tlir region. Al)out four-fifths of all nuilti-unit firms are corporations. The 

 remainder are primarily single proprietorships. 



Size of Firms 



Firm size classes were established based on annual gross dollar sales 

 volumes (Figure 3). Fifty-two percent of all yards are included in the 

 classes with annual gross dollar sales volumes of S51.000 to S300.0()0. 

 These yards made about one-third of the total retail yard sales. The 

 larger yards, 43 percent of all yards, sold nearly three times the volume 

 of the others. Seven percent of all the yards had sales over Sl.OOO.OOO 

 and five percent had sales of less than S50,000 annually. 



Size Classes 

 (thousands of dollars) 



Over 1000 

 601-1000 



5 10 15 20 



Percent of total yards 



FIGURE 3. DISTRIBUTION OF RETAIL LUMBER YARDS BY GROSS DOLLAR VOLUME 



SALES CLASSES. 



Sixty-four percent of all firms selling over a million dollars of lum- 

 ber and related products are located in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. 

 These firms maintain headcjuarters in either Massachusetts or Pennsyl- 

 vania but have yards in other states. Since a portion of their total dollar 

 sales volume has to be credited to the other states, state differences are 

 not clear. 



Employment 



(3ver 6.000 persons are employed by the 542 firms studied for this 

 report. This rejtresents an average of about 11.0 employees for each yard 



10 



