The U.S. Census Bureau has released the main set of data from the 2023 Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES), marking the first time a single, comprehensive annual overview of U.S. employer businesses is available.
The AIES provides detailed economic data, such as business revenue, expenses, payroll, and employment figures. Previously, much of this information was only accessible at the national level for many sectors. The new release offers data at national, regional, and divisional levels, with some state-level estimates for selected sectors.
Lisa Donaldson, assistant director for Economic Programs at the Census Bureau, said: “This release of data represents a significant step forward in the Census Bureau’s efforts to adapt to our ever-changing economy and transform our business statistics. By combining breadth of coverage with new geographic detail, the AIES provides insights that will shape decisions across the public and private sectors.”
Sample statistics from each census region are included in this release. The following highlights show examples of available information:
– Automobile Dealers generated an estimated $278.2 billion in revenue and employed about 281,789 workers.
– Drugs and Druggists’ Sundries Merchant Wholesalers reported approximately $298.6 billion in sales.
– Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing had around 78,565 employees with an annual payroll totaling $8.8 billion.
– Hospitals earned about $300.6 billion in revenue and employed roughly 1,337,057 people.
– Grocery Stores brought in an estimated $337.5 billion in revenue with an annual payroll of $32.1 billion.
– Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution employed around 202,720 workers with a payroll of $24.4 billion.
– Telecommunications companies earned approximately $155.9 billion in revenue with a payroll of $19.6 billion.
– Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services employed about 258,344 workers with an annual payroll of $30.4 billion.
The survey covers domestic private sector nonfarm employer businesses that operated during part or all of 2023 within one of the fifty states or Washington D.C., have paid employees, and are classified under nineteen sectors defined by the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Approximately 385,000 businesses were sampled based on location and industry.
Estimates have not been adjusted for price changes and may be subject to sampling variability or other errors. Further details on methodology—including coverage definitions and error sources—are available through the Census Bureau’s resources on AIES Methodology.
The Census Bureau reviewed these data products to ensure proper access controls and confidentiality protections for source data.
