Census Bureau: Capital spending by U.S. businesses increased 4.5%

Spending by U.S. businesses on new and used structures and equipment rose 4.5%, from $1.42 billion in 2012 to $1.49 billion in 2013, according to the latest economic data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

These findings come from the 2013 Annual Capital Expenditures Survey, which provides statistics on capital spending for new and used structures and equipment by U.S. non-farm businesses with and without paid employees. This survey, conducted annually since 1994, is an integral part of the federal government’s effort to improve and supplement ongoing statistical economic programs.

Highlights:

• Investments for new and used structures totaled $577.9 billion in 2013. The vast majority of this amount, $545.0 billion (94.3%), was spent on new structures. Expenditures for used structures totaled $33.0 billion (5.7%) in 2013.

• Investments in new and used equipment totaled $910.3 billion in 2013, up $57.0 billion (6.7%) from $853.2 billion in 2012. The majority of this amount (94.1%) was for new equipment, which totaled $856.7 billion in 2013, an increase of $56.5 billion (7.1%) from $800.2 billion in 2012. Expenditures for used equipment (5.9% of the amount) totaled $53.5 billion in 2013.

• Companies with employees accounted for $1.4 trillion (93.9%) of total capital spending in 2013.

• Of the 19 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) major industry sectors covered in this report, only one sector had a statistically significant year-to-year decrease in capital spending: The utilities sector (NAICS 22) showed a decrease of 10.6%, from $125.0 billion in 2012 to $111.7 billion in 2013. Eight sectors had a statistically significant increase in capital spending and ten showed no statistically significant change during this period.

Building Design+Construction's monthly Market Intelligence Report offers a snapshot of the health of the U.S. building construction industry, including the commercial, multifamily, institutional, and industrial building sectors. This report tracks the latest metrics related to construction spending, demand for design services, contractor backlogs, and material price trends.

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