Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers
NAICS Code: 424300
BLS projects Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers to contract -1.2% through 2034 - 3.6 points slower than the 2.4% average across 291 U.S. industries, faster-growing than 26% of them. Its trajectory is close to the typical U.S. industry.
Where Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers sits among all industries
Projected 2024-2034 growth across 291 U.S. industries (BLS). This industry is marked in rose.
Where Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers sits by projected growth
Projected employment change across tracked industries
-1.2% Top 74% higher than 26% of 291 industries
Industries, banded by projected growth
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more industries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source BLS Employment Projections · 2026-05-15
Contraction read
Signature: 45.5% mean employer AI exposure across 37 tracked public companies .
Projected decline plus a mid-sized public-company sample argues for checking adjacent occupations before treating any single firm grade as destiny.
NAICS 424300 · 141,500 workers (2024, ×1k) · source BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034. Employer AI grades are occupation-weighted scores from our SEC cohort, not automation predictions for every establishment in Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers.
Public companies in this NAICS sector
NAICS sector 42 bucket (includes sibling industries). 37 companies scored · mean AI exposure 45.5%.
| Company | AI grade |
|---|---|
| Andersons, Inc. | C |
| Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | C |
| Arrow Electronics, Inc. | C |
| Ashland Inc. | C |
| Avnet Inc | C |
| BOISE CASCADE Co | C |
| Cardinal Health Inc | C |
| Cencora, Inc. | C |
Grades are occupation-weighted AI exposure from our employer corpus - not a claim that every establishment in Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers shares the same risk. Source: SEC company metadata + O*NET-weighted scores · as of 2026-05-15.
Peer Industries by Employment
How Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers (NAICS 424300) compares to industries of similar size, ordered by 2024 BLS employment.
| Industry | 2024 | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Offices of chiropractors | 146,900 | +6.2% |
| Masonry contractors | 146,100 | +2.7% |
| Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers | 141,500 | -1.2% |
| Other heavy and civil engineering construction | 136,600 | +4.8% |
| Death care services | 136,400 | +0.6% |
| Rubber product manufacturing | 132,600 | +1.5% |
Peers are selected by similarity in 2024 employment. Figures in thousands. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people work in Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers?
As of 2024, the Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers industry employs approximately 141,500 workers in the United States, according to BLS Employment Projections data.
Is Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers growing or declining?
The Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers industry is projected to decline by 1.2% from 2024 to 2034, a net change of -1,700 jobs over the decade.
Which public companies sit near Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers?
37 tracked public companies in NAICS sector 42 (sibling industries included). Sample names include Andersons, Inc., Applied Industrial Technologies Inc, Arrow Electronics, Inc.. Grades are occupation-weighted AI exposure scores, not company-specific automation forecasts.
How will AI affect the Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers industry?
Among 37 tracked public companies tied to this industry's sector, the mean occupation-weighted AI exposure score is 45.5% (most common grade C). That is a staffing-pattern signal from our employer corpus, not a forecast for every firm in Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers. Pair it with occupation-level AI exposure scores for role-specific risk.
Where to look next under contraction
What to do with this
Use Apparel, piece goods, and notions merchant wholesalers' employment and exposure numbers above to look up individual employers and occupations, not just the industry aggregate.
- See how public employers in this and other industries rank nationwide by AI displacement risk. Employer AI risk rankings
- Browse individual occupations to see exposure and wage detail below the industry level. Browse all occupations
- Compare this industry's outlook against a specific occupation or employer using the interactive tool. Workforce comparison tool
Industry-level figures are aggregates; individual employer and occupation outcomes vary.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024-2034; SEC employer metadata for AI grades Employment figures in thousands. Employer grades are occupation-weighted exposure scores, not firm automation forecasts