The U.S. Census Bureau has released the main data set 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 economic data such as business revenue, expenses, payroll, and employment at more detailed geographic levels than before. While many sectors previously had data only at the national level, this release includes information at national, regional, and divisional levels. State-level estimates are also provided for selected sectors.
“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,” said Lisa Donaldson, assistant director for Economic Programs. “By combining breadth of coverage with new geographic detail, the AIES provides insights that will shape decisions across the public and private sectors.”
This release features sample statistics from each of the four census regions. The highlights include: automobile dealers generating an estimated $278.2 billion in revenue and employing about 281,789 workers; drugs and druggists’ sundries merchant wholesalers earning roughly $298.6 billion in sales; pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing employing approximately 78,565 workers with an annual payroll near $8.8 billion; hospitals bringing in around $300.6 billion in revenue while employing about 1,337,057 people; grocery stores reporting $337.5 billion in revenue with an annual payroll of $32.1 billion; electric power generation employing 202,720 workers with a payroll of $24.4 billion; telecommunications earning $155.9 billion in revenue with a payroll of $19.6 billion; and data processing services employing 258,344 workers with a payroll of $30.4 billion.
The survey covers domestic private sector nonfarm employer businesses that operated during some part of 2023 within any state or Washington D.C., employed paid staff members, and were classified under one of nineteen sectors as defined by the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). About 385,000 businesses were sampled based on their location and industry classification.
Estimates presented are not adjusted for price changes and may be subject to sampling variability or other errors. More details on methodology—including coverage definitions and confidentiality protections—are available on the Census Bureau’s website.
The Census Bureau has reviewed these data products to ensure appropriate access controls and protection against disclosure of confidential source information.
