Historical, technical                          USDL 02-347
  information:   (202) 691-5618                FOR RELEASE: 10:00 a.m. EDT
Media contact:   (202) 691-5902                Thursday, June 20, 2002
Internet: http://www.bls.gov/lpc/home.htm
           BLS RELEASES NEW SERIES ON PRODUCTIVITY AND COSTS IN 
                   WHOLESALE TRADE INDUSTRIES, 1990-2000
     Labor productivity--defined as output per hour--increased 3.0 percent from 1999 
to 2000 in wholesale trade, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of 
Labor reported.  This rise was below the 4.0 annual percent increase for the entire 
1995-2000 period but exceeded the earlier 2.7 annual percent growth in the 1990-1995 
period.
     In 2000, labor productivity increased 4.9 percent in durable-goods wholesale trade 
and 0.4 percent in nondurable-goods wholesale trade.  Thirteen of the 18 wholesale trade 
industries studied by BLS had labor productivity increases in 2000.  Unit labor costs rose 
in wholesale trade overall, in both durable-goods and nondurable-goods wholesale trade, 
and in 14 of the 18 wholesale trade industries.
     With this release, BLS is introducing labor productivity and related series for 
wholesale trade industries.  In the future, they will be incorporated into the annual release 
on productivity and costs by industry.  These new series cover all 3-digit industries 
within wholesale trade for 1987-2000.  The wholesale trade sector includes 
establishments involved in selling merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, 
institutional, farm, construction contractors, or professional business users; or acting as 
brokers in purchases or sales of merchandise between businesses.
    ******************************************************************************
    * The industry productivity series in this release are based on the Standard *
    * Industrial Classification (SIC) system.  Beginning with the next annual    *
    * update in 2003, which will incorporate 2001 data, the industry series will *
    * be based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).     *
    * In addition, the base year for all index series will be shifted to 1997.   *
    ******************************************************************************
     The 1999-2000 developments in wholesale trade were similar to longer-term 
trends in the sector.  Over the decade from 1990 to 2000, labor productivity increased in 
overall wholesale trade (3.4 percent per year), in durable- and nondurable-goods 
wholesale trade (5.6 and 0.7 percent per year, respectively), and in 14 of the 18 individual 
wholesale trade industries.  Most wholesale trade industries had increases in both output 
and hours from 1990 to 2000.  Unit labor costs rose in the sector as a whole, in the 
nondurable-goods wholesale trade group, and in 14 wholesale trade industries.  Unit labor 
costs declined in the durable-goods wholesale trade group and in four of the nine 
durable-goods wholesale trade industries. The attached tables present data for the 
wholesale trade sector, major groups, and component industries.  (See technical note for 
more information.)
                       Durable-goods wholesale trade
1999-2000 changes
     In 2000, labor productivity increased in seven of the nine durable-goods 
wholesale trade industries.  Output increased in eight of the durable-goods industries, and 
hours increased in seven.
     Productivity growth in two of the durable-goods wholesale trade industries 
contributed substantially to the strong performance of the major group.  Electrical goods 
wholesalers had a 20.4 percent increase in labor productivity over the year, the most rapid 
in the wholesale trade sector.  Professional and commercial equipment and supplies, 
which includes computer equipment wholesalers, posted a productivity gain of 9.9 
percent in 2000.  Professional and commercial equipment and supplies is the largest 
durable-goods wholesale trade industry in terms of employment, with nearly 1 million 
employees in 2000.  The two durable-goods wholesale industries with productivity 
declines were motor vehicles and automotive parts and supplies, which had a drop of 5.0 
percent, and lumber and other construction materials, where productivity fell 3.3 percent.
     Unit labor costs increased in seven durable-goods wholesale trade industries in 
2000.  The two industries with the most rapid output and productivity increases over the 
year, electrical goods and professional and commercial equipment and supplies, had 
declines in unit labor costs of 7.8 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively.  The largest 
increases in unit labor cost occurred in the two durable-goods wholesale industries with 
labor productivity declines in 2000.  The lumber and other construction materials 
industry had a unit labor cost increase of 8.8 percent, and motor vehicles and automotive 
parts and supplies had an increase of 7.9 percent.
Long-term trends
     Seven of the nine industries in the durable-goods wholesale trade group recorded 
productivity increases in the 1990-2000 period.  The most rapid productivity increase 
among all wholesale trade industries, 17.1 percent per year, occurred in the professional 
and commercial equipment and supplies industry.  Electrical goods also experienced 
strong productivity growth of 9.2 percent per year over the decade.  Most other 
durable-goods wholesale trade industries had productivity gains that ranged from 1.0 to 
4.0 percent per year; however, lumber and other construction materials and metals and 
minerals except petroleum had annual productivity declines of 1.7 percent and 0.9 
percent, respectively.
     Increases in output and labor productivity over the decade in durable-goods 
wholesale trade contributed to declines or modest increases in unit labor costs in most 
durable-goods wholesale industries.  Professional and commercial equipment and 
supplies, which had rapid output and productivity growth, recorded a decline in unit labor 
costs of 10.1 percent per year over the period.  The largest unit labor cost increase in the 
group, 5.3 percent per year, occurred in the lumber and other construction materials 
industry.  This industry experienced slow output growth and a drop in productivity 
between 1990 and 2000.
                     Nondurable-goods wholesale trade
1999-2000 changes
     Nondurable-goods wholesale trade experienced a smaller productivity gain in the 
year 2000 than did durable-goods wholesale trade.  During 2000, seven of the nine 
nondurable-goods industries had output increases, and six had productivity gains.
     The nondurable-goods wholesale industries with the largest productivity gains in 
2000 were miscellaneous nondurable goods and apparel, piece goods, and notions, with 
gains of 7.1 percent and 5.2 percent respectively.  Labor productivity declined for 
petroleum and petroleum products wholesalers, down 11.7 percent in 2000.  This was the 
largest decline among all wholesale trade industries.  In this industry, output dropped 9.4 
percent and employee hours increased 2.6 percent.
   
     The petroleum and petroleum products industry recorded the largest increase in 
unit labor costs in 2000 among all wholesale trade industries, 19.8 percent.  Chemicals 
and allied products and paper and paper products also had rapid unit labor cost increases 
of 8.3 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively.  These industries were followed closely by 
drugs, drug proprietaries, and druggists sundries (6.7 percent) and farm-product raw 
materials (6.2 percent).  Apparel, piece goods, and notions and miscellaneous nondurable 
goods were the only nondurable-goods wholesale industries with declining unit labor 
costs in 2000 (-5.1 percent and -4.6 percent, respectively).
   
Long-term trends
     Nondurable-goods wholesale trade industries trailed durable-goods wholesale 
trade industries in productivity growth over the period from 1990 to 2000, with average 
annual productivity growth of 0.7 percent per year.  Over the 10-year period, productivity 
increased in seven of nine nondurable-goods industries.  Productivity grew 3.7 percent 
per year in the farm-product raw materials wholesale industry.  Productivity declined in 
the petroleum and petroleum products industry (-0.1 percent per year) and in the 
chemicals and allied products wholesale industry (-0.6 percent per year).
     Unit labor costs increased in every nondurable-goods wholesale industry over the 
1990-2000 period.  Petroleum and petroleum products (4.5 percent), chemicals and allied 
products (4.2 percent), and drugs, drug proprietaries, and druggists sundries (4.2 percent) 
showed the largest average annual increases, while farm-product raw materials showed 
the smallest average annual increase (0.7 percent) in unit labor costs over the period.
                    Changes in productivity growth over the 1990s
     The second half of the 1990s was characterized by accelerating productivity 
growth rates in many industries.  For the wholesale trade sector, productivity expanded 
from a rate of 2.7 percent per year in the first half of the decade (1990-95) to 4.0 percent 
per year in the second half (1995-2000).  This acceleration, however, did not occur 
uniformly throughout the sector.
Durable-goods wholesale trade
     In durable-goods wholesale trade, productivity growth increased from an average 
rate of 4.9 percent per year in the 1990-95 period to an average rate of 6.3 percent per 
year in the 1995-2000 period.  Seven of the nine durable-goods wholesale industries 
experienced improved productivity performance in the second half of the decade.  
Wholesale professional and commercial equipment and supplies and wholesale electrical 
goods had rapid labor productivity growth in both periods, with small increases in 
productivity growth in the second half of the decade.  Accelerations also occurred in 
motor vehicles and automotive parts and supplies; machinery, equipment, and supplies; 
and miscellaneous durable goods.  In addition, two wholesale industries with productivity 
declines during the first half of the period, lumber and other construction materials and 
metals and minerals except petroleum, had lower rates of labor productivity decline in the 
latter period.
     Unit labor costs fell in durable-goods wholesale trade in both the 1990-95 and 
1995-2000 periods.  While the unit labor costs drop was smaller in the second half of the 
decade (-0.8 percent per year as compared to -1.5 percent per year in the first half of the 
period), more durable-goods trade industries had unit labor costs declines during the 
1995-2000 period.  Between 1990 and 1995, only two industries in this group had 
declines in unit labor costs; during the 1995-2000 period, the number of durable-goods 
wholesale trade industries recording declines in unit labor costs increased to four.
Nondurable-goods wholesale trade
     Nondurable-goods productivity growth increased from 0.2 percent per year in the 
1990-95 period to 1.2 percent per year from 1995 to 2000.  Four of the nine 
nondurable-goods wholesale trade industries experienced improved productivity 
performance in the second half compared with the first half.  Three of these industries 
went from productivity declines from 1990 to 1995 to productivity increases from 1995 
to 2000.  On the other hand, three nondurable-goods wholesale industries had slower 
productivity growth in the second half of the decade, and two others recorded 
productivity declines in 1995-2000 after having flat or increasing productivity during the 
first half.
     The largest change in productivity growth from the first period to the second 
occurred in apparel, piece goods, and notions, which had a productivity decline of 2.0 
percent from 1990 to 1995 and an increase of 4.6 percent from 1995 to 2000.
     Unit labor costs in nondurable-goods wholesale industries rose at an average 
annual rate of 3.3 percent from 1990 to 1995 and 3.0 percent from 1995 to 2000.  The 
only nondurable-goods wholesale trade industry to have a decline in unit labor costs in 
either period was apparel, piece goods, and notions, which recorded a 1.4 percent per 
year decline in the 1995-2000 period.  The largest unit labor cost increase from 1990 to 
1995, 5.7 percent per year, occurred in miscellaneous nondurable goods, and the largest 
increase from 1995 to 2000 was 7.1 percent per year in petroleum and petroleum 
products.
                                Technical Note
     This news release introduces new measures of annual growth in labor 
productivity, unit labor costs, and related measures for the wholesale trade sector (SIC 50 
and SIC 51), the durables wholesale trade major group (SIC 50), the nondurables 
wholesale trade major group (SIC 51), and all of the 18 3-digit SIC wholesale trade 
industries.  Annual indexes begin in 1987 and currently end in 2000.  These indexes and 
annual rates of change can be obtained in several ways: by visiting the BLS Productivity 
and Costs web site (http://www.bls.gov/lpc/home.htm); by calling the Division of 
Industry Productivity Studies (202-691-5618); or by sending a request by e-mail 
(dipsweb@bls.gov).
     Industry output measures for wholesale trade industries are prepared from basic 
data published by the Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, both 
agencies of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the BLS.  The measures are based on 
the sales of merchant wholesalers, manufacturers sales branches and offices (MSBOs), 
and wholesale agents and brokers, which are available from the Census Bureaus 
Economic Census (Wholesale Trade) in census years (1987, 1992, and 1997).  Sales for 
agents and brokers are adjusted to include only goods sold on their own account plus fees 
and commissions for sales on the account of others.  Annual sales data from the Census 
Bureau are available only for merchant wholesalers.  The annual sales of merchant 
wholesalers and census-year sales for all wholesalers are adjusted for price change using 
3-digit SIC industry deflators developed by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).  
These deflators refer to the price changes for the various products sold by the wholesalers 
and are based primarily on a combination of BLS producer price indexes, BLS import 
price indexes, and a few BLS consumer price indexes.  The weights for the price indexes 
are based on census-year merchant wholesaler commodity line sales data supplemented 
by census-year import data from the BEA input-output tables.
     Annual deflated sales for merchant wholesalers are combined with annual 
estimates of real sales of MSBOs and agents and brokers.  These estimated real sales are 
based on the annual changes in real output of the primary products of those 
manufacturing industries whose primary products correspond to the primary product sales 
of the wholesaling industry.  These annual sales movements for MSBOs and agents and 
brokers are benchmarked to published wholesale sales data in census years.
     Labor input series are based on data for all persons (paid employees, the self-
employed, and unpaid family workers).  BLS data from the Current Employment 
Statistics program are used for the number of supervisory and nonsupervisory paid 
employees and for average weekly hours of nonsupervisory workers.  Data for the self 
employed and unpaid family workers are based on annual data from the Current 
Population Survey.
     Data from the 1997 Economic Census were published on the basis of the new 
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS); earlier data and annual 
merchant wholesaler data for all years were published according to the Standard 
Industrial Classification (SIC) system.  In order to develop the productivity series for this 
news release, BLS converted the NAICS-based data to an SIC basis.  All of the measures 
for 2000 in this news release are preliminary and subject to revision.
Productivity measurement
     The industry productivity measures describe the relationship between output and 
the labor time involved in its production.  They estimate the changes from period to 
period in the amount of services produced per hour.  Although these measures relate 
output to the hours worked of all persons engaged in an industry, they do not measure the 
specific contribution of labor, capital, or any other factor of production.  Rather, they 
reflect the joint effects of many influences, including changes in technology; capital 
investment; level of output; utilization of capacity, energy, and materials; the 
organization of production; managerial skill; and the characteristics and effort of the 
workforce.
     Year-to-year movements in productivity measures for some industries may be 
somewhat erratic.  The annual changes in an industry's productivity are based on sample 
data, which are likely to differ from data generated by a census of establishments in the 
industry.  As a result, long-term trends tend to be more reliable indicators of the 
performance of an industry than are the year-to-year changes.
Unit labor cost measurement
     The unit labor cost series in this release describe the cost of labor input required 
to produce one unit of output.  Unit labor costs are calculated as the ratio of current dollar 
labor compensation to constant dollar output.  The indexes of unit labor costs for each 
industry are computed by dividing an index of current dollar compensation by an index of 
constant dollar output.
     Compensation is a measure of the cost to the employer of securing the services of 
labor.  It is defined as payroll expenses plus supplemental payments.  Payroll expenses 
includes salaries, wages, commissions, dismissal pay, bonuses, vacation and sick leave 
pay, and compensation in kind.  Supplemental payments are divided into legally required 
expenditures and payments for voluntary programs.  The legally required expenditures 
include employers contributions to Social Security, unemployment insurance taxes, and 
workers compensation.  Payments for voluntary programs include all programs not 
specifically required by legislation, such as the employer portion of private health 
insurance and pension plans.
     The indexes of industry output used in measuring labor productivity and unit 
labor costs for the overall wholesale sector and the two major groups are calculated with 
a Tornqvist formula.  This formula aggregates the growth rates of the various component 
industries between two periods using the shares in industry value of production, averaged 
over the two periods, as weights.
     Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals 
upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 
1-800-877-8339.
 
Table 1.  Annual percent change in output per hour and related series:  Wholesale trade industries, 1990-2000 and 1999-2000
                                                                            Annual percent change,     Annual percent change,
                                                                                   1990-2000                  1999-2000
                                                                 2000      -------------------------  -------------------------
SIC                             Industry                      Employment    Output                     Output
code                                                          (thousands)  per hour  Output   Hours   per hour  Output   Hours
                            Wholesale trade
50, 51  Wholesale trade                                           7290        3.4      4.7      1.2      3.0      5.2      2.1
                        Wholesale durable goods
50      Wholesale durable goods                                   4337        5.6      7.1      1.4      4.9      6.9      1.8
501     Motor vehicles and automotive parts and supplies           540        3.3      4.6      1.2     -5.0     -3.9      1.2
502     Furniture and home furnishings                             187        1.2      3.0      1.7      3.1      5.1      2.0
503     Lumber and other construction materials                    302       -1.7      0.6      2.4     -3.3      1.5      5.0
504     Professional and commercial equipment and supplies         976       17.1     19.5      2.0      9.9     11.6      1.5
505     Metals and minerals, except petroleum                      165       -0.9      0.7      1.6      3.3      2.9     -0.4
506     Electrical goods                                           599        9.2     11.0      1.7     20.4     26.5      5.1
507     Hardware and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies   326        1.7      2.8      1.1      0.4      1.9      1.5
508     Machinery, equipment and supplies                          871        2.4      3.0      0.5      4.2      3.4     -0.8
509     Miscellaneous durable goods                                372        3.9      4.9      0.9      3.1      7.1      3.8
                       Wholesale nondurable goods
51      Wholesale nondurable goods                                2953        0.7      1.7      1.0      0.4      2.9      2.5
511     Paper and paper products                                   277        2.2      2.9      0.7      0.1     -2.9     -3.0
512     Drugs, drug proprietaries, and druggists' sundries         263        2.3      5.5      3.1     -0.1      8.7      8.8
513     Apparel, piece goods, and notions                          233        1.3      2.3      1.0      5.2      8.5      3.1
514     Groceries and related products                             988        0.6      2.0      1.3      1.5      4.8      3.2
515     Farm-product raw materials                                 105        3.7      1.3     -2.4      1.9      1.1     -0.8
516     Chemicals and allied products                              168       -0.6      1.1      1.8     -5.3      0.2      5.8
517     Petroleum and petroleum products                           156       -0.1     -2.4     -2.3    -11.7     -9.4      2.6
518     Beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverages              165        0.1      1.2      1.1      1.2      3.0      1.8
519     Miscellaneous nondurable goods                             598        0.3      1.4      1.1      7.1      7.8      0.6
 
Table 2.  Annual percent change in total compensation, output, and unit labor costs:  Wholesale trade industries, 1990-2000 and 1999-2000
                                                                             Annual percent change,     Annual percent change,
                                                                                    1990-2000                  1999-2000
                                                                            ------------------------   -------------------------
                                                                 2000        Total             Unit     Total             Unit
SIC                             Industry                      Employment    compen-           labor    compen-           labor
code                                                          (thousands)   sation   Output   costs    sation   Output   costs
                            Wholesale trade
50, 51  Wholesale trade                                           7290        5.5      4.7      0.8      7.4      5.2      2.1
                        Wholesale durable goods
50      Wholesale durable goods                                   4337        5.8      7.1     -1.2      8.0      6.9      1.1
501     Motor vehicles and automotive parts and supplies           540        4.5      4.6     -0.1      3.7     -3.9      7.9
502     Furniture and home furnishings                             187        5.5      3.0      2.5      9.6      5.1      4.3
503     Lumber and other construction materials                    302        5.9      0.6      5.3     10.4      1.5      8.8
504     Professional and commercial equipment and supplies         976        7.4     19.5    -10.1      7.6     11.6     -3.5
505     Metals and minerals, except petroleum                      165        4.3      0.7      3.6      3.2      2.9      0.3
506     Electrical goods                                           599        7.3     11.0     -3.4     16.7     26.5     -7.8
507     Hardware and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies   326        4.6      2.8      1.8      4.9      1.9      2.9
508     Machinery, equipment and supplies                          871        4.1      3.0      1.1      4.0      3.4      0.5
509     Miscellaneous durable goods                                372        4.5      4.9     -0.4     10.0      7.1      2.7
                       Wholesale nondurable goods
51      Wholesale nondurable goods                                2953        4.9      1.7      3.2      6.4      2.9      3.4
511     Paper and paper products                                   277        4.4      2.9      1.5      4.0     -2.9      7.1
512     Drugs, drug proprietaries, and druggists' sundries         263       10.0      5.5      4.2     15.9      8.7      6.7
513     Apparel, piece goods, and notions                          233        3.5      2.3      1.2      3.0      8.5     -5.1
514     Groceries and related products                             988        4.4      2.0      2.4      5.2      4.8      0.4
515     Farm-product raw materials                                 105        2.0      1.3      0.7      7.3      1.1      6.2
516     Chemicals and allied products                              168        5.4      1.1      4.2      8.5      0.2      8.3
517     Petroleum and petroleum products                           156        2.0     -2.4      4.5      8.5     -9.4     19.8
518     Beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverages              165        4.2      1.2      3.0      6.5      3.0      3.4
519     Miscellaneous nondurable goods                             598        5.1      1.4      3.6      2.8      7.8     -4.6
 
Table 3.  Annual percent change in output per hour and related series:  Wholesale trade industries, 1990-95 and 1995-2000
                                                                            Annual percent change,     Annual percent change,
                                                                                   1990-1995                  1995-2000
                                                                 2000      -------------------------  -------------------------
SIC                             Industry                      Employment    Output                     Output
code                                                          (thousands)  per hour  Output   Hours   per hour  Output   Hours
                            Wholesale trade
50, 51  Wholesale trade                                           7290        2.7      3.5      0.7      4.0      5.8      1.7
                        Wholesale durable goods
50      Wholesale durable goods                                   4337        4.9      5.6      0.6      6.3      8.6      2.2
501     Motor vehicles and automotive parts and supplies           540        2.8      4.6      1.7      3.8      4.6      0.8
502     Furniture and home furnishings                             187        1.7      2.0      0.3      0.8      4.0      3.2
503     Lumber and other construction materials                    302       -3.3     -2.0      1.4     -0.1      3.3      3.4
504     Professional and commercial equipment and supplies         976       16.0     15.9     -0.1     18.3     23.3      4.2
505     Metals and minerals, except petroleum                      165       -1.0     -0.1      0.9     -0.8      1.5      2.3
506     Electrical goods                                           599        8.6      9.0      0.4      9.8     13.1      3.0
507     Hardware and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies   326        1.8      2.6      0.8      1.6      3.0      1.4
508     Machinery, equipment and supplies                          871        1.6      1.3     -0.3      3.3      4.6      1.3
509     Miscellaneous durable goods                                372        2.3      4.8      2.5      5.6      5.0     -0.6
                       Wholesale nondurable goods
51      Wholesale nondurable goods                                2953        0.2      1.1      0.9      1.2      2.3      1.1
511     Paper and paper products                                   277        2.4      3.0      0.5      1.9      2.8      0.9
512     Drugs, drug proprietaries, and druggists' sundries         263        2.7      4.0      1.2      1.9      7.1      5.1
513     Apparel, piece goods, and notions                          233       -2.0      0.2      2.2      4.6      4.5     -0.1
514     Groceries and related products                             988        0.9      2.0      1.1      0.4      2.0      1.6
515     Farm-product raw materials                                 105        2.3      0.7     -1.6      5.1      1.9     -3.1
516     Chemicals and allied products                              168        0.0      1.3      1.3     -1.3      0.9      2.2
517     Petroleum and petroleum products                           156        2.1     -2.4     -4.4     -2.2     -2.4     -0.2
518     Beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverages              165       -1.3     -0.9      0.4      1.5      3.3      1.8
519     Miscellaneous nondurable goods                             598       -2.0      0.2      2.3      2.7      2.6     -0.1
 
Table 4.  Annual percent change in total compensation, output, and unit labor costs:  Wholesale trade industries, 1990-95 and 1995-2000
                                                                             Annual percent change,     Annual percent change,
                                                                                    1990-1995                  1995-2000
                                                                            ------------------------   -------------------------
                                                                 2000        Total             Unit     Total             Unit
SIC                           Industry                        Employment    compen-           labor    compen-           labor
code                                                          (thousands)   sation   Output   costs    sation   Output   costs
                            Wholesale trade
50, 51  Wholesale trade                                           7290        4.1      3.5      0.6      6.8      5.8      0.9
                        Wholesale durable goods
50      Wholesale durable goods                                   4337        3.9      5.6     -1.5      7.7      8.6     -0.8
501     Motor vehicles and automotive parts and supplies           540        4.6      4.6      0.0      4.3      4.6     -0.3
502     Furniture and home furnishings                             187        3.1      2.0      1.1      8.0      4.0      3.9
503     Lumber and other construction materials                    302        4.3     -2.0      6.4      7.6      3.3      4.2
504     Professional and commercial equipment and supplies         976        3.3     15.9    -10.9     11.8     23.3     -9.3
505     Metals and minerals, except petroleum                      165        3.8     -0.1      3.9      4.8      1.5      3.2
506     Electrical goods                                           599        4.8      9.0     -3.9      9.9     13.1     -2.8
507     Hardware and plumbing and heating equipment and supplies   326        4.0      2.6      1.3      5.3      3.0      2.2
508     Machinery, equipment and supplies                          871        3.2      1.3      1.9      5.1      4.6      0.4
509     Miscellaneous durable goods                                372        5.6      4.8      0.8      3.4      5.0     -1.5
                       Wholesale nondurable goods
51      Wholesale nondurable goods                                2953        4.4      1.1      3.3      5.4      2.3      3.0
511     Paper and paper products                                   277        4.1      3.0      1.1      4.7      2.8      1.9
512     Drugs, drug proprietaries, and druggists' sundries         263        7.4      4.0      3.3     12.6      7.1      5.2
513     Apparel, piece goods, and notions                          233        4.0      0.2      3.9      3.0      4.5     -1.4
514     Groceries and related products                             988        4.1      2.0      2.1      4.8      2.0      2.7
515     Farm-product raw materials                                 105        1.6      0.7      0.9      2.5      1.9      0.6
516     Chemicals and allied products                              168        5.8      1.3      4.4      5.0      0.9      4.1
517     Petroleum and petroleum products                           156       -0.4     -2.4      2.1      4.5     -2.4      7.1
518     Beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverages              165        3.1     -0.9      4.0      5.3      3.3      2.0
519     Miscellaneous nondurable goods                             598        6.0      0.2      5.7      4.3      2.6      1.6