In 1997, Arkansas had a total of 4,463 wholesale establishments, with sales of over $29 billion, and the fourth fastest sales growth rate in the country. There were a total of 15,980 retail establishments in 1997, with sales of $22 billion (18th in the US in terms of growth in sales). The leading retail categories for type of enterprise were automotive dealers, 17%; food stores, 12%; and automotive dealers and gasoline service stations, 23%. Food store sales totaled $3.6 billion, while general merchandise sales totaled approximately $3 billion. During 1997, exports of goods from the state were valued at $2.3 billion, at a rank of 34th in the nation.