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Size of the US Book, Periodical, and Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers industry

NAICS 42492, Book, Periodical, and Newspaper 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)
$10.3 billion
2022 · Economic Census
All establishments, current dollars
Employment
21,665
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Establishments
1,735
2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private ownership
Firms
927
2022 · Economic Census
Annual payroll
$908.6 million
2023 · County Business Patterns

Over time

Employment · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 21,665 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 35,8972019-Q2: 35,3872019-Q3: 34,7002019-Q4: 34,7052020-Q1: 34,0692020-Q2: 29,8052020-Q3: 29,4962020-Q4: 29,1342021-Q1: 29,1802021-Q2: 28,7772021-Q3: 28,3832021-Q4: 29,2272022-Q1: 27,5982022-Q2: 27,2472022-Q3: 28,3452022-Q4: 28,2072023-Q1: 27,9182023-Q2: 27,7572023-Q3: 28,1502023-Q4: 28,1242024-Q1: 27,2322024-Q2: 26,1712024-Q3: 25,9582024-Q4: 25,8892025-Q1: 25,0392025-Q2: 24,4622025-Q3: 23,6782025-Q4: 22,9742026-Q1: 21,665NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q121,6652022
2025-Q422,9742022
2025-Q323,6782022
2025-Q224,4622022
2025-Q125,0392022
2024-Q425,8892022
2024-Q325,9582022
2024-Q226,1712022
2024-Q127,2322022
2023-Q428,1242022
2023-Q328,1502022
2023-Q227,7572022
2023-Q127,9182022
2022-Q428,2072022
2022-Q328,3452022
2022-Q227,2472022
2022-Q127,5982022
2021-Q429,2272017
2021-Q328,3832017
2021-Q228,7772017
2021-Q129,1802017
2020-Q429,1342017
2020-Q329,4962017
2020-Q229,8052017
2020-Q134,0692017
2019-Q434,7052017
2019-Q334,7002017
2019-Q235,3872017
2019-Q135,8972017

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 16,762 · 2023
2017: 37,9252018: 31,3762019: 21,8942020: 21,7102021: 18,2342022: 19,4972023: 16,762
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
202316,762
202219,497
202118,234
202021,710
201921,894
201831,376
201737,925

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

Establishments · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest 1,735 · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: 2,2072019-Q2: 2,1652019-Q3: 2,1512019-Q4: 2,1542020-Q1: 2,1422020-Q2: 2,1182020-Q3: 2,1332020-Q4: 2,1312021-Q1: 2,0602021-Q2: 2,0562021-Q3: 2,0732021-Q4: 2,0492022-Q1: 2,0852022-Q2: 2,0682022-Q3: 2,0662022-Q4: 2,0562023-Q1: 1,9912023-Q2: 1,9862023-Q3: 1,9762023-Q4: 1,9762024-Q1: 1,9082024-Q2: 1,9002024-Q3: 1,8952024-Q4: 1,8862025-Q1: 1,8302025-Q2: 1,8242025-Q3: 1,8182025-Q4: 1,7892026-Q1: 1,735NAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q11,7352022
2025-Q41,7892022
2025-Q31,8182022
2025-Q21,8242022
2025-Q11,8302022
2024-Q41,8862022
2024-Q31,8952022
2024-Q21,9002022
2024-Q11,9082022
2023-Q41,9762022
2023-Q31,9762022
2023-Q21,9862022
2023-Q11,9912022
2022-Q42,0562022
2022-Q32,0662022
2022-Q22,0682022
2022-Q12,0852022
2021-Q42,0492017
2021-Q32,0732017
2021-Q22,0562017
2021-Q12,0602017
2020-Q42,1312017
2020-Q32,1332017
2020-Q22,1182017
2020-Q12,1422017
2019-Q42,1542017
2019-Q32,1512017
2019-Q22,1652017
2019-Q12,2072017

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

Establishments · County Business PatternsLatest 1,020 · 2023
2017: 1,5172018: 1,4082019: 1,3232020: 1,2292021: 1,2382022: 1,1752023: 1,020
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
20231,020
20221,175
20211,238
20201,229
20191,323
20181,408
20171,517

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

Total wages in the quarter · Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesLatest $399.5 million · 2026-Q1
2019-Q1: $452.8 million2019-Q2: $422.5 million2019-Q3: $411.8 million2019-Q4: $431.9 million2020-Q1: $431.0 million2020-Q2: $352.0 million2020-Q3: $369.4 million2020-Q4: $420.0 million2021-Q1: $376.3 million2021-Q2: $386.3 million2021-Q3: $397.1 million2021-Q4: $462.8 million2022-Q1: $428.6 million2022-Q2: $432.4 million2022-Q3: $454.1 million2022-Q4: $452.0 million2023-Q1: $486.7 million2023-Q2: $442.9 million2023-Q3: $445.1 million2023-Q4: $471.4 million2024-Q1: $522.0 million2024-Q2: $468.6 million2024-Q3: $448.1 million2024-Q4: $478.2 million2025-Q1: $441.9 million2025-Q2: $408.0 million2025-Q3: $385.7 million2025-Q4: $413.1 million2026-Q1: $399.5 millionNAICS 2022 from 2022-Q1
Show the numbers
PeriodValueNAICS
2026-Q1$399.5 million2022
2025-Q4$413.1 million2022
2025-Q3$385.7 million2022
2025-Q2$408.0 million2022
2025-Q1$441.9 million2022
2024-Q4$478.2 million2022
2024-Q3$448.1 million2022
2024-Q2$468.6 million2022
2024-Q1$522.0 million2022
2023-Q4$471.4 million2022
2023-Q3$445.1 million2022
2023-Q2$442.9 million2022
2023-Q1$486.7 million2022
2022-Q4$452.0 million2022
2022-Q3$454.1 million2022
2022-Q2$432.4 million2022
2022-Q1$428.6 million2022
2021-Q4$462.8 million2017
2021-Q3$397.1 million2017
2021-Q2$386.3 million2017
2021-Q1$376.3 million2017
2020-Q4$420.0 million2017
2020-Q3$369.4 million2017
2020-Q2$352.0 million2017
2020-Q1$431.0 million2017
2019-Q4$431.9 million2017
2019-Q3$411.8 million2017
2019-Q2$422.5 million2017
2019-Q1$452.8 million2017

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

Annual payroll · County Business PatternsLatest $908.6 million · 2023
2017: $1.3 billion2018: $1.1 billion2019: $1.0 billion2020: $961.9 million2021: $978.7 million2022: $1.0 billion2023: $908.6 million
Show the numbers
PeriodValue
2023$908.6 million
2022$1.0 billion
2021$978.7 million
2020$961.9 million
2019$1.0 billion
2018$1.1 billion
2017$1.3 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 Wages21,6652026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
EstablishmentsPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages1,7352026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Total wages in the quarterPrivate ownershipQuarterly Census of Employment and Wages$399.5 million2026-Q12019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published
Annual payrollCounty Business Patterns$908.6 million20232017–2023 · 7 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12County Business Patterns16,76220232017–2023 · 7 published
EstablishmentsCounty Business Patterns1,02020232017–2023 · 7 published
Annual payrollEconomic Census$884.2 million20222017–2022 · 2 published
EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12Economic Census16,51520222017–2022 · 2 published
EstablishmentsEconomic Census1,06220222017–2022 · 2 published
FirmsEconomic Census92720222017–2022 · 2 published
Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)All establishments, current dollarsEconomic Census$10.3 billion20222017–2022 · 2 published

Breakdown

Industries within Book, Periodical, and Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers

NAICSIndustrySizeEmployment
424920Book, Periodical, and Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers$10.3 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census21,6652026-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.