Data in this report are from the Census Bureau's Annual Capital Expenditures Survey (ACES), which collects information on expenditures for new and used structures and equipment by all U.S. nonfarm businesses. The Capital Spending Report series covers spending by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industry sector in a ten-year moving window ending with the most recent ACES reference year— 2011 in the current report. However, linked background tables provide comparable NAICS industry data beginning in 1999. Estimates for penultimate years in each report are subject to revision.

The report looks closely at investment shares over time to see which are growing (shrinking) and, in theory, where firms and capital markets perceive the greatest economic opportunity. Annual spending estimates are not adjusted for inflation. This may affect the utility of year-to-year or longer-term comparisons of spending levels, especially when inflation rates are volatile and vary across industry groups and asset categories. However, with some exceptions (e.g., declines in information technology equipment prices, which may have a negative effect on investment totals in industries that invest heavily in IT equipment), comparisons of shares of overall investment across industry groups are less affected by inflation.

The ACES survey collects industry detail only for companies with employees; hence, estimates in the present report series of capital spending by industry are for employer businesses. On average, over the period 2002-2011, these firms accounted for about 93.0 percent of total annual structures and equipment spending by U.S. nonfarm businesses.

• Tables
• Charts

Between 2002 and 2011, the period covered by this report, capital spending by U.S. nonfarm businesses increased from 2003 to 2007 and from 2010 to 2011. (Chart 1, Table 1a).

*These data are subject to sampling/non-sampling error.

*These data are subject to sampling/non-sampling error.

*These data are subject to sampling/non-sampling error.

• The following selected sectors registering the largest absolute increases in investment spending between 2002 and 2011 included mining (up $107.0 billion or 252.0 percent), manufacturing (up $36.1 billion or 23.0 percent), utilities (up $32.5 billion or 49.7 percent), transportation and warehousing (up $25.1 billion or 53.3 percent), and health care and social assistance (up $23.9 billion or 40.2 percent). (Chart 4, Table 2a)
• The following selected sectors registering the largest absolute decreases in investment spending over the 2002-2011 period were finance and insurance (down $18.9 billion or 14.7 percent), and real estate and rental and leasing (down $3.4 billion or 3.6 percent). (Chart 4, Table 2a)
• In 2011, five of the 19 industry sectors accounted for 56.4 percent of capital spending by U.S. employer businesses— manufacturing (16.8 percent), mining (13.0 percent), finance and insurance (9.5 percent), information (8.6 percent), and utilities (8.5 percent). In 2002, the same five sectors accounted for 52.5 percent of capital spending. (Table 3a)

*These data are subject to sampling/non-sampling error.

• Among the sectors experiencing the largest increases in their shares of total capital spending between 2002 and 2011 were mining (up 8.3 percentage points), utilities (up 1.4 percentage points) and transportation and warehousing (up 1.1 percentage points). (Chart 5, Table 3a)
• Among the sectors experiencing the largest declines in their shares of total capital spending between 2002 and 2011 included finance and insurance (down 4.5 percentage points), real estate and rental and leasing (down 2.4 percentage points), information (down 1.0 percentage points), and construction (down 0.8 percentage points). (Chart 5, Table 3a)

*These data are subject to sampling/non-sampling error.

(Alphabetical Order)

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