Patterns of Firm Entry and Exit in U.S. Manufacturing Industries

Abstract

This article summarizes the patterns of firm entry, growth, and exit in the four-digit U.S. manufacturing industries over the period 1963-1982. Entrants are disaggregated into new firms, existing firms that diversify into an industry by opening new production facilities, and existing firms that enter by altering the mix of outputs they produce in their existing plants. We examine the relative importance of different types of entrants, the persistence of industry entry and exit patterns over time, the correlation between industry entry and exit rates, and the postentry performance of entrants.