Aggregate industry in the United States
In 2017, the aggregate industry in the United States mined and sold 2.12 billion metric tons of crushed rock, sand and gravel valued at US$20.9 billion. There are thousands of aggregate-producing companies in the US, operating in each of the 50 states, and employing 105,000 people. Most aggregate is used by the construction industry, where it is an essential raw material and the main ingredient in concrete and asphalt concrete. Industry structure. As of 2017, there were about 3600 companies mining sand and gravel, and 1400 thousand mining crushed rock in the  United States, with many companies doing both. Top crushed rock companies as of 2015, in order of descending tonnage. The top ten companies provided 45 percent of the crushed rock produced in the US. Top sand and gravel companies as of 2015, in order of descending tonnage. The top ten provided 53 percent of the sand and gravel produced in the US. Use. Most aggregate is used in construction, including 97 percent of sand and gravel and 76 percent of crushed rock. Per capita usage in the United States in 1996 was 8.7 metric tons per year. Use, and therefore  production of aggregate, is determined by the construction industry. Production in 2017 was well below the peak of 3.1 billion tons mined in 2006, during the height of the United States housing bubble.