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Weights and Measures Economic Index
The basic principle of state-regulated weights and measures activities is to reduce errors in commercial measurement and thus minimize economic loss to buyers or sellers in the marketplace. The total dollar value of commodities and services sold on the basis of weight or measure or subject to price verification inspections provides one indicator for the impact of weights and measures on the U.S. economy.
In 1999, OWM conducted an analysis of the impact of weights and measures regulations on the commercial transactions of U.S. products and services sold on the basis of weight or measure or subject to price verification inspections. This amounted to $4.5 trillion (53%) of the $8.5 trillion U.S. Gross Domestic Product (1998).
OWM repeated the analysis in 2024 with the assistance of the NIST Research Library. Using 2022 market sector data to include new sectors of ride-sharing, cannabis, and e-commerce, the impact of weights and measures regulations on the commercial transactions of U.S. products and services amounted to $12 trillion (45%) of the $26.4 trillion U.S. Gross Domestic Product (2022).
The table below summarizes the estimated dollar values (in billions) for the various groups of products and services sold on the basis of weight or measure or subject to price verification inspections using 1998 and 2022 market sector data.
| Category | Product and Services | 1998 Market Sector Data Billions ($) | 2022 Market Sector Data Billions ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Food Sales (wholesale and retail) | 815.3 | 976 |
| 2 | Retail Sales (not including food) | 2,000 | 5,994 |
| 3 | Petroleum Products | 260 | 882.2 |
| 4a | Other Industries, Metals, Steel, and Industrial Minerals | 39.5 | 484.5 |
| 4b | Other Industries, Coal Mining | 20 | 61.1 |
| 4c | Other Industries, Lumber and Wood Products | 111 | 171.2 |
| 4d | Other Industries, Construction Material | 26 | 146.8 |
| 4e | Other Industries, Textiles | 84.8 | 27.6 |
| 4f | Other Industries, Paper Products | 176 | 220.3 |
| 5 | Fruits, Nuts, Vegetables, Grains, and other crops | 176.3 | 280.6 |
| 6a | Transportation, Air Cargo | 12 | 31.9 |
| 6b | Transportation, Railroad Freight | 35 | 80.5 |
| 6c | Transportation, Truck Freight | 347 | 441.5 |
| 7 | Legal Cannabis | 22.8 | |
| 8 | Ride Sharing | 25.4 | |
| 9a | E-Commerce, Food | 97.9 | |
| 9b | E-Commerce, Electronics | 821.1 | |
| 9c | E-Commerce, Beauty & Personal Care | 47.0 | |
| 10 | Rental Cars | 36.5 | |
TOTAL | 4,504 | 12,064 | |
Please feel free to contact owm [at] nist.gov (owm[at]nist[dot]gov) for market sector data sources or to answer any other questions.