In 1997, wholesale sales totaled $58 billion; from 7,433 wholesale establishments. Professional and commercial equipment (e.g., computers, software and related peripherals, ophthalmic goods, photographic equipment, etc.); motor vehicles, parts and supplies; and machinery, equipment lead in number of establishments. Groceries and related products, paper and paper goods, and petroleum and petroleum products lead in establishments among the non-durables.
Retail sales in 1997 totaled $48 billion. The state's 27,422 retail establishments in 1997 sold $48 billion in merchandise. Leading retail activity centers on food stores (11% of est.), automobiles and services stations (11%), and restaurants and taverns (28%). Food sales accounted for $8.6 billion in profits, and general merchandise sales took in $5.7 billion. More than 75% of Maryland's retail facilities are located in the Baltimore metropolitan area and Montgomery and Prince George's counties surrounding Washington, DC. These counties are home to about 90% of Maryland's five million residents. The Washington-Baltimore Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area is the nation's 4th-largest retail market.
Exports by Maryland companies totaled $4.7 billion in 1997. While export activities in established markets such as Europe and Canada are still predominant, strong inroads have been made in targeted trade areas of Asia and Latin America.