Toys, Games, Sporting Goods Big Gusiness in Pennsylvania

                              December 19, 1996
                                       
           Toys, Games, Sporting Goods Big Gusiness in Pennsylvania
                                       
     MIDDLETOWN, Pa. -- Toys, games and sporting goods are booming
businesses in Pennsylvania, the State Data Center at Penn State
Harrisburg reports.

     Drawing from 1992 Economic Census figures, the Data Center reports
the Commonwealth boasts 60 toy manufacturing establishments with 51
producing games, toys and children's vehicles and nine specializing in
dolls and stuffed toys.  This is an impressive increase from the 35 toy
manufacturing establishments in 1987.

     In addition, Pennsylvania has 78 establishments manufacturing
sporting and athletic goods, a 27.9 percent increase form 1987.  These
toy and sporting goods manufacturers employ 4,300 people, which is a
decrease from 1987 when they employed 4,900 people.

     In 1992, Pennsylvania had 112 toy and hobby goods wholesale
establishments, a 41.8 percent increase from 1987.  Their 1992 sales
totaled $395,990,000, a 77.6 percent increase from the 1987 sales
($222,960,000).  These wholesale establishments employed 1,210 people in
1992 compared to 769 in 1987.

     Nationwide, there were 8,698 hobby, toy and game stores in 1992 with
6,343 of them toy stores.  These toy stores had $4,026,956,000 in sales
in 1992.  All hobby, toy and game stores had $10,627,271,000 in sales in
1992, 0.6 percent of total retail sales in the nation.

     When looking at retail stores in Pennsylvania, there were 537 
hobby, toy and game shops in 1992, a 6.3 percent increase from 1987. 
Employment in the retail sector incresed 1.6 percent in Pennsylvania
since 1987.  Employment in hobby, toy and game shops increased 33.9
percent to 5,044 people in 1992.  In addition, sales increased 39.1
percent from 1987 to $533,533,000 in 1992.  Hobby, toy and game shop
sales comprised 4.7 percent
of total retail sales in 1987 and increased to 5.3 percent in 1992.  

     Allegheny County ranked first for total retail sales in 1992 with
$10,833,906,000 -- 12.3 percent of the state total.  Philadelphia County
ranked second (9.0 percent), followed by Montgomery (8.5 percent), Bucks
(6.1 percent) and Delaware (4.9 percent). 

     Among the 537 hobby, toy and game retail stores in Pennsylvania, 486
are operated all year.  Many of these stores are in Allegheny County
(14.0 percent), followed by Bucks County (8.0 percent), Montgomery County
(7.8 percent), and Lancaster County (6.4 percent).


     The state-sponsored Pennsylvania State Data Center is the
commonwealth's official source of population and economic statistics and
services.  It is based at Penn State Harrisburg's Institute of State and
Regional Affairs.

_________________________________________________________________
Editors:
For more information, contact Jennifer Shultz at the Data Center's State
Capital Office, (717) 772-2710, or the Penn State Harrisburg Public
Information Office, (717) 948-6029.

Source of Information:	U.S. Census Bureau 1992 Economic
			Census
			
Accompany Table:        Retail Hobby, Toy and Game Shops, 1992