News Release 16-099

Businesses spent $341 billion on R&D performed in US in 2014

Total was 5.6 percent higher than previous year



The report focuses on business R&D performance. Other sectors also contribute to total U.S. R&D.



August 25, 2016



This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

Businesses spent $341 billion on research and development (R&D) performed in the United States in 2014, a 5.6 percent increase over the previous year, according to a new report from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES).

Development accounted for the greatest share, 78 percent, of 2014 R&D spending. Applied research accounted for 16 percent, while basic research accounted for 6 percent. The NCSES InfoBrief focuses on business-sector R&D spending. Other sectors, including higher education and federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), also contribute to total U.S. R&D spending.

Funding from companies' own sources rose by 6.7 percent from 2013 to 2014, totaling $283 billion. Funding from other sources totaled $58 billion. The federal government was the largest of those other sources, accounting for $27 billion, $19 billion of which came from the Department of Defense. Of the federal funding, 92 percent went toward aerospace products and parts; professional, scientific and technical services; and computer and electronic products.

Small- and medium-sized companies performed 16 percent of the nation's business R&D in 2014, while companies with 500 to 24,999 domestic employees performed 48 percent. Companies with 25,000 or more employees made up the other 36%. Businesses that performed or funded R&D employed 21.5 million people in the U.S., 1.5 million of which were R&D employees.

Business R&D is concentrated in a relatively small number of states. California alone accounted for 30 percent of the $283 billion in R&D funded by companies' own sources in 2014. Other states with high amounts in the business R&D category were: Massachusetts (6 percent), Michigan (5 percent), Washington (5 percent), Texas (5 percent), Illinois (4 percent), New Jersey (4 percent), New York (4 percent), and Pennsylvania (3 percent).

For more information, including R&D performance numbers for all states and a breakdown of spending by different business sectors, read the full InfoBrief.

-NSF-



Development accounted for the greatest share of business R&D performance in 2014.

Credit and Larger Version

Media Contacts

Rob Margetta, NSF, (703) 292-2663, email: rmargett@nsf.gov



Program Contacts

Raymond M. Wolfe, NSF, (703) 292-7789, email: rwolfe@nsf.gov



The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2020 budget of $8.3 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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