The National Cooperative Business Association partnered with its members and the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives (UWCC) to conduct research on the impact of cooperatives on the US economy, .funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. This data was published in 2009. Access the full report online.
While this report concentrates on the economic impact, cooperatives a complex, community-based businesses that contribute to the life and wealth of communities beyond solely in terms of business activity. NCBA continues to seek ways to quantify these additional forms of wealth.
Distribution of Cooperatives
Every marker on the map below represents one of the more than 29,000 US cooperatives that operate at some 73,000 places of business throughout the United States These cooperatives own more than $3 trillion in assets, and generate over $500 billion in revenue and $25 billion in wages.
Cooperatives account for nearly $654 billion in revenue, over two million jobs, $75 billion in wages and benefits paid and a total of $133.5 billion in value-added income.
Economic Impact by Cooperative Type
Most cooperatives are owned by consumers. However, producer cooperatives dominate the agricultural sector. The exact number of individuals in theUnited States who are members of at least one cooperative is difficult to estimate because many individuals are members of more than one cooperative.
Economic Impact by Cooperative Sector
Adding total revenue impacts across the five sectors that make up the aggregate Commercial Sales and Marketing sector yields a total aggregate revenue of $220 billion and 440,198 jobs. This is produced by 3,463 firms that operate at 5,695 different places of business (establishments). Total income—a measure of value added akin to gross domestic product (GDP) for the aggregate economy— is $37 billion and wage impact is $13 billion.
Financial Services is the largest aggregate sector across all measures of impact. This sector includes credit unions, the Farm Credit System, mutual insurers, and a small number of very large financial institutions that provide loan funds to cooperative businesses (or that operate on a cooperative basis with member businesses).
The sector with the largest number of firms—Social and Public Services—has the smallest overall impact across all measures.
