There were a total of 10,612 wholesale establishments in Indiana during 1997, with $70 billion in sales. Principal goods traded included food and related products, machinery, equipment, and supplies, farm product raw materials, petroleum and petroleum products, and electrical goods.
Retail establishments in 1997 had sales of $59 billion, from 34,398 establishments. Indiana ranked 16th in the nation in growth of retail sales. Automotive dealers accounted for 15% of establishments; food stores, 8.3%; and eating and drinking places, 30%. Food sales and merchandise sales totaled $7.9 billion each in 1997.
Indiana ranked 16th among the 50 states in exports during 1998, when its goods shipped abroad were valued at $12 billion. Major farm exports are soybeans; feed grains; wheat; meat (including poultry) and meat products; fats, oils, and greases; and hides and skins. Principal nonfarm exports include transportation equipment, electric and electronic equipment, nonelectric machinery, primary metals products, chemicals and allied products, food and kindred products, and fabricated metal products.