Sales
May 2026 sales of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading day differences, but not for price changes, were $817.4 billion, up 3.4 percent (±0.5 percent) from the revised April level and were up 18.1 percent (±0.9 percent) from the revised May 2025 level. The March 2026 to April 2026 percent change was revised from the preliminary estimate of up 2.0 percent (±0.5 percent) to up 2.2 percent (±0.5 percent).
Inventories
Total inventories of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading day differences, but not for price changes, were $941.8 billion at the end of May, up 0.1 percent (±0.2 percent)* from the revised April level. Total inventories were up 4.0 percent (±1.2 percent) from the revised May 2025 level. The April 2026 to May 2026 percent change was revised from the advance estimate of up 0.3 percent (±0.2 percent) to up 0.1 percent (±0.2 percent)*.
Inventories/Sales Ratio
The May inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, based on seasonally adjusted data, was 1.15. The May 2025 ratio was 1.31.
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* The 90 percent confidence interval includes zero. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that the actual change is different from zero.
