Working Capital Ratios by Sector (US)

Data Used: Multiple data services

Date of Analysis: Data used is as of January 2025

Download as an excel file instead: https://www.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/pc/datasets/wcdata.xls

For global datasets: https://www.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/data.html

can be obtained by clicking here

on which companies are included in each industry


Industry Name Number of firms Acc Rec/ Sales Inventory/Sales Acc Pay/ Sales Non-cash WC/ Sales
Advertising 54 54.39% 4.50% 53.78% 3.23%
Aerospace/Defense 67 21.80% 28.71% 10.01% 38.70%
Air Transport 24 3.84% 3.02% 5.73% 1.08%
Apparel 37 12.11% 18.95% 9.85% 24.01%
Auto & Truck 34 4.96% 11.49% 14.97% -1.91%
Auto Parts 33 17.25% 12.71% 13.72% 16.21%
Bank (Money Center) 15 NA NA NA NA
Banks (Regional) 591 NA NA NA NA
Beverage (Alcoholic) 18 10.18% 21.27% 16.88% 16.42%
Beverage (Soft) 29 11.69% 7.70% 29.65% -10.32%
Broadcasting 22 20.46% 2.40% 3.12% 10.43%
Brokerage & Investment Banking 30 NA NA NA NA
Building Materials 39 12.93% 12.76% 9.20% 17.59%
Business & Consumer Services 152 18.29% 1.59% 6.92% 14.47%
Cable TV 9 9.04% 0.21% 7.31% 1.47%
Chemical (Basic) 31 11.77% 15.31% 11.89% 15.61%
Chemical (Diversified) 4 13.86% 20.35% 15.42% 19.02%
Chemical (Specialty) 60 17.64% 17.49% 12.91% 22.29%
Coal & Related Energy 16 5.90% 13.67% 13.11% 10.74%
Computer Services 63 19.99% 7.87% 15.38% 13.79%
Computers/Peripherals 35 10.01% 6.49% 20.35% -7.99%
Construction Supplies 46 13.66% 19.14% 10.64% 18.59%
Diversified 21 11.72% 8.65% 14.60% 1.49%
Drugs (Biotechnology) 535 21.23% 12.53% 19.43% 13.65%
Drugs (Pharmaceutical) 231 21.25% 15.28% 8.77% 25.09%
Education 29 10.51% 1.48% 4.03% 7.99%
Electrical Equipment 101 26.54% 20.16% 12.12% 28.87%
Electronics (Consumer & Office) 11 10.83% 18.53% 14.52% 12.81%
Electronics (General) 122 18.39% 18.94% 15.17% 22.93%
Engineering/Construction 42 27.05% 1.60% 9.48% 18.59%
Entertainment 96 9.95% 1.79% 8.70% 1.53%
Environmental & Waste Services 50 15.96% 1.86% 7.26% 10.12%
Farming/Agriculture 35 7.21% 14.44% 6.05% 14.87%
Financial Svcs. (Non-bank & Insurance) 166 1398.67% 0.31% 173.65% 1249.98%
Food Processing 77 7.88% 12.56% 12.71% 5.65%
Food Wholesalers 14 5.70% 6.47% 6.58% 5.71%
Furn/Home Furnishings 28 12.91% 17.36% 13.05% 15.73%
Green & Renewable Energy 18 30.45% 3.34% 18.81% -37.54%
Healthcare Products 218 16.85% 18.07% 7.30% 26.69%
Healthcare Support Services 113 5.73% 3.57% 14.36% -6.93%
Heathcare Information and Technology 116 19.15% 10.49% 7.47% 23.10%
Homebuilding 30 1.66% 63.94% 4.57% 63.17%
Hospitals/Healthcare Facilities 33 14.17% 1.83% 6.15% 10.77%
Hotel/Gaming 65 10.63% 2.90% 7.79% 2.29%
Household Products 101 9.60% 11.50% 14.35% 6.90%
Information Services 16 18.20% 0.10% 3.17% 16.87%
Insurance (General) 22 28.70% 0.00% 79.45% -10.19%
Insurance (Life) 19 23.25% 0.00% 22.31% 20.13%
Insurance (Prop/Cas.) 53 17.49% 0.00% 79.08% -38.81%
Investments & Asset Management 231 24.09% 0.01% NA NA
Machinery 109 18.66% 16.83% 9.83% 25.44%
Metals & Mining 64 7.67% 20.65% 12.15% 16.55%
Office Equipment & Services 14 11.19% 11.50% 11.42% 6.59%
Oil/Gas (Integrated) 4 11.52% 6.37% 15.01% 3.61%
Oil/Gas (Production and Exploration) 147 11.69% 2.17% 8.79% 1.53%
Oil/Gas Distribution 24 7.90% 2.73% 7.05% 2.87%
Oilfield Svcs/Equip. 97 9.23% 7.39% 9.25% 7.51%
Packaging & Container 22 14.69% 12.72% 14.42% 10.25%
Paper/Forest Products 6 6.36% 9.55% 7.51% 8.16%
Power 48 16.68% 7.03% 12.34% 8.03%
Precious Metals 60 5.31% 14.80% 7.38% 20.14%
Publishing & Newspapers 19 13.28% 4.55% 5.86% 10.88%
R.E.I.T. 192 136.02% 0.57% 11.30% 129.39%
Real Estate (Development) 15 4.57% 19.27% 4.38% 3.02%
Real Estate (General/Diversified) 11 27.45% 200.16% 10.86% 211.97%
Real Estate (Operations & Services) 60 12.35% 2.64% 6.07% 12.37%
Recreation 50 10.48% 15.21% 7.30% 16.99%
Reinsurance 1 17.09% 0.00% 17.51% 4.11%
Restaurant/Dining 62 5.04% 2.00% 4.37% -0.39%
Retail (Automotive) 29 3.08% 16.79% 8.73% 12.19%
Retail (Building Supply) 13 2.10% 16.85% 10.06% 8.35%
Retail (Distributors) 66 12.16% 16.24% 10.15% 17.02%
Retail (General) 24 3.17% 9.05% 11.18% 0.69%
Retail (Grocery and Food) 17 1.61% 5.39% 6.00% -0.20%
Retail (REITs) 28 15.09% 0.43% 15.98% -5.47%
Retail (Special Lines) 98 2.22% 13.75% 9.92% 4.95%
Rubber& Tires 3 17.66% 20.00% 21.24% 12.83%
Semiconductor 63 14.40% 15.75% 8.40% 20.35%
Semiconductor Equip 30 19.40% 22.44% 6.42% 32.72%
Shipbuilding & Marine 8 12.17% 6.79% 7.56% 10.34%
Shoe 12 11.54% 16.35% 8.09% 19.57%
Software (Entertainment) 81 13.04% 0.00% 3.21% 4.97%
Software (Internet) 29 12.10% 0.00% 3.71% 10.20%
Software (System & Application) 333 16.34% 0.58% 6.27% 10.58%
Steel 27 10.30% 16.47% 7.71% 19.15%
Telecom (Wireless) 11 11.48% 2.40% 3.87% 9.04%
Telecom. Equipment 61 17.70% 10.92% 6.16% 24.91%
Telecom. Services 32 14.74% 1.92% 18.00% -2.62%
Tobacco 12 8.11% 20.77% 6.88% 15.22%
Transportation 21 11.83% 0.26% 5.26% 7.07%
Transportation (Railroads) 4 8.40% 2.87% 7.56% 1.01%
Trucking 24 12.28% 0.31% 5.53% 7.04%
Utility (General) 14 14.17% 8.63% 10.95% 6.09%
Utility (Water) 15 15.99% 2.96% 9.19% 10.76%
Total Market 6062 48.96% 8.12% 81.39% -21.70%
Total Market (without financials) 4935 11.31% 8.68% 10.59% 8.25%

Last Updated in January 2025
By Aswath Damodaran