Service Annual Survey Provides Comprehensive Statistics on Service Industries in U.S. Economy

Revenue for Internet publishing and broadcasting and Web search portal (NAICS 519130) employer firms increased 13.1 percent to $109.6 billion between 2013 and 2014. These information sector firms are primarily engaged in publishing and/or broadcasting content on the Internet exclusively or in operating websites that use a search engine to generate and maintain extensive databases of Internet addresses and content in an easily searchable format. Revenue among wireless telecommunications carriers (NAICS 517210) – another industry in the information sector – grew 8.0 percent between 2013 and 2014 to $251.8 billion.

All in all, information sector (NAICS 51) revenue increased 5.3 percent to $1.4 trillion for employer and nonemployer firms. This sector is primarily comprised of publishing industries, including software and Internet publishing, motion picture and sound recording, broadcasting and telecommunications.

These revenue data come from the Service Annual Survey, which provides the most comprehensive national statistics available each year on service industry activity in the United States. Dating from 1982 as an annual survey and last expanded in 2009, the survey collects data on revenues, expenses, and other measures from firms in most service industries. Together, these industries account for approximately 55 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product and had aggregate revenue of $13.4 trillion in 2014 for employer and nonemployer firms.

Other industries with revenue growth for employer firms between 2013 and 2014 include:

Revenues in pipeline transportation of crude oil (NAICS 4861) increased 17.2 percent to $9.2 billion, marking the fifth straight year of 9.0 percent or greater revenue growth.

Professional employer organizations’ (NAICS 561330) revenues went up 22.8 percent to $135.4 billion. Firms in this industry provide human resources and human resource management services to client businesses.

Hazardous waste treatment and disposal (NAICS 562211) experienced a 23.2 percent surge in revenues (to $8.0 billion).

On the other hand, credit card issuing employer firms (NAICS 522210) saw their revenue decline 4.2 percent from 2013 to 2014, to $83.6 billion, following a 6.7 percent increase in 2013.

There are a few service industries excluded from the survey: accommodations and food services (NAICS 72) (currently captured in the annual retail trade report), universities (NAICS 611310) and other selected industries such as rail transportation (NAICS 482).

Other highlights from the service sectors on changes between 2013 and 2014:

Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services

Revenue for this sector (NAICS 56) increased 9.2 percent to $812.4 billion in 2014 for employer and nonemployer firms. This marks an increase from the revenue growth rates seen in the prior three years.

Temporary help services (NAICS 561320) employer revenue was up 8.1 percent to $136.1 billion in 2014, exhibiting the fifth straight year of revenue growth.

Landscaping services (NAICS 561730) employer revenue rose 14.3 percent to $63.6 billion in 2014.

Arts, Entertainment and Recreation

Revenue in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector (NAICS 71) rose 5.1 percent to $254.5 billion for employer and nonemployer firms.

Sports teams and clubs (NAICS 711211) employer revenue increased 9.0 percent to $26.3 billion in 2014 following an increase of 6.4 percent in 2013.

Promoters of performing arts, sports and similar events (NAICS 7113) employer revenue rose 12.2 percent to $22.3 billion in 2014 after increasing 7.8 percent in 2013.

Educational Services (For Selected Industries)

Educational services (NAICS 6114, 6115, 6116, and 6117) revenue for employer and nonemployer firms increased 6.1 percent to $66.3 billion in 2014. These industries include business schools and computer and management training, technical and trade schools, and educational support services. They exclude elementary and secondary schools, junior colleges, and colleges, universities and professional schools, each of which is out-of-scope for this survey.

Finance and Insurance

Revenue earned by financial services and insurance providers (NAICS 52) increased 5.3 percent to $4.0 trillion in 2014 for employer and nonemployer firms. This is up from the 2.8 percent growth rate during the previous year.

Commercial banking (NAICS 522110) employer revenue was $384.0 billion in 2014, showing no significant change from 2013.

Direct life, health and medical insurance carriers (NAICS 52411) employer revenue climbed 8.4 percent to $1.3 trillion in 2014, after increasing 3.8 percent in 2013.

Health Care and Social Assistance

Health care and social assistance sector (NAICS 62) revenue increased 4.7 percent to $2.3 trillion in 2014 for employer and nonemployer firms.

After rising 1.8 percent from 2012 to 2013, ambulatory health care services (NAICS 621) employer revenue climbed 4.3 percent to $864.7 billion in 2014. This subsector includes health care practitioners not typically providing inpatient services, such as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, podiatrists and mental health practitioners.

Employer firm revenue for hospitals (NAICS 622) rose 5.2 percent to $953.0 billion in 2014, compared with a 3.4 percent rise in 2013.

Information

Newspaper publishers (NAICS 511110) saw employer revenue decline 1.4 percent to $28.1 billion in 2014.

The television broadcasting industry (NAICS 515120), which includes local stations and television networks, experienced a 12.5 percent rise in employer revenue to $50.4 billion in 2014.

Other Services (Except Public Administration)

The other services sector (NAICS 81) saw revenue increase 7.1 percent to $577.2 billion in 2014 for employer and nonemployer firms. This sector includes repair and maintenance services; personal and laundry services; and religious, grant making, civic, professional and similar organizations.

Pet care services (NAICS 812910) employer revenue rose 13.5 percent to $4.2 billion in 2014, following a 10.0 percent increase in 2013.

Grant making and giving services (NAICS 81321) employer revenue rose 12.0 percent to $115.6 billion in 2014, showing the fifth consecutive increase in this industry.

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

Revenue for this sector (NAICS 54) increased 4.9 percent to $1.7 trillion in 2014, following 1.7 percent growth in 2013 for employer and nonemployer firms.

Architectural services (NAICS 541310) employer revenue was up 11.3 percent to $31.9 billion in 2014.

Interior design services (NAICS 541410) employer revenue climbed 16.6 percent to $9.5 billion.

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

Revenue for this sector (NAICS 53) rose 7.1 percent to $815.4 billion in 2014 for employer and nonemployer firms.

Offices of real estate agents and brokers (NAICS 531210) employer revenue climbed 10.7 percent to $84.8 billion in 2014.

Employer revenue for real estate property managers (NAICS 3131) was up 9.6 percent to $55.6 billion in 2014.

Employer revenue for offices of real estate appraisers (NAICS 531320) fell 5.2 percent to $5.4 billion in 2014.

Transportation and Warehousing

Revenue earned by this sector (NAICS 48-49), which excludes rail transportation providers (NAICS 482) and the Postal Service (NAICS 491), rose 6.8 percent to $937.2 billion in 2014 for employer and nonemployer firms.

Scheduled passenger air transportation industry (NAICS 481111) employer revenue increased 5.3 percent to $174.3 billion in 2014.

Long-distance general freight truckload trucking (NAICS 484121) employer revenue rose 7.3 percent to $101.2 billion in 2014.

Utilities

Revenue earned by utilities (NAICS 22), including providers of electrical power, natural gas, steam supply, water supply and sewage removal, grew 7.8 percent to $606.4 billion in 2014 for employer and nonemployer firms. This measure excludes government-owned utilities.

Service sector statistics from the Quarterly Services Survey through third quarter 2015 are also available. The fourth quarter 2015 statistics will be available March 10. The Service Annual Survey collects operating revenue, sources of revenue, expenses, exports, inventory, e-commerce and other selected industry-specific data from a sample of approximately 72,000 service businesses with paid employees. The survey is supplemented by administrative records data or imputed values to account for nonemployer and certain other businesses. The Quarterly Services Survey is a principal economic indicator series that produces, for selected service industries, quarterly estimates of operating revenue, percentage of revenue by class of customer and expenses from approximately 19,500 service businesses with paid employees.

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Percent changes quoted in the release are calculated using estimates rounded to millions as provided in the tables. Also, note that estimates are not adjusted for price changes.

As is the case with all surveys, statistics from sample surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. All comparisons made in this release have been tested and found to be statistically significant at the 90 percent confidence level, unless otherwise noted. Please consult the tables for measures of sampling variability. For more information about the Service Annual Survey, including information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error and definitions, see http://www.census.gov/services/sas/sastechdoc.html.