More than one quarter of U.S. food dollar was paid to wholesale and retail trade establishments in 2023

In 2023, 26.1 cents of a typical dollar spent on domestically produced food went to wholesale trade (11.4 cents) and retail trade (14.7 cents) establishments such as grocery stores, wholesale clubs, restaurant supply stores, and other food distribution outlets. The wholesale trade and retail trade shares decreased 0.1 cent and 0.3 cent, respectively, from 2022, according to the USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) Food Dollar Series. Even so, both shares—which reached their highest values in 2020—remained above their series averages of 10.6 cents for wholesale trade and 13.9 cents for retail trade, which stretch back to 1993. Industry groups add value to the inputs they buy from other industry groups and sell the resulting product at higher prices. For instance, wholesale and retail establishments acquire food from manufacturers and sell to customers at prices above their acquisition costs to cover labor and other operating costs. The data for industry group shares of the food dollar are available for 1993 to 2023 in the ERS Food Dollar Series, updated November 18, 2024. The recent updates include primary data source revisions reflecting new benchmark data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis. Primary data source revisions can affect the measurement of food production and distribution costs, including margins paid to wholesale and retail establishments.

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