The U.S. Census Bureau has released the main set of data from the 2023 Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES), marking the first time a single, comprehensive annual snapshot of U.S. employer businesses is available. The AIES provides detailed economic data such as business revenue, expenses, payroll, and employment at national, regional, and divisional levels. For selected sectors, state-level estimates are also included.
Lisa Donaldson, assistant director for Economic Programs at the Census Bureau, said: “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. By combining breadth of coverage with new geographic detail, the AIES provides insights that will shape decisions across the public and private sectors.”
The survey includes sample statistics from each of the four census regions. These final estimates replace preliminary data released in July 2025. Among key findings: automobile dealers generated an estimated $278.2 billion in revenue and employed about 281,789 workers; drugs and druggists’ sundries merchant wholesalers reported $298.6 billion in sales; pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing employed approximately 78,565 workers with an annual payroll of $8.8 billion; hospitals earned $300.6 billion in revenue with about 1,337,057 employees; grocery stores brought in $337.5 billion in revenue with an annual payroll of $32.1 billion; electric power generation employed roughly 202,720 workers with a payroll of $24.4 billion; telecommunications had revenues of $155.9 billion and a payroll of $19.6 billion; while data processing services employed about 258,344 people with a payroll of $30.4 billion.
The AIES covers domestic private sector nonfarm employer businesses that operated during some part of 2023 within the United States or District of Columbia and had paid employees within one of nineteen sectors defined by the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The survey sampled approximately 385,000 businesses based on geography and industry.
Estimates provided are not adjusted for price changes and may be affected by sampling variability or other errors. Further details on methodology—including coverage and confidentiality protections—are available on the Census Bureau’s website for the 2023 AIES Methodology.
The Census Bureau reviewed all AIES data products to ensure appropriate access controls and protection against disclosure risks.
