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Size of the US Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers industry

NAICS 4246, Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers. Every figure on this page was published by a federal statistical agency and carries its source and period. Palanor does not estimate: a period the agency didn’t publish shows as missing, and a figure it withheld shows as withheld.

Key figures

Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)
$316 billion
2022 · Economic Census
All establishments, current dollars
Employment
148,902
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Establishments
18,743
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private ownership
Firms
7,346
2022 · Economic Census
Annual payroll
$16.1 billion
2023 · County Business Patterns

Over time

Employment · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 148,902 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 147,6042019-Q2: 148,3412019-Q3: 146,9122019-Q4: 147,2832020-Q1: 146,2722020-Q2: 142,8132020-Q3: 141,5822020-Q4: 143,7872021-Q1: 143,2122021-Q2: 144,3222021-Q3: 143,0182021-Q4: 146,3192022-Q1: 145,4692022-Q2: 146,9772022-Q3: 148,1152022-Q4: 149,9542023-Q1: 149,0072023-Q2: 151,0242023-Q3: 151,9402023-Q4: 153,0142024-Q1: 151,6622024-Q2: 152,9092024-Q3: 151,8062024-Q4: 152,6792025-Q1: 150,0332025-Q2: 150,9402025-Q3: 149,1082025-Q4: 149,1832026-Q1: 148,902NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1148,9022022
2025-Q4149,1832022
2025-Q3149,1082022
2025-Q2150,9402022
2025-Q1150,0332022
2024-Q4152,6792022
2024-Q3151,8062022
2024-Q2152,9092022
2024-Q1151,6622022
2023-Q4153,0142022
2023-Q3151,9402022
2023-Q2151,0242022
2023-Q1149,0072022
2022-Q4149,9542022
2022-Q3148,1152022
2022-Q2146,9772022
2022-Q1145,4692022
2021-Q4146,3192017
2021-Q3143,0182017
2021-Q2144,3222017
2021-Q1143,2122017
2020-Q4143,7872017
2020-Q3141,5822017
2020-Q2142,8132017
2020-Q1146,2722017
2019-Q4147,2832017
2019-Q3146,9122017
2019-Q2148,3412017
2019-Q1147,6042017

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter

Employment · County Business PatternsLatest 168,556 · 2023
2017: 159,3112018: 162,3032019: 161,0552020: 161,2662021: 158,2432022: 162,9552023: 168,556
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023168,556
2022162,955
2021158,243
2020161,266
2019161,055
2018162,303
2017159,311

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns · Paid employees in the pay period including March 12

Establishments · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 18,743 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 18,0232019-Q2: 18,0762019-Q3: 18,1322019-Q4: 18,1082020-Q1: 18,1032020-Q2: 18,0692020-Q3: 18,1232020-Q4: 18,2142021-Q1: 18,0142021-Q2: 18,0872021-Q3: 18,1762021-Q4: 18,2662022-Q1: 18,3482022-Q2: 18,3782022-Q3: 18,5552022-Q4: 18,6372023-Q1: 18,6472023-Q2: 18,6892023-Q3: 18,7542023-Q4: 18,7872024-Q1: 18,5742024-Q2: 18,6432024-Q3: 18,7162024-Q4: 18,7892025-Q1: 18,5752025-Q2: 18,6752025-Q3: 18,7442025-Q4: 18,7772026-Q1: 18,743NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q118,7432022
2025-Q418,7772022
2025-Q318,7442022
2025-Q218,6752022
2025-Q118,5752022
2024-Q418,7892022
2024-Q318,7162022
2024-Q218,6432022
2024-Q118,5742022
2023-Q418,7872022
2023-Q318,7542022
2023-Q218,6892022
2023-Q118,6472022
2022-Q418,6372022
2022-Q318,5552022
2022-Q218,3782022
2022-Q118,3482022
2021-Q418,2662017
2021-Q318,1762017
2021-Q218,0872017
2021-Q118,0142017
2020-Q418,2142017
2020-Q318,1232017
2020-Q218,0692017
2020-Q118,1032017
2019-Q418,1082017
2019-Q318,1322017
2019-Q218,0762017
2019-Q118,0232017

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private ownership

Establishments · County Business PatternsLatest 11,364 · 2023
2017: 12,3862018: 12,3732019: 12,1092020: 11,9522021: 11,9252022: 11,7202023: 11,364
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
202311,364
202211,720
202111,925
202011,952
201912,109
201812,373
201712,386

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns

Total wages in the quarter · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest $4.5 billion · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: $3.7 billion2019-Q2: $3.2 billion2019-Q3: $3.2 billion2019-Q4: $3.5 billion2020-Q1: $3.6 billion2020-Q2: $3.1 billion2020-Q3: $3.2 billion2020-Q4: $3.6 billion2021-Q1: $3.5 billion2021-Q2: $3.4 billion2021-Q3: $3.4 billion2021-Q4: $4.1 billion2022-Q1: $4.0 billion2022-Q2: $3.6 billion2022-Q3: $3.8 billion2022-Q4: $4.1 billion2023-Q1: $4.4 billion2023-Q2: $3.7 billion2023-Q3: $3.9 billion2023-Q4: $4.3 billion2024-Q1: $4.6 billion2024-Q2: $3.9 billion2024-Q3: $4.0 billion2024-Q4: $4.3 billion2025-Q1: $4.6 billion2025-Q2: $4.0 billion2025-Q3: $4.0 billion2025-Q4: $4.4 billion2026-Q1: $4.5 billionNAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1$4.5 billion2022
2025-Q4$4.4 billion2022
2025-Q3$4.0 billion2022
2025-Q2$4.0 billion2022
2025-Q1$4.6 billion2022
2024-Q4$4.3 billion2022
2024-Q3$4.0 billion2022
2024-Q2$3.9 billion2022
2024-Q1$4.6 billion2022
2023-Q4$4.3 billion2022
2023-Q3$3.9 billion2022
2023-Q2$3.7 billion2022
2023-Q1$4.4 billion2022
2022-Q4$4.1 billion2022
2022-Q3$3.8 billion2022
2022-Q2$3.6 billion2022
2022-Q1$4.0 billion2022
2021-Q4$4.1 billion2017
2021-Q3$3.4 billion2017
2021-Q2$3.4 billion2017
2021-Q1$3.5 billion2017
2020-Q4$3.6 billion2017
2020-Q3$3.2 billion2017
2020-Q2$3.1 billion2017
2020-Q1$3.6 billion2017
2019-Q4$3.5 billion2017
2019-Q3$3.2 billion2017
2019-Q2$3.2 billion2017
2019-Q1$3.7 billion2017

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private ownership

Annual payroll · County Business PatternsLatest $16.1 billion · 2023
2017: $12.5 billion2018: $13.1 billion2019: $13.4 billion2020: $13.3 billion2021: $14.1 billion2022: $15.2 billion2023: $16.1 billion
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023$16.1 billion
2022$15.2 billion
2021$14.1 billion
2020$13.3 billion
2019$13.4 billion
2018$13.1 billion
2017$12.5 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns

The ledger

Every published measure

MeasureSourceLatestPeriodHistory
EmploymentPrivate-sector jobs in the third month of each quarterQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages148,9022026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
EstablishmentsPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages18,7432026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Total wages in the quarterPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages$4.5 billion2026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Annual payrollCounty Business Patterns$16.1 billion20232017–2023 · 7 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12County Business Patterns168,55620232017–2023 · 7 published
EstablishmentsCounty Business Patterns11,36420232017–2023 · 7 published
Annual payrollEconomic Census$15.1 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12Economic Census167,53120222017–2022 · 2 published
EstablishmentsEconomic Census11,49420222017–2022 · 2 published
FirmsEconomic Census7,34620222017–2022 · 2 published
Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)All establishments, current dollarsEconomic Census$316 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published

Breakdown

Industries within Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers

NAICSIndustrySizeEmployment
42461Plastics Materials and Basic Forms and Shapes Merchant Wholesalers$56.3 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census28,7812026-Q1 · QCEW
42469Other Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers$260 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census120,1212026-Q1 · QCEW

Sources

Where every number comes from

Figures are in current dollars and are the agencies’ own, revised when they revise. Each program defines its universe differently (employer firms, private ownership, all establishments), so figures from different sources are not meant to add up. This page is not endorsed by the Census Bureau, BEA or BLS. The same data is in the Palanor API (/v1/industries) and the MCP (palanor_get_industry). All industries.