FACTBOX: GM's stake in the U.S. economy runs deep

(Reuters) - General Motors Corp, the largest U.S. automaker, has suffered major losses and significant U.S. market share declines this decade.

But the company remains a major part of the U.S. industrial economy and the largest U.S. manufacturer by key measures including sales and purchasing and its purchase of health-care benefits.

GM's share of the U.S. auto market dropped to 24 percent in 2008, from 46 percent in 1980. It now trails Toyota Motor Corp for sales globally.

Key details of GM's role in the U.S. economy follow:

* Sales: GM is one of the largest U.S. companies by sales, with revenue totaling about $181 billion in 2007. It is the largest U.S. manufacturer by revenue.

* Employment: GM has 266,000 employees worldwide, including about 139,000 in North America. The company is No. 4 in the United States in terms of total employees, according to Fortune's Global 500 rankings. It remains the largest U.S. manufacturer by employment

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The U.S. auto industry employs an estimated 5 million Americans directly and through affiliated jobs at dealerships, suppliers and service providers.

* Benefits: GM provides health-care benefits to more than a million Americans. About 140,000 people are active workers, the rest are retirees, spouses and dependents.

The U.S. auto industry provides benefits to more than 2 million Americans and pays pension benefits to 800,000 retirees.

* Facilities: GM has plants and facilities in 30 U.S. states.

* Purchasing: GM's purchasing budget runs to about $94 billion annually. It works with about 3,200 suppliers, which build more than 160,000 parts.

* Capital investment: GM will spend $8 billion on capital investment in 2008. The U.S. auto industry spends about $12 billion on research and development each year.

(Reporting by Soyoung Kim, editing by Dave Zimmerman)