1.0% vs 2022
Employees
799,752
+4.3% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$70.1B
+8.9% vs 2022
Average pay
$87,675
+4.4% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 6,184 | 91,483 | $90,928 | 0.76% |
| California | 5,530 | 65,959 | $89,615 | 0.40% |
| Illinois | 2,619 | 49,260 | $96,354 | 0.87% |
| Ohio | 2,376 | 41,717 | $84,456 | 0.82% |
| Florida | 3,702 | 39,388 | $82,958 | 0.39% |
| Pennsylvania | 2,104 | 33,533 | $86,486 | 0.59% |
| Michigan | 1,803 | 29,403 | $86,399 | 0.73% |
| Georgia | 1,838 | 28,793 | $88,391 | 0.65% |
| North Carolina | 1,703 | 27,390 | $87,301 | 0.64% |
| New York | 1,961 | 23,609 | $84,089 | 0.27% |
| Wisconsin | 1,310 | 20,988 | $85,621 | 0.79% |
| Indiana | 1,330 | 20,586 | $79,591 | 0.70% |
| Minnesota | 1,121 | 19,306 | $95,263 | 0.69% |
| Missouri | 1,140 | 18,758 | $88,328 | 0.71% |
| New Jersey | 1,272 | 18,353 | $95,329 | 0.47% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 1,928 | 39,211 | $100,717 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1,982 | 31,732 | $96,352 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 2,202 | 25,991 | $92,755 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 2,006 | 22,948 | $94,618 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 1,239 | 21,344 | $95,261 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 1,089 | 20,207 | $94,584 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 1,872 | 15,283 | $82,581 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 836 | 14,806 | $94,285 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 705 | 14,615 | $94,268 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 828 | 13,414 | $94,383 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 652 | 12,491 | $98,232 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 639 | 11,620 | $110,445 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 488 | 10,241 | $92,215 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 441 | 9,345 | $92,012 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 493 | 8,470 | $97,066 |
Business size
US Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 23,587 | 42.6% |
| 5 to 9 | 12,518 | 22.6% |
| 10 to 19 | 9,533 | 17.2% |
| 20 to 49 | 6,977 | 12.6% |
| 50 to 99 | 1,796 | 3.2% |
| 100 to 249 | 813 | 1.5% |
| 250 to 499 | 153 | 0.3% |
| 500 to 999 | 43 | 0.1% |
| 1,000 or more | 6 | 0.0% |
Related industries
Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers and the 6 industries directly below it
Part of Wholesale Trade 42Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods 423
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42383 | Industrial Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers | 374,989 | $91,835 |
| 42384 | Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers | 114,267 | $87,470 |
| 42382 | Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers | 112,992 | $74,615 |
| 42381 | Construction and Mining (except Oil Well) Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers | 107,724 | $97,034 |
| 42385 | Service Establishment Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers | 54,608 | $63,857 |
| 42386 | Transportation Equipment and Supplies (except Motor Vehicle) Merchant Wholesalers | 35,172 | $94,255 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers in the US?
799,752 people worked at 55,426 US Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers business locations in 2023, up 4.3% from 2022. That is 0.57% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers?
$87,675 a year per employee in 2023, from $70.1 billion in annual payroll (up 4.4% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers jobs?
Texas had the most, with 91,483 employees in 2023, followed by California (65,959) and Illinois (49,260).
Which metro areas have the most Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers jobs?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (39,211), Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (31,732), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (25,991) had the most Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers employees in 2023.
Are most Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers businesses small?
82.3% of the 55,426 Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 49 had 500 or more.
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.