The U.S. Census Bureau has published the main data release from the 2023 Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES), marking the first time a single, comprehensive annual dataset on U.S. employer businesses is available.
The AIES offers economic statistics such as business revenue, expenses, payroll, and employment across detailed geographic areas. Previously, much of this information was only reported at the national level for many sectors. The current release provides data at national, regional, and divisional levels, with some state-level estimates included for selected industries.
“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.”
Sample highlights from each census region include:
– Automobile Dealers generated an estimated $278.2 billion in revenue and employed about 281,789 workers.
– Drugs and Druggists’ Sundries Merchant Wholesalers earned approximately $298.6 billion in sales.
– Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing employed around 78,565 workers with an annual payroll near $8.8 billion.
– Hospitals reported roughly $300.6 billion in revenue while employing about 1,337,057 people.
– Grocery Stores brought in close to $337.5 billion in revenue with an annual payroll estimated at $32.1 billion.
– Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution provided jobs for about 202,720 workers with a payroll of $24.4 billion.
– Telecommunications companies earned roughly $155.9 billion in revenue with an annual payroll of $19.6 billion.
– Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services employed around 258,344 workers with a total payroll near $30.4 billion.
The survey covers domestic private sector nonfarm employer businesses that operated during part or all of 2023 within any U.S. state or Washington D.C., had paid employees, and fell under one of nineteen sectors defined by the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). About 385,000 businesses were sampled based on location and industry.
Estimates have not been adjusted for price changes and may be affected by sampling variability or other errors; more details are available on methodology through official Census Bureau resources.
This main release replaces preliminary “First Look” figures published earlier in July 2025.
The Census Bureau confirmed it has reviewed these data products to ensure confidentiality protections are maintained.
