General highlights

In 2008, U.S. nonfarm businesses with employees spent a total of $296.3 billion on noncapitalized and capitalized information and communication technology (ICT) equipment, including computer software, an increase of 11.0 percent from the revised 2007 estimate of $266.8 billion.¹ (See Table A below, and appended Tables 1a and 1b.)

Noncapitalized ICT spending in 2008 was $91.4 billion (30.9 percent of total spending), not statistically different from 2007.² Capitalized ICT spending in 2008 increased by 17.7 percent to $204.8 billion (69.1 percent of total spending). (Note: If an increase or decrease compared with 2007 is not stated in the text, then there was no statistically significant difference between 2008 and 2007 data.)

Noncapitalized expenditures.

Of total noncapitalized ICT spending in 2008 ($91.4 billion), purchases of ICT equipment accounted for $18.3 billion (20.0 percent), a decrease of 10.4 percent from 2007; operating leases and rental payments accounted for $17.2 billion (18.8 percent); and computer software expenditures accounted for $56.0 billion (61.2 percent).

Purchases of ICT equipment.

Of the $18.3 billion spent on noncapitalized ICT purchases, computer and peripheral equipment accounted for $12.2 billion, a decrease of 10.7 percent from 2007; ICT equipment excluding computers and peripherals accounted for $5.7 billion, a decrease of 12.1 percent from 2007; and electromedical and electrotherapeutic apparatus accounted for $0.4 billion, an increase of 40.4 percent from 2007.

Operating leases and rental payments.

Of the $17.2 billion spent on noncapitalized operating leases and rental payments, computer and peripheral equipment accounted for $11.8 billion; ICT equipment excluding computers and peripherals accounted for $4.4 billion; and electromedical and electrotherapeutic apparatus accounted for $0.9 billion, a decrease of 24.0 percent from 2007.

Computer software expenditures.

Of the $56.0 billion spent on noncapitalized computer software, $28.5 billion was for purchases and payroll for developing software; and $27.4 billion was for software licensing and service/maintenance agreements, an increase of 6.0 percent from 2007.

Capitalized expenditures.

Of total capitalized ICT spending in 2008 ($204.8 billion), purchases of ICT equipment accounted for $133.0 billion (64.9 percent), an increase of 20.5 percent from 2007; and capitalized purchases and payroll for developing software accounted for $71.9 billion (35.1 percent), an increase of 12.8 percent from 2007.

Purchases of ICT equipment.

Of the $133.0 billion spent on capitalized ICT purchases, computer and peripheral equipment accounted for $66.1 billion, an increase of 11.9 percent from 2007; ICT equipment excluding computers and peripherals accounted for $60.2 billion, an increase of 30.4 percent from 2007; and electromedical and electrotherapeutic apparatus accounted for $6.7 billion, an increase of 30.5 percent from 2007.

Selected sector highlights

Complete sector level data are provided in Table A below and in the publication Tables 2a-4d. Also see Figures 1-4.

Information.

In 2008, the information sector spent $82.7 billion for ICT equipment and computer software, an increase of 22.0 percent from 2007. Of this amount, $12.9 billion (15.6 percent) was for noncapitalized expenditures; and $69.8 billion (84.4 percent) was for capitalized expenditures, an increase of 26.8 percent from 2007. The information sector accounted for 27.9 percent of all 2008 ICT spending.

Finance and insurance.

Spending in this sector for ICT equipment and computer software totaled $50.1 billion in 2008. Of this amount, $20.9 billion (41.8 percent) was for noncapitalized spending and $29.2 billion (58.2 percent) was for capitalized spending. The finance and insurance sector accounted for 16.9 percent of all 2008 ICT spending.

Manufacturing.

The manufacturing sector spent $35.8 billion for ICT equipment and computer software in 2008. Of this amount, $16.1 billion was for noncapitalized expenditures, a decrease of 6.8 percent from 2007 and $19.7 billion was for capitalized expenditures, an increase of 5.9 percent from 2007. In 2008, manufacturing accounted for 12.1 percent of all ICT spending.

Durable goods manufacturers

spent $22.2 billion on ICT equipment and computer software in 2008. Of this amount, $10.7 billion was for noncapitalized ICT expenditures, a decrease of 5.7 percent from 2007; and $11.5 billion was for capitalized expenditures.

Nondurable goods manufacturers

spent $13.6 billion on ICT equipment and computer software in 2008. Noncapitalized expenditures totaled $5.4 billion, a decrease of 8.8 percent from 2007; and capitalized expenditures were $8.2 billion, an increase of 9.8 percent from 2007.

Professional, scientific, and technical services.

ICT equipment and computer software spending in this sector totaled $27.0 billion in 2008. Of this amount, $11.4 billion was for noncapitalized spending; $15.7 billion was for capitalized spending, an increase of 13.3 percent from 2007. In 2008, this sector accounted for 9.1 percent of all ICT spending.

Health care and social assistance.

This sector spent $24.3 billion on ICT equipment and computer software in 2008, an increase of 12.9 percent from 2007. Of this amount, $6.4 billion was for noncapitalized expenditures; and $17.8 billion was for capitalized expenditures, an increase of 22.3 percent from 2007. The health care sector accounted for 8.2 percent of all ICT spending in 2008.

Retail trade.

In 2008, the retail trade sector spent $18.4 billion on ICT equipment and computer software, an increase of 14.7 percent from 2007. Of this amount, $4.2 billion was for noncapitalized ICT, a decrease of 6.7 percent from 2007; and $14.2 billion was for capitalized ICT, an increase of 22.9 percent from 2007. In 2008, retail trade accounted for 6.2 percent of all ICT spending.

Wholesale trade.

In 2008, the wholesale trade sector spent $10.4 billion on ICT equipment and computer software. Of this total, noncapitalized spending accounted for $3.3 billion and capitalized spending accounted for $7.1 billion. Wholesale trade accounted for 3.5 percent of all 2008 ICT spending.

Administrative and support and waste management.

In 2008, the administrative and support and waste management sector spent $7.1 billion on ICT equipment and computer software, an increase of 11.8 percent from 2007. Of this amount, $2.4 billion was for noncapitalized ICT, an increase of 8.2 percent from 2007; and capitalized ICT spending totaled $4.7 billion, an increase of 13.7 percent from 2007. In 2008, this sector accounted for 2.4 percent of all ICT spending.

Utilities.

In 2008, ICT equipment and computer software spending in the utilities sector totaled $5.5 billion, an increase of 35.2 percent from 2007. Of this amount, noncapitalized expenditures were $1.8 billion, an increase of 30.9 percent from 2007; and capitalized expenditures were $3.7 billion, an increase in 37.4 percent from 2007. The utilities sector accounted for 1.9 percent of all ICT spending in 2008.

Transportation and warehousing.

This sector spent $5.3 billion on ICT equipment and computer software in 2008. Of this amount, $1.8 billion was for noncapitalized expenditures and $3.5 billion was for capitalized expenditures. The transportation sector accounted for 1.8 percent of all ICT spending in 2008.

Endnotes

¹The revised total expenditures estimate for 2007 reflects a downward revision of $1.6 billion in noncapitalized expenditures to $92.8 billion and an upward revision of $4.2 billion in capitalized expenditures to $174.0 billion. The revisions reflect additional information and/or corrections submitted by respondents subsequent to the initial published estimates.

² Estimated measures of sampling variability have been calculated for each estimate and are used to construct 90-percent confidence intervals (or ranges) for all estimates of change. If the estimated range of change contains zero (0), then it is uncertain whether there was an increase or a decrease; that is, the change is not statistically different from zero (0), and the current estimate is not statistically different from the prior estimate at the 90-percent confidence level. See the "Reliability of the Estimates" section of the Sampling and Estimation Methodologies appendix for more information on confidence intervals and statistical significance.

The Company Statistics Division prepared this report. Charles A. Funk, Assistant Division Chief for Surveys and Programs, was responsible for the overall planning, management, and coordination. Primary assistance for planning and implementation were under the direction of Valerie C. Strang, Chief, Business Investment Branch, assisted by Venita Holland, Sara Prebble, Derrick Roy, and Victor Souphom, Section Chiefs, Business Investment Branch. Primary staff assistance was provided by Ayub Abdallah, Brian Bonner, Larry S. Chomsisengphet, Beth Evans, William Gainor, Ashley Hildebrandt, Carly Johnston, Jungjin Kang, Kimberly Keller, Demetrius Lambeth, Harold Laney Jr., Joshua Lewis, Conrad Munger, Omar Nix, Sherrita Powell, Alan Tominack, and Matt Wills. Additional assistance was provided by Marie Rustin.

General direction for statistical methodology was provided by Carol Caldwell, Assistant Division Chief for Research and Methodology, and Mark S. Sands, Chief, Statistical Research and Methods Branch. Jeffrey L. Dalzell, Tameka Johnson, Justin Smith, and Yarissa Gonzalez developed and implemented the sample design, nonresponse adjustment and estimation methodology.

The Economic Planning and Coordination Division, William Samples, Chief, Mailout and Data Capture Branch, coordinated survey mailout and data collection with Section Chiefs Stephanie Studds, Christopher Berbert, and Amanda Williams. Primary assistance was provided by Loretta Brawner, Bernadette Gray, and Dameka Hemsley.

The staff of the National Processing Center, Angela Feldman-Harkins, Assistant Division Chief for Processing, performed mailout preparation and receipt operations, clerical and analytical review activities, and data entry.

The Economic Statistical Methods and Programming Division, Kenneth Keer, Chief, Current Manufacturing and Company Statistics Annuals Branch, developed and implemented computer processing systems. Nestor Baez Jr., Supervisory Computer Specialist Systems Analyst, supervised the preparation of computer programs. Stephen Potemkin was responsible for frame creation and sample selection. Tony Duong, Barbara Harris, Kavita Khaneja, and Diane Musachio were assigned primary programming responsibilities.

Finally, a special acknowledgment is due to the many businesses whose cooperation was essential to the success of this report.

If you have any questions concerning the statistics in this report, call 301-763-3324.