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the study area, smaller manufacturing firms have been establ i shed, taking advantage of locational opportunities unique to the particular area. The Colorado subarea provides the most value added for manufac- turing, followed by the Nebraska and Wyomi ng subareas, respecti ve 1 y. In Colorado, food and associ ated products ranked first, followed by instruments and machinery. Machinery, especially agricultural mach inery, 1 ed Nebraska manufacturing. Petroleum and coal products contributed the largest amounts from Wyoming. The issue of energy and associated resources facing the Nation are refl ected in the Upper Pl atte River Basin through the increased activ- ities in mining. Petroleum, natural gas, and uranium are among the primary mineral products in Colorado and Wyoming. Coal is another important mineral, especially in Wyoming. Sand, gravel, limestone, and other stone, used primarily in local construction and manufacturing, is produced in each subarea and is the primary mining activity in Nebraska. Mining employed a relatively low 2.3 percent of the 1 abor force and accounted for 4.6 percent of earnings. Colorado provided by far the largest portion of the retail and wholesale trade, again due to the influence of the Denver metropolitan area as a trade center. Retail and wholesale trade consistently has been one of the most important economic sectors for all the subareas. Industries making up the largest proportions of retail sales in Colorado in 1978 included automotive dealers and service stations, manufacturing, food stores, and miscellaneous retail stores. The greatest sales activity in Nebraska includes transportation, contract construction, and agricul- ture. In Wyoming, retail and wholesale activities relating to food products, mineral fuels, furniture, and hardware predOOlinate. For the study area, 21.5 percent of the 1 abor force and 18.3 percent of total earnings were attributed to retail and wholesale trade. The Government sector is important to all three subareas. In the entire study area, 18.4 percent of the 1 abor force worked in the Government sector; 17.2 percent of total earnings were generated by this sector in 1978. Many act iv it ies are centered withi n the category of Government including Federal and military, state, regional, and local. As can be expected, the Denver metropolitan area serves as a center for much of the Government sector. Everything from a major Federal Center, an Air Force Base, the State capital, a major State University, and several rapidly growing locally governed communities can be found here. In Wyoming, the State capital, the State University, and a 1 arge Air Force Base are the primary Government entities. Nebraska is dominated by local governmental activities. The services industry ranked third in the study area and produced 16.4 percent of the earnings. This industrial sector is a useful bar{)ffieter for evaluating overall economic activity i.n the study area and the three s~bareas. A steadily increasing population and the associated increase in economic activity is reflected in th.e increasing demand for services. 10