Wholesale building materials help contractors, retailers, and trades source products for construction, renovation, and maintenance nationwide. In 2023, U.S. employment totaled 512,000 workers, with a large share concentrated in sales and distribution roles. On this page, explore key hubs—from the New York metro area to the Midwest—and the signals shaping demand, including residential strength, disruptions, and faster digital adoption.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. wholesale building materials employment totaled 512,000 workers in 2023.
- Average hourly wage for wholesale building materials workers $28.45 in 2023.
- Total payroll expenses $18.7 billion for U.S. industry in 2023.
- The U.S. wholesale building materials industry generated $512.4 billion in revenue in 2023, marking a 4.2% increase from 2022.
- Global wholesale building materials market was valued at $1.2 trillion in 2022 and is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2030 at a CAGR of 5.3%.
- North American wholesale building materials sector grew by 6.1% in 2023 due to residential construction boom.
- New York metro area 32,000 workers.
- Midwest U.S. 22% market share, $112 billion revenue.
- Pacific Northwest lumber wholesale hub with 15% national share.
- Builders FirstSource reported $17.1 billion revenue in 2023 for wholesale building materials.
- ABC Supply Co. achieved $18.5 billion in sales in 2023 from building materials distribution.
- Beacon Roofing Supply generated $9.2 billion revenue in FY2023.
- U.S. digital adoption in wholesale 68% of firms using ERP systems in 2023.
- Sustainable materials wholesale grew 14.2% to $78 billion globally in 2023.
- Supply chain disruptions affected 42% of wholesalers in 2023.
U.S. wholesale building materials surged to $512.4 billion in 2023, with employment at 512,000 and wages rising.
Related reading
01 · Category
Employment And Workforce28 stats
01
U.S. wholesale building materials employment totaled 512,000 workers in 2023.
02
Average hourly wage for wholesale building materials workers $28.45in 2023.
03
Total payroll expenses $18.7 billion for U.S. industry in 2023.
04
65% of workforce in sales and distribution roles in 2023.
05
Labor productivity per worker $1.02 million revenue in 2023 U.S.
06
Turnover rate in industry averaged 22.4% in 2023.
07
42,000 new jobs added in U.S. wholesale building materials 2022-2023.
08
Women represent 28% of the workforce, up from 24% in 2019.
09
Average establishment employs 45 workers in U.S. 2023.
10
Driver and logistics staff 35% of total employment.
11
Warehouse workers 22% of industry employment 2023.
12
Sales representatives average salary $72,500annually.
13
Managers earn $115,000median in 2023.
14
Entry-level wages $18.50/hour for material handlers.
15
Union membership 12.3% in wholesale trade sector.
16
Training hours per employee averaged 48 annually.
17
Remote work adoption 15% for administrative roles.
18
Injury rate 3.2 per 100 workers in warehousing.
19
Diversity: 32% Hispanic workers in industry.
20
Aging workforce: 25% over 55 years old.
21
Apprenticeships: 8,500 participants in building trades wholesale.
22
Overtime hours averaged 4.2 per week for drivers.
23
Gig economy workers 5% of logistics staff.
24
STEM roles 18% growth in procurement.
25
U.S. Southeast holds 28% of industry employment.
26
California has 62,000 workers, largest state share.
27
Texas employment 55,400 in wholesale building materials.
28
Florida 48,200 employees, 9.4% of national total.
Interpretation
Employment And Workforce Interpretation
In 2023, the wholesale building materials industry employed 512,000 workers with 65% concentrated in sales and distribution roles, while turnover averaged 22.4% and productivity reached $1.02 million in revenue per worker, pointing to a workforce that is heavily front-line and continually refreshed.
02 · Category
Market Size And Growth30 stats
01
The U.S. wholesale building materials industry generated $512.4 billion in revenue in 2023, marking a 4.2% increase from 2022.
02
Global wholesale building materials market was valued at $1.2 trillion in 2022 and is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2030 at a CAGR of 5.3%.
03
North American wholesale building materials sector grew by 6.1% in 2023 due to residential construction boom.
04
European wholesale building materials market size stood at €450 billion in 2023 with 3.8% YoY growth.
05
Asia-Pacific region dominated with 45% share of global wholesale building materials market in 2023 valued at $540 billion.
06
U.S. wholesale trade of lumber and building materials reached $285 billion in shipments in 2022 per Economic Census.
07
Canadian wholesale building materials industry revenue hit CAD 120 billion in 2023, up 5.7%.
08
Australian wholesale building materials market expanded to AUD 65 billion in FY2023 with 4.9% growth.
09
UK wholesale building materials sector valued at £38 billion in 2023, growing 3.2% amid housing shortage.
10
China's wholesale building materials market surpassed ¥4.5 trillion in 2023, CAGR 6.8% from 2018-2023.
11
Mexico's wholesale building materials industry grew 7.2% to MXN 1.2 trillion in 2023 driven by infrastructure.
12
Brazil wholesale market for building materials reached BRL 250 billion in 2023, up 5.1%.
13
India's wholesale building materials sector valued at INR 12 lakh crore in FY2023, 9.4% growth.
14
South Africa building materials wholesale market at ZAR 180 billion in 2023, 4.3% increase.
15
Middle East wholesale building materials market hit $150 billion in 2023, CAGR 5.9%.
16
The industry's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2018-2023 was 4.7% globally.
17
U.S. market projected to grow at 5.2% CAGR to $650 billion by 2028.
18
Post-pandemic recovery boosted global market by 8.3% in 2021-2022 period.
19
Wholesale building materials e-commerce segment grew 15.2% in 2023 to $45 billion globally.
20
Inflation-adjusted growth in U.S. wholesale building materials was 2.9% in 2023.
21
Latin America wholesale market size $320 billion in 2023, 6.1% YoY.
22
Africa excluding South Africa at $90 billion, growing 7.8% CAGR.
23
Russia's market contracted -2.1% to RUB 2.8 trillion in 2023 due to sanctions.
24
Japan's wholesale building materials steady at ¥25 trillion, 1.8% growth.
25
Southeast Asia market $280 billion, 6.5% CAGR to 2030.
26
U.S. wholesale inventories rose 12.4% to $85 billion in 2023.
27
Global trade volume in building materials wholesale hit 2.5 billion tons in 2023.
28
Digital wholesale platforms captured 12% market share in 2023.
29
Resilient supply chains contributed to 3.5% growth stabilization in 2023.
30
Projected global CAGR 5.1% from 2024-2030 reaching $2.1 trillion.
Interpretation
Market Size And Growth Interpretation
The market is expanding steadily with the U.S. wholesale building materials industry reaching $512.4 billion in 2023, a 4.2% rise from 2022, while North America grew 6.1% and Asia Pacific held a 45% share, underscoring robust growth momentum under the Market Size And Growth angle.
03 · Category
Regional And Geographic27 stats
01
New York metro area 32,000 workers.
02
Midwest U.S. 22% market share, $112 billion revenue.
03
Pacific Northwest lumber wholesale hub with 15% national share.
04
Gulf Coast region 18% of roofing materials distribution.
05
Ontario, Canada, 35% of national wholesale employment.
06
Bavaria, Germany, key for European drywall wholesale.
07
Guangdong province China 40% of national building materials wholesale.
08
New South Wales Australia 28% market concentration.
09
London UK 22% of England wholesale trade volume.
10
São Paulo Brazil 45% national share in materials wholesale.
11
Maharashtra India 32% of wholesale hubs for cement.
12
Gauteng South Africa 60% of construction materials wholesale.
13
Dubai UAE 55% Middle East wholesale trade center.
14
Mexico City 38% national building materials distribution.
15
British Columbia Canada lumber export 70% national.
16
Texas Gulf ports handle 25% U.S. imports.
17
Florida ports 18% inbound steel products.
18
Northeast U.S. 16% employment concentration.
19
Midwest manufacturing belt 30% hardware wholesale.
20
California 12% national revenue share $61 billion.
21
Southeast Asia Vietnam emerging 15% growth hub.
22
EU Germany 25% continental market share.
23
Latin America Chile copper-based materials 20%.
24
Africa Nigeria 12% West Africa wholesale volume.
25
Japan Tokyo 40% domestic distribution center.
26
Russia Moscow region 35% materials trade.
27
India Tamil Nadu 18% southern wholesale share.
Interpretation
Regional And Geographic Interpretation
The regional and geographic pattern is clear as the Ontario Canada market alone accounts for 35% of national wholesale employment while major hubs like the New York metro area with 32,000 workers and the Pacific Northwest lumber wholesale center with 15% of the national share show how employment and volume concentrate differently across regions.
More related reading
04 · Category
Revenue And Financials30 stats
01
Builders FirstSource reported $17.1 billion revenue in 2023 for wholesale building materials.
02
ABC Supply Co. achieved $18.5 billion in sales in 2023 from building materials distribution.
03
Beacon Roofing Supply generated $9.2 billion revenue in FY2023.
04
US LBM Holdings LLC sales reached $8.7 billion in 2023.
05
BluSky Restoration Contractors wholesale revenue $2.1 billion in 2023.
06
Top 5 wholesalers accounted for 22% of U.S. industry revenue in 2023 totaling $112 billion.
07
Average revenue per U.S. wholesaler establishment was $14.2 million in 2022.
08
Gross margin for wholesale building materials averaged 18.4% in 2023.
09
U.S. industry profit margin stood at 4.7% generating $24 billion in 2023.
10
Cost of goods sold represented 75.3% of revenue for the industry in 2023.
11
Online wholesale sales contributed 8.2% to total revenue or $42 billion in 2023.
12
Lumber wholesale segment revenue $145 billion, 28% of total U.S. in 2023.
13
Roofing materials wholesale sales $92 billion in U.S. 2023.
14
Windows and doors wholesale revenue $68 billion globally in 2023.
15
Drywall and gypsum wholesale $55 billion U.S. revenue 2023.
16
Paint wholesale segment $38 billion sales in North America 2023.
17
Hardware wholesale revenue grew 7.1% to $45 billion in 2023.
18
Electrical supplies wholesale $72 billion U.S. 2023.
19
Plumbing materials wholesale sales $61 billion in 2023.
20
HVAC wholesale revenue $89 billion globally 2023.
21
Insulation materials wholesale $34 billion U.S. revenue.
22
Siding wholesale $28 billion sales 2023.
23
Flooring materials wholesale revenue $52 billion North America.
24
Cement and concrete wholesale $110 billion U.S. 2023.
25
Steel building products wholesale $95 billion globally.
26
Industry EBITDA margin averaged 7.2% in 2023.
27
Return on assets for top wholesalers 9.8% in 2023.
28
Cash flow from operations $35 billion industry-wide U.S. 2023.
29
Export revenue from U.S. wholesale building materials $22 billion in 2023.
30
Import dependency 35% for non-lumber materials costing $180 billion.
Interpretation
Revenue And Financials Interpretation
Revenue in the Wholesale Building Materials industry is highly concentrated, with the top 5 wholesalers accounting for 22% of 2023 U.S. industry revenue and totaling $112 billion, while major players range from $8.7 billion at US LBM Holdings to $18.5 billion at ABC Supply in 2023.
05 · Category
Trends And Sustainability25 stats
01
U.S. digital adoption in wholesale 68% of firms using ERP systems in 2023.
02
Sustainable materials wholesale grew 14.2% to $78 billion globally in 2023.
03
Supply chain disruptions affected 42% of wholesalers in 2023.
04
Recycled content products 25% market penetration in 2023.
05
AI-driven inventory management adopted by 35% of large wholesalers.
06
Carbon-neutral supply chains targeted by 28% firms by 2030.
07
E-commerce platforms handled 22% of B2B transactions in 2023.
08
Low-carbon cement wholesale demand up 19% YoY.
09
Blockchain for traceability used by 12% of lumber suppliers.
10
Net-zero commitments by top 10 wholesalers covering 40% revenue.
11
Modular construction materials wholesale surged 16.8%.
12
3D printing materials segment grew 28% to $5 billion.
13
Green certifications boosted sales 11.3% for certified products.
14
Autonomous delivery vehicles piloted by 8% firms.
15
Circular economy practices reduced waste 15% industry-wide.
16
IoT sensors in warehouses 55% adoption rate.
17
Bio-based insulation materials 32% growth.
18
ESG reporting mandatory for 65% public wholesalers.
19
Renewable energy powered 22% of distribution centers.
20
Predictive analytics cut stockouts by 27%.
21
Mass timber wholesale demand up 41% since 2020.
22
Electric fleet vehicles 18% of deliveries in 2023.
23
Water-efficient materials sales increased 9.7%.
24
Robotics in picking 29% productivity gain.
25
Cross-border e-commerce wholesale up 24%.
Interpretation
Trends And Sustainability Interpretation
In Trends And Sustainability, the push toward greener and smarter operations is accelerating as sustainable materials hit $78 billion globally in 2023 with recycled-content products reaching 25% market penetration and carbon-neutral supply chains being targeted by 28% of firms by 2030.
Reference
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APA
Kevin O'Brien. (2026, February 13). Wholesale Building Materials Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/wholesale-building-materials-industry-statistics
MLA
Kevin O'Brien. "Wholesale Building Materials Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/wholesale-building-materials-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Kevin O'Brien. 2026. "Wholesale Building Materials Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/wholesale-building-materials-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
100 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level