---
title: "Manufacturing and Wholesale Ecommerce Statistics (2026)"
url: https://www.uncap.com/post/manufacturing-wholesale-ecommerce-statistics
author: "Denis Dyli"
published: 2026-10-22
updated: 2026-10-22
summary: "US Census Bureau data from the 2024 Annual Integrated Economic Survey show e-commerce was 66.6% of US manufacturing shipments, $4,649.4 billion, and 38.3% of merchant wholesaler sales, $4,224.1 billion, in 2024, against 16.6% of retail sales. Independent merchant wholesalers were at 35.1%, up from 32.0% in 2023, and shares range by industry from 79.7% for drug wholesalers and transportation equipment makers to under 20% for lumber and petroleum wholesalers. Under Census's E-Stats definitions, e-commerce includes orders placed over EDI, and Census says its sector figures are not additive. Every number on the page names its year and the Census source."
---

# Manufacturing and Wholesale Ecommerce Statistics (2026)

> US Census Bureau data from the 2024 Annual Integrated Economic Survey show e-commerce was 66.6% of US manufacturing shipments, $4,649.4 billion, and 38.3% of merchant wholesaler sales, $4,224.1 billion, in 2024, against 16.6% of retail sales. Independent merchant wholesalers were at 35.1%, up from 32.0% in 2023, and shares range by industry from 79.7% for drug wholesalers and transportation equipment makers to under 20% for lumber and petroleum wholesalers. Under Census's E-Stats definitions, e-commerce includes orders placed over EDI, and Census says its sector figures are not additive. Every number on the page names its year and the Census source.

Manufacturing and wholesale ecommerce statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 Annual Integrated Economic Survey: e-commerce was 66.6% of US manufacturing shipments ($4,649.4 billion) and 38.3% of merchant wholesaler sales ($4,224.1 billion) in 2024, against 16.6% of retail sales. Under Census's E-Stats definitions, e-commerce includes orders placed over EDI.

Last updated: October 22, 2026. Every figure on this page comes from the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2024 numbers are from the Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES), whose full dataset Census released on September 3, 2026; the 2023 numbers are from the same survey's 2023 edition. Each statistic names its year and source, and the methodology section quotes how Census's E-Stats program defines e-commerce.

**Key numbers**

- Manufacturing: 66.6% of shipments by value were e-commerce in 2024, down from 67.6% in 2023.
- Wholesale: 38.3% of merchant wholesaler sales were e-commerce in 2024, up from 35.9% in 2023.
- Independent distributors: 35.1% for merchant wholesalers excluding manufacturers' sales branches and offices, up from 32.0%.
- Retail, for comparison: 16.6% of retail sales were e-commerce in 2024.

## Manufacturing ecommerce statistics

For manufacturers, Census's E-Stats program measures e-commerce as e-shipments: online orders for manufactured products where "price and terms of sale are negotiated over the Internet, Extranet, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) network, e-mail, or other online system."

- Statistic: US manufacturers shipped $4,649.4 billion of products through e-commerce in 2024, 66.6% of their $6,980.5 billion in total shipments (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 AIES). For B2B sellers: two thirds of manufacturing shipment value already starts with an electronic order, so a buyer portal joins an ordering habit that is already common in manufacturing.
- Statistic: In 2023, e-commerce was 67.6% of manufacturing shipments, $4,757.2 billion of $7,038.3 billion (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 AIES). For B2B sellers: the share was near two thirds in both years, so two thirds is the steady baseline to plan against.
- Statistic: Census's e-shipments definition says "Payment may or may not be made online" (E-Stats methodology). For B2B sellers: an order on terms counts the same as a card order, so plan invoicing and net terms into the online channel from day one.

Our [guide to ecommerce for manufacturers](https://www.uncap.com/post/ecommerce-for-manufacturers) covers the 2022 Economic Census figure and how manufacturers set up B2B ecommerce.

## Manufacturing ecommerce by industry

The share varies widely by subsector. These are 2024 figures from the same Census table, as a percent of each subsector's shipments.

- Statistic: Transportation equipment manufacturing had the highest e-commerce share in 2024, at 79.7% of shipments (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 AIES). For B2B sellers: at nearly four in five shipment dollars, electronic ordering is the norm for these manufacturers' customers.
- Statistic: Primary metal manufacturing was at 78.4%, textile mills at 75.3%, plastics and rubber products at 74.3% and beverage and tobacco products at 72.8% in 2024 (same table). For B2B sellers: five manufacturing subsectors were above 72% e-commerce in 2024.
- Statistic: Paper manufacturing was at 71.8%, food manufacturing at 69.8% and machinery manufacturing at 68.4% in 2024 (same table). For B2B sellers: machinery makers sit just above the all-manufacturing share of 66.6%.
- Statistic: Chemical manufacturing was at 62.2%, electrical equipment and components at 59.8%, computer and electronic products at 59.0%, fabricated metal products at 52.2% and furniture at 52.0% in 2024 (same table). For B2B sellers: even in these subsectors, at least half of shipments by value were e-commerce.
- Statistic: The lowest shares in 2024 were nonmetallic mineral products at 42.9%, printing at 43.4%, wood products at 44.5% and apparel at 46.2% (same table). For B2B sellers: in these subsectors, more shipments by value are still ordered outside electronic channels.

## Wholesale and distributor ecommerce statistics

Census defines merchant wholesalers as "wholesalers who sell goods on their own account such as distributors, jobbers, drop shippers, import/export merchants, and manufacturers' sales branches and offices (MSBOs)." MSBOs are "establishments maintained by manufacturing, refining, or mining enterprises apart from their plants or mines for the purpose of marketing their products." The AIES reports merchant wholesalers in total and split into two groups: merchant wholesalers except MSBOs, which this page calls independent distributors, and MSBOs.

- Statistic: Merchant wholesalers, including MSBOs, made $4,224.1 billion of e-commerce sales in 2024, 38.3% of their $11,026.6 billion in total sales (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 AIES). For B2B sellers: a larger part of wholesale sales than of manufacturing shipments still happens outside electronic ordering.
- Statistic: In 2023, merchant wholesaler e-commerce sales were $3,912.5 billion, 35.9% of $10,888.9 billion (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 AIES). For B2B sellers: the wholesale share moved up between 2023 and 2024 while the manufacturing share moved down.
- Statistic: Merchant wholesalers excluding MSBOs, the independent distributors, had an e-commerce share of 35.1% in 2024 ($2,803.1 billion of $7,989.9 billion), up from 32.0% in 2023 (U.S. Census Bureau, AIES). For B2B sellers: if you run a distribution business, this is your closest benchmark.
- Statistic: Manufacturers' sales branches and offices had an e-commerce share of 46.8% in 2024 ($1,421.0 billion of $3,036.7 billion), against 46.2% in 2023 (same tables). For B2B sellers: manufacturers that run their own wholesale arms already sell nearly half of that volume electronically.
- Statistic: Nondurable goods merchant wholesalers were at 41.5% e-commerce in 2024 ($2,490.5 billion of $6,006.3 billion), and durable goods merchant wholesalers at 34.5% ($1,733.6 billion of $5,020.2 billion) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 AIES). For B2B sellers: durable goods distributors trail nondurable goods distributors on e-commerce share.

For the operating side, from pricing to ERP, see our [guide to ecommerce for distributors](https://www.uncap.com/post/ecommerce-for-distributors).

## Wholesale ecommerce by industry

These are 2024 e-commerce shares for merchant wholesalers by industry group, including MSBOs, from the same Census table.

- Statistic: Drugs and druggists' sundries merchant wholesalers had the highest share, 79.7% of 2024 sales (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 AIES). For B2B sellers: pharmaceutical distribution shows how far electronic ordering can go in wholesale.
- Statistic: Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies merchant wholesalers were at 51.3% in 2024 (same table). For B2B sellers: parts distribution sits well above the all-wholesale share of 38.3%.
- Statistic: Paper and paper products were at 41.5%, grocery and related products at 38.7% and household appliances and electrical and electronic goods at 37.6% in 2024 (same table). For B2B sellers: these groups sit close to the overall wholesale share of 38.3%.
- Statistic: Machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers were at 29.8%, professional and commercial equipment at 28.8% and miscellaneous durable goods at 28.7% in 2024 (same table). For B2B sellers: all three groups sit below the all-wholesale share of 38.3%.
- Statistic: Hardware, plumbing and heating equipment was at 25.8%, apparel and piece goods at 25.7%, furniture and home furnishings at 25.0%, lumber and construction materials at 19.6% and petroleum products at 17.9% in 2024 (same table). For B2B sellers: in these groups, about three quarters or more of sales by value still happen outside e-commerce, the widest gaps to the all-wholesale share among the published groups.

For how wholesale accounts, catalogs and pricing work on Shopify, see our [Shopify for wholesale](https://www.uncap.com/solutions/wholesale) page and the glossary entry on [wholesale ecommerce](https://www.uncap.com/glossary/wholesale-ecommerce).

## How B2B ecommerce compares with retail

Retail is the e-commerce most people picture, and it is the smallest share of the three sectors on this page.

- Statistic: E-commerce was 16.6% of US retail sales in 2024, $1,182.9 billion of $7,106.7 billion, up from 15.4% in 2023 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 and 2023 AIES). For B2B sellers: manufacturing's e-commerce share of 66.6% and wholesale's 38.3% are both well above retail's.
- Statistic: Census says its sector measures "are conceptually and definitionally different, and therefore, are not additive" (E-Stats, about the program). For B2B sellers: do not add the manufacturing, wholesale and retail figures into one "B2B ecommerce" total; quote each sector on its own.
- Statistic: Census's e-commerce measure covers goods and services "sold online whether over open networks such as the Internet, or over proprietary networks running systems such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)" (same page). For B2B sellers: under this definition, EDI orders count as e-commerce, so e-commerce shares measured this way are not a measure of web stores alone.

For market-size estimates and buyer survey figures beyond Census data, see our roundup of [B2B ecommerce statistics](https://www.uncap.com/post/b2b-ecommerce-statistics-growth-or-decline). For platform figures, see [Shopify statistics](https://www.uncap.com/post/shopify-statistics), built only from Shopify's own filings.

## What the data means for manufacturers and distributors

The Census numbers describe how orders are already placed. They suggest three practical points for a B2B seller planning a web channel, each tied to a figure above.

- EDI and web orders need one home. Under Census's E-Stats definitions, e-commerce includes orders placed over EDI, so Census e-commerce figures are not web store orders alone. If a web store keeps its own order book alongside EDI, someone has to reconcile two systems. Our glossary entry on EDI explains the documents involved, and our ERP integration page covers how orders reach the ERP.
- Terms and invoices come first. Under Census's E-Stats definitions, an order counts as e-commerce whether or not payment is made online, so an online channel for B2B has to handle orders on account, not only card payments. Build net terms and invoicing into the channel from the start.
- Distributors have the most room. Independent merchant wholesalers were at 35.1% in 2024, against 66.6% for manufacturing and 46.8% for manufacturers' own sales branches, and lumber, hardware and furniture distributors were at 25.8% or below. Our page on Shopify for distributors shows how Uncap approaches that gap, and manufacturers can start with Shopify for manufacturers .

If you want to test those points against your own order mix, [Talk to Our Experts](https://www.uncap.com/quote), and bring your share of orders by channel (EDI, web, email, phone, rep) and your ERP name.

## Methodology and sources

We built this page only from Census Bureau data and documentation fetched on October 22, 2026. No figure comes from a third-party statistics site, a market research forecast or an AI summary.

- Survey: the Annual Integrated Economic Survey covers "private sector, non-farm employer companies" in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Census released the full 2024 dataset on September 3, 2026, and the 2023 main release on February 26, 2026.
- What replaced what: Census says the Annual Wholesale Trade Survey and the Annual Survey of Manufactures "transitioned to the Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES)," which began data collection in March 2024. We compare 2023 with 2024 inside the AIES only.
- E-commerce definition: Census's E-Stats methodology defines e-commerce sales as sales "where the buyer places an order, or the price and terms of the sale are negotiated, over the Internet, mobile device (m-commerce), Extranet, EDI network, e-mail, or other comparable online system. Payment may or may not be made online." Manufacturing uses e-shipments, quoted above.
- Units: Census publishes values in thousands of dollars and shares to one decimal. We converted values to billions, rounded to one decimal; percentages are as Census publishes them. Values are "not adjusted for price changes," per Census.
- Quality: Census publishes a coefficient of variation with most estimates. Where it publishes one, the sector-level e-commerce estimates on this page carry coefficients of variation between 0.1% and 1.5%.
- Wholesale scope: "merchant wholesalers" in the AIES table includes manufacturers' sales branches and offices unless a figure says it excludes them.

Sources, all from the U.S. Census Bureau:

- 2024 AIES e-commerce data file and the 2023 file , table AIES00ECOM, "E-commerce for Employer Firms in the U.S."
- Census Bureau Releases New Annual Integrated Economic Survey Data , September 3, 2026.
- AIES methodology , including the 2024 methodology document.
- E-Stats program overview and E-Stats methodology , for the e-commerce and e-shipments definitions.
- Annual Wholesale Trade Survey and its glossary , for the merchant wholesaler and MSBO definitions.

## Frequently asked questions

### What percentage of manufacturing sales are ecommerce?

E-commerce was 66.6% of US manufacturing shipments by value in 2024, or $4,649.4 billion of $6,980.5 billion, per the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 Annual Integrated Economic Survey. In 2023 the share was 67.6%. Under Census's E-Stats definitions, e-commerce includes orders placed over EDI.

### How big is wholesale ecommerce in the US?

US merchant wholesalers, including manufacturers' sales branches and offices, made $4,224.1 billion of e-commerce sales in 2024, 38.3% of total sales, up from 35.9% in 2023. Independent merchant wholesalers alone were at 35.1%, per the Census Bureau's AIES.

### What share of distributor sales are online?

For merchant wholesalers excluding manufacturers' sales branches and offices, e-commerce was 35.1% of sales in 2024, up from 32.0% in 2023, per the Census Bureau. Including those branches, shares by industry group range from 79.7% for drug wholesalers to 17.9% for petroleum products.

### Does EDI count as ecommerce?

Under Census's E-Stats definitions, yes. E-Stats measures goods and services sold over open networks such as the Internet or over proprietary networks running Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Orders placed by email or other online systems also count, and payment does not have to be made online.

### Which wholesale industries sell the most online?

In 2024, drugs and druggists' sundries merchant wholesalers led at 79.7% e-commerce, followed by motor vehicle parts and supplies at 51.3% and paper products at 41.5%. Lumber and construction materials, at 19.6%, and petroleum products, at 17.9%, were the lowest published shares.

### Can I add the manufacturing and wholesale ecommerce figures together?

No. Census says its sector measures "are conceptually and definitionally different, and therefore, are not additive." Census measures manufacturing in shipments and wholesale and retail in sales, so quote each sector's figure on its own.