Employment in Retail Trade increased by 3.5 percent over the year while the average wage rose 5.5 percent to $18,141. Over the last seven years, employment in the Retail Trade sector has increased by 4.2 percent per year. The trend toward larger corporate owned establishments continued.

On average, there were 134 more Eating and Drinking establishments in 1999 than the previous year. These 8,507 establishments employed an average of 157,251 people.

The Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supplies, and Mobile Home Dealers sector continued to increase at the fastest rate among Retail categories. It added 1,668 jobs to 19,353. Establishments classified in Lumber and other Building Materials, saw employment increases of 11.9 percent over the year and almost 50 percent over five years. Hardware Stores increased by 4 establishments to 201 with employment increasing from 2,918 to 3,091. Mobile Home Dealers increased from 76 to 91 with average employment of 649 people. There were five less Retail Nurseries and Garden Stores in 1999 at 130. Employment in Retail Nurseries and Garden Stores declined by 45 jobs to 1,185.

Food Store employment increased by 797 jobs to 51,423. The increase can be attributed to 53 additional Grocery Stores. Grocery Store employment rose by 927 jobs to 45,537. Miscellaneous Food Stores employment continued to increase rapidly with an addition of 256 jobs to average 1,840 in 1999. Employment at Retail Bakeries decreased by 590 jobs to 2,429.

Automotive Dealers and Gasoline Service Stations employment increased by 5 percent to 41,184 jobs. New and Used Car Dealers employment increased by 14 jobs to 11,706 in 1999. Used Car Dealers recorded a much larger increase at 23.4 percent to 2,183 jobs. Motorcycle Dealers recorded an increase of 13.4 percent to 963, while Recreational Vehicle Dealers employment increased from 616 to 682.

Home Furniture, Furnishing, and Equipment Stores, the second fastest growing sector within Retail Trade, added 1,231 jobs to average 20,121 in 1999. There were 2,192 establishments in this sector. Drapery and Upholstery Stores employment grew by 24.3 percent in 1999 to 198 jobs. Radio, TV, & Electronic Stores employment increased by 398 jobs to 4,066. Misc. Home-Furnishings Stores added 416 jobs to 3,367.

General Merchandise Stores, which are dominated by the sub category of Department Stores, added 1,506 jobs to 43,019. All but 2,409 of these jobs were in Department Stores.