Working
Capital Ratios by Sector (US)Data Used: Multiple data services
Date of Analysis: Data used is as of January 2026
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 | 52 | 47.38% | 5.57% | 46.12% | 3.83% |
| Aerospace/Defense | 79 | 23.93% | 28.94% | 11.12% | 41.21% |
| Air Transport | 23 | 4.00% | 3.06% | 6.64% | 0.45% |
| Apparel | 35 | 12.53% | 19.25% | 9.24% | 24.38% |
| Auto & Truck | 33 | 6.30% | 9.91% | 13.95% | -2.96% |
| Auto Parts | 35 | 17.05% | 12.47% | 13.83% | 15.85% |
| Bank (Money Center) | 15 | 0.00% | 0.17% | NA | NA |
| Banks (Regional) | 568 | 0.00% | 0.82% | NA | NA |
| Beverage (Alcoholic) | 14 | 10.04% | 19.75% | 17.76% | 14.64% |
| Beverage (Soft) | 27 | 11.88% | 8.06% | 25.96% | -6.00% |
| Broadcasting | 24 | 19.71% | 2.49% | 3.38% | 10.46% |
| Brokerage & Investment Banking | 32 | 140.14% | 0.28% | NA | NA |
| Building Materials | 41 | 13.78% | 13.64% | 9.41% | 18.44% |
| Business & Consumer Services | 155 | 18.43% | 1.39% | 6.69% | 14.52% |
| Cable TV | 9 | 8.61% | 0.19% | 6.96% | 1.90% |
| Chemical (Basic) | 29 | 11.15% | 15.65% | 11.09% | 16.21% |
| Chemical (Diversified) | 4 | 13.37% | 19.97% | 14.61% | 16.69% |
| Chemical (Specialty) | 59 | 18.28% | 17.58% | 13.34% | 23.80% |
| Coal & Related Energy | 16 | 8.21% | 17.12% | 13.90% | 10.18% |
| Computer Services | 64 | 21.30% | 8.12% | 17.27% | 13.40% |
| Computers/Peripherals | 36 | 10.68% | 5.92% | 18.78% | -4.71% |
| Construction Supplies | 40 | 14.83% | 20.95% | 11.92% | 22.56% |
| Diversified | 20 | 12.21% | 8.98% | 15.00% | 0.77% |
| Drugs (Biotechnology) | 496 | 21.37% | 12.00% | 19.72% | 13.36% |
| Drugs (Pharmaceutical) | 228 | 21.80% | 15.61% | 8.50% | 32.09% |
| Education | 32 | 12.12% | 1.69% | 4.04% | 10.03% |
| Electrical Equipment | 112 | 25.83% | 20.25% | 14.40% | 29.44% |
| Electronics (Consumer & Office) | 8 | 9.27% | 13.63% | 13.36% | 11.16% |
| Electronics (General) | 114 | 19.13% | 18.09% | 16.27% | 20.92% |
| Engineering/Construction | 48 | 27.52% | 1.54% | 9.87% | 19.38% |
| Entertainment | 92 | 9.91% | 1.75% | 8.64% | 0.49% |
| Environmental & Waste Services | 53 | 15.60% | 1.74% | 6.98% | 10.04% |
| Farming/Agriculture | 35 | 8.11% | 16.66% | 7.14% | 17.27% |
| Financial Svcs. (Non-bank & Insurance) | 176 | 1332.22% | 0.36% | 170.08% | 1186.00% |
| Food Processing | 78 | 7.76% | 13.41% | 12.14% | 6.68% |
| Food Wholesalers | 13 | 5.60% | 6.62% | 6.76% | 5.62% |
| Furn/Home Furnishings | 27 | 13.39% | 18.29% | 13.85% | 15.73% |
| Green & Renewable Energy | 15 | 59.48% | 2.59% | 35.05% | -114.29% |
| Healthcare Products | 204 | 16.51% | 17.59% | 7.14% | 25.65% |
| Healthcare Support Services | 104 | 6.95% | 3.45% | 14.11% | -5.79% |
| Heathcare Information and Technology | 115 | 19.82% | 10.47% | 7.86% | 23.53% |
| Homebuilding | 30 | 1.96% | 62.02% | 4.55% | 61.65% |
| Hospitals/Healthcare Facilities | 31 | 14.22% | 1.71% | 6.39% | 10.48% |
| Hotel/Gaming | 63 | 10.36% | 2.62% | 7.49% | 0.77% |
| Household Products | 110 | 9.75% | 11.55% | 14.86% | 6.01% |
| Information Services | 15 | 18.36% | 0.09% | 3.08% | 16.62% |
| Insurance (General) | 21 | 30.28% | 0.00% | 10.55% | 26.54% |
| Insurance (Life) | 20 | 26.08% | 0.00% | 24.98% | 23.17% |
| Insurance (Prop/Cas.) | 57 | 18.59% | 0.00% | 88.88% | -40.48% |
| Investments & Asset Management | 283 | 21.33% | 0.01% | NA | NA |
| Machinery | 105 | 19.03% | 16.62% | 9.93% | 24.42% |
| Metals & Mining | 73 | 7.80% | 20.48% | 12.23% | 14.89% |
| Office Equipment & Services | 14 | 11.95% | 13.43% | 11.92% | 8.14% |
| Oil/Gas (Integrated) | 4 | 12.23% | 7.34% | 16.24% | 3.93% |
| Oil/Gas (Production and Exploration) | 142 | 11.26% | 2.01% | 9.24% | 0.66% |
| Oil/Gas Distribution | 23 | 8.39% | 2.68% | 8.09% | 1.06% |
| Oilfield Svcs/Equip. | 97 | 10.16% | 8.20% | 9.77% | 8.93% |
| Packaging & Container | 19 | 15.95% | 13.59% | 16.07% | 12.66% |
| Paper/Forest Products | 6 | 10.78% | 14.06% | 9.18% | 13.24% |
| Power | 46 | 13.01% | 6.82% | 12.95% | 3.08% |
| Precious Metals | 56 | 4.82% | 12.84% | 6.06% | 9.10% |
| Publishing & Newspapers | 19 | 14.35% | 4.80% | 6.10% | 12.89% |
| R.E.I.T. | 190 | 132.76% | 4.48% | 12.85% | 139.67% |
| Real Estate (Development) | 14 | 3.40% | 14.43% | 3.38% | 1.64% |
| Real Estate (General/Diversified) | 12 | 20.17% | 250.67% | 9.48% | 257.17% |
| Real Estate (Operations & Services) | 54 | 12.56% | 1.10% | 6.61% | 9.83% |
| Recreation | 49 | 9.99% | 13.71% | 7.24% | 15.01% |
| Reinsurance | 1 | 18.09% | 0.00% | 20.77% | 1.43% |
| Restaurant/Dining | 64 | 5.32% | 2.17% | 4.75% | 2.79% |
| Retail (Automotive) | 34 | 2.64% | 16.62% | 8.86% | 11.03% |
| Retail (Building Supply) | 14 | 2.79% | 16.81% | 9.37% | 9.61% |
| Retail (Distributors) | 62 | 12.83% | 16.67% | 10.51% | 17.43% |
| Retail (General) | 23 | 3.50% | 8.67% | 11.89% | -0.11% |
| Retail (Grocery and Food) | 15 | 1.75% | 5.49% | 5.92% | 0.06% |
| Retail (REITs) | 26 | 21.69% | 0.54% | 16.48% | 1.24% |
| Retail (Special Lines) | 94 | 1.62% | 18.76% | 10.59% | 9.80% |
| Rubber& Tires | 3 | 17.24% | 21.58% | 21.53% | 12.93% |
| Semiconductor | 66 | 15.88% | 14.95% | 6.95% | 22.62% |
| Semiconductor Equip | 31 | 18.77% | 20.74% | 7.18% | 29.49% |
| Shipbuilding & Marine | 8 | 11.32% | 6.71% | 7.16% | 9.63% |
| Shoe | 11 | 12.10% | 16.43% | 8.23% | 16.56% |
| Software (Entertainment) | 77 | 13.11% | 0.00% | 3.30% | 7.25% |
| Software (Internet) | 29 | 16.31% | 0.00% | 6.78% | 14.80% |
| Software (System & Application) | 309 | 16.84% | 0.46% | 8.36% | 10.05% |
| Steel | 19 | 10.99% | 17.96% | 7.18% | 21.61% |
| Telecom (Wireless) | 12 | 11.17% | 2.58% | 4.87% | 12.07% |
| Telecom. Equipment | 57 | 19.32% | 10.12% | 6.59% | 22.25% |
| Telecom. Services | 39 | 12.83% | 2.04% | 20.87% | -3.69% |
| Tobacco | 10 | 8.90% | 21.47% | 7.50% | 16.91% |
| Transportation | 19 | 12.04% | 0.22% | 5.50% | 6.96% |
| Transportation (Railroads) | 4 | 8.05% | 2.91% | 7.87% | 1.56% |
| Trucking | 26 | 12.40% | 0.35% | 4.97% | 7.99% |
| Utility (General) | 14 | 13.31% | 8.36% | 9.51% | 20.05% |
| Utility (Water) | 14 | 16.01% | 2.88% | 8.57% | 12.54% |
| Total Market | 5994 | 48.40% | 8.00% | 81.55% | -21.86% |
| Total Market (without financials) | 4822 | 12.39% | 8.99% | 11.30% | 9.30% |