The 2022 Annual Capital Expenditures Survey (ACES) provides capitalized expenditures for both industrial and service robotics for companies with employees.

Beginning with the 2020 ACES, robotics were collected at the industry level to allow the Census Bureau to provide estimates that reflect the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industries in which the robotic investment was made. Prior ACES estimates collected robotics at the company level.

The robotic equipment expenditures tables provide national level estimates of capital expenditures for robotic equipment by 2-digit NAICS sector (Table 1a) and select 3-digit and 4-digit NAICS industries (Table 2a).

In 2022, U.S. nonfarm employer businesses invested $12,960 million in robotic equipment, not statistically significant from the 2021 total of $11,536 million. (See Summary Table A below, and Tables 1a and 1b).

Robotic equipment expenditures accounted for 1.1 percent of total equipment expenditures in 2022 and 2021.

Three sectors (Manufacturing, Retail Trade, and Construction) accounted for $11,440 million (88.3 percent) of total robotic equipment expenditures in 2022, not statistically different from the 2021 total of $9,923 million (86.0 percent).

The Manufacturing sector was the largest investor in 2022 with $7,289 million, not statistically different from the 2021 total of $8,581 million. Capital investment in robotic equipment by companies in this sector accounted for 56.2 percent of all robotic equipment expenditures in 2022 which is not statistically different from the 74.4 percent in 2021.

The Retail trade sector was the second largest investor in 2022 with $3,552 million, an increase of $2,236 million (170.0 percent) from the 2021 total of $1,316 million. Capital investment in robotic equipment by companies in this sector accounted for 27.4 percent of all robotic equipment expenditures in 2022, an increase from the 11.4 percent in 2021.

The Construction sector invested $599 million in 2022, not statistically significant from the 2021 total of $26 million. Capital investment in robotic equipment by companies in this sector accounted for 4.6 percent of all robotic equipment expenditures in 2022 which is not significantly different from the 0.2 percent in 2021.

Five industries invested a total of $5,390 million in robotic equipment and accounted for 73.9 percent of overall spending for robotics in the manufacturing sector in 2022.

• Food manufacturing ($1,128 million)
• Fabricated metal product manufacturing ($392 million)
• Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing ($1,032 million)
• Motor vehicle, body trailer, and parts manufacturing ($1,990 million)
• Other miscellaneous manufacturing ($848 million)

The same 5 industries in the manufacturing sector invested a total of $5,401 million for robotic equipment in 2021, which is not statistically significant from the 2022 amount, and accounted for 62.9 percent of the total investment in the manufacturing sector for robotics, which is not statistically significant from the 2022 percentage.

• 2022 ACES Questionnaire   
  
• Tables
  
• Figures  
  

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