U.S. Bureau of the Census

03/22/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/22/2023 08:30

Capital Expenditures for Robotic Equipment: 2021

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip Header
Data & Maps
Access demographic, economic and population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Explore census data with visualizations and view tutorials.
Explore data on data.census.gov View all data resources
Topics
Data & Maps
Surveys & Programs
Resource Library
Topics
Data & Maps
Surveys & Programs
Resource Library

Capital Expenditures for Robotic Equipment: 2021

March 22, 2023

The 2021 Annual Capital Expenditures Survey (ACES) marks the fourth time that capitalized expenditures for both industrial and service robotics were collected from employer businesses.

Beginning with the 2020 ACES, robotics were collected at the industry level to allow the Census Bureau to provide estimates that reflect the 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).

General Highlights

In 2021, U.S. nonfarm employer businesses invested $11,536 million in robotic equipment, not statistically different from the 2020 total of $9,853 million (See Summary Table A below, and Tables 1a and 1b).

Robotic equipment expenditures accounted for 1.1 percent of total equipment expenditures in 2021 and 1.0 percent in 2020.

Sector Highlights

Three sectors (Manufacturing, Retail Trade, and Healthcare and Social Assistance) accounted for $10,601 million (91.9 percent) of total robotic equipment expenditures in 2021, not statistically different from the 2020 total of $8,840 million (89.7 percent).

The Manufacturing sector was the largest investor in 2021 with $8,581 million, up $3.6 million (73.6 percent) from the 2020 spending of $4,944 million. Capital investment in robotic equipment by companies in this sector accounted for 74.4 percent of all robotic equipment expenditures in 2021 compared to 50.2 percent in 2020.

The Retail trade sector was the second largest investor in 2021 with $1,316 million, a decrease of $2,067 million (61.1 percent) from the 2020 total of $3,383 million. Capital investment in robotic equipment by companies in this sector accounted for 11.4 percent of all robotic equipment expenditures in 2021 and 34.3 percent in 2020.

The Healthcare and social assistance sector invested $704 million in 2021, an increase of $191 million (37.2 percent) from the 2020 total of $513 million.

Industry Highlights

Five industries invested a total of $5,401 million in robotic equipment and accounted for 62.9 percent of overall spending for robotics in the manufacturing sector in 2021.

  • Food manufacturing ($902 million)
  • Fabricated metal product manufacturing ($701 million)
  • Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing ($600 million)
  • Motor vehicle, body trailer, and parts manufacturing ($1,923 million)
  • Other miscellaneous manufacturing ($1,275 million)

The same 5 industries in the manufacturing sector invested a total of $3,184 million for robotic equipment in 2020 and accounted for 64.4 percent of the total investment in the manufacturing sector for robotics.

General medical and surgical hospitals invested $490 million in robotic equipment and accounted for 69.6 percent of overall spending for robotic equipment in the healthcare and social assistance sector in 2021. Spending for robotic equipment by companies totaled $424 million in 2020 and accounted for 82.7 percent of overall spending in the healthcare and social assistance sector.

Figures

Page Last Revised - March 22, 2023
X
Is this page helpful?
YesNo
X
Comments or suggestions?
No, thanks
255characters remaining
X
Thank you for your feedback.
Comments or suggestions?

Top

Back to Header

Receive Updates

To sign up for updates please enter your email address.

Enter your email address Subscribe

Measuring America's People, Places, and Economy