In a 2015 financial report that was compiled by Oxford Economics for HSBC, it was revealed that the United States has the largest number of middle market businesses at 55,700. Those middle market businesses contribute $1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy, which is 13 percent of the United States output. The report considers middle market businesses to be businesses that generate at least $50 million in revenue each year, but no more than $500 million.

One of the figures that was interesting to note in the report was that American middle market businesses are responsible for 16.5 million jobs, which makes up 13 percent of all U.S. employment. By way of comparison, the Chinese economy has the second largest amount of middle market businesses at 40,200, but those businesses employ 74 million people, which makes up nearly 12 percent of all Chinese employment. When it comes to the number of people employed by middle market companies, China stands out as the country with the most middle market employees.

A breakdown of the numbers shows that the retail and wholesale industries in the United States offer the largest segment of employment for middle markets, closely followed by the manufacturing and services industries. But the retail, wholesale, and manufacturing industries combined do not offer as much economic input into the U.S. economy as the business services sector. Of the $1.7 trillion contributed to the U.S. economy by middle market companies in the U.S., $1.1 trillion is generated by the business services sector. This includes financial sales, banking, and financial services companies.

Another interesting element of the report is the discussion of the overall effect middle market companies are having on the U.S. economy. Oxford Economics indicate that U.S. middle market businesses have an indirect economic contribution of approximately $2.2 trillion per year. The indirect financial influence of middle market companies also helps to support nearly 21.3 million jobs throughout the United States. This indirect effect is extremely important in determining the full effect of middle market companies on the U.S. economy.

The report also indicates that the combined global financial influence of the middle market companies in all 15 economies surveyed is 161,800 companies with a direct contribution to the global GDP of $11.5 trillion. Those companies directly employ a combined total of 169 million workers and are accountable for anywhere between 10 to 17 percent of the financial activity in each of their respective economic regions.

For information on Business Services across the U.S. click here.

References:

http://www.us.hsbc.com/1/2/home/about/press-room/2015/news_03032015_global_comparison

http://www.globaltrademag.com/global-trade-daily/news/hsbc-report-u-s-mid-market-companies-top-major-nations