Size of the US Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences industry
NAICS 54171, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences. Every figure on this page was published by a federal statistical agency and carries its source and period. Palanor does not estimate: a period the agency didn’t publish shows as missing, and a figure it withheld shows as withheld.
Key figures
- Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)
- $331 billion
- 2022 · Economic Census
All establishments, current dollars - Employment
- 856,001
- 2026-Q1 · Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Over time
How it has changed
Show the numbers
| Period | Value | NAICS |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-Q1 | 856,001 | 2022 |
| 2025-Q4 | 851,887 | 2022 |
| 2025-Q3 | 852,862 | 2022 |
| 2025-Q2 | 864,916 | 2022 |
| 2025-Q1 | 859,312 | 2022 |
| 2024-Q4 | 853,976 | 2022 |
| 2024-Q3 | 857,167 | 2022 |
| 2024-Q2 | 865,479 | 2022 |
| 2024-Q1 | 856,486 | 2022 |
| 2023-Q4 | 857,381 | 2022 |
| 2023-Q3 | 856,870 | 2022 |
| 2023-Q2 | 866,074 | 2022 |
| 2023-Q1 | 849,158 | 2022 |
| 2022-Q4 | 841,656 | 2022 |
| 2022-Q3 | 831,606 | 2022 |
| 2022-Q2 | 823,771 | 2022 |
| 2022-Q1 | 802,241 | 2022 |
| 2021-Q4 | 788,964 | 2017 |
| 2021-Q3 | 768,366 | 2017 |
| 2021-Q2 | 759,894 | 2017 |
| 2021-Q1 | 738,721 | 2017 |
| 2020-Q4 | 721,995 | 2017 |
| 2020-Q3 | 707,678 | 2017 |
| 2020-Q2 | 702,126 | 2017 |
| 2020-Q1 | 694,831 | 2017 |
| 2019-Q4 | 684,170 | 2017 |
| 2019-Q3 | 672,021 | 2017 |
| 2019-Q2 | 671,265 | 2017 |
| 2019-Q1 | 650,313 | 2017 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter
Show the numbers
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 957,341 |
| 2022 | 902,939 |
| 2021 | 827,379 |
| 2020 | 792,655 |
| 2019 | 762,889 |
| 2018 | 734,686 |
| 2017 | 706,544 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns · Paid employees in the pay period including March 12
Show the numbers
| Period | Value | NAICS |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-Q1 | 54,918 | 2022 |
| 2025-Q4 | 54,612 | 2022 |
| 2025-Q3 | 54,142 | 2022 |
| 2025-Q2 | 53,438 | 2022 |
| 2025-Q1 | 52,930 | 2022 |
| 2024-Q4 | 53,122 | 2022 |
| 2024-Q3 | 52,719 | 2022 |
| 2024-Q2 | 51,888 | 2022 |
| 2024-Q1 | 51,104 | 2022 |
| 2023-Q4 | 50,881 | 2022 |
| 2023-Q3 | 50,139 | 2022 |
| 2023-Q2 | 49,036 | 2022 |
| 2023-Q1 | 48,020 | 2022 |
| 2022-Q4 | 46,685 | 2022 |
| 2022-Q3 | 45,501 | 2022 |
| 2022-Q2 | 43,760 | 2022 |
| 2022-Q1 | 42,159 | 2022 |
| 2021-Q4 | 40,068 | 2017 |
| 2021-Q3 | 38,230 | 2017 |
| 2021-Q2 | 36,358 | 2017 |
| 2021-Q1 | 34,494 | 2017 |
| 2020-Q4 | 33,180 | 2017 |
| 2020-Q3 | 31,959 | 2017 |
| 2020-Q2 | 30,734 | 2017 |
| 2020-Q1 | 29,880 | 2017 |
| 2019-Q4 | 29,413 | 2017 |
| 2019-Q3 | 28,699 | 2017 |
| 2019-Q2 | 28,018 | 2017 |
| 2019-Q1 | 27,289 | 2017 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private ownership
Show the numbers
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 20,321 |
| 2022 | 20,072 |
| 2021 | 19,234 |
| 2020 | 18,074 |
| 2019 | 17,557 |
| 2018 | 16,895 |
| 2017 | 16,787 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns
Show the numbers
| Period | Value | NAICS |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-Q1 | $54.6 billion | 2022 |
| 2025-Q4 | $40.8 billion | 2022 |
| 2025-Q3 | $38.6 billion | 2022 |
| 2025-Q2 | $36.7 billion | 2022 |
| 2025-Q1 | $48.9 billion | 2022 |
| 2024-Q4 | $37.0 billion | 2022 |
| 2024-Q3 | $36.2 billion | 2022 |
| 2024-Q2 | $37.9 billion | 2022 |
| 2024-Q1 | $47.8 billion | 2022 |
| 2023-Q4 | $36.6 billion | 2022 |
| 2023-Q3 | $33.6 billion | 2022 |
| 2023-Q2 | $35.4 billion | 2022 |
| 2023-Q1 | $42.7 billion | 2022 |
| 2022-Q4 | $34.9 billion | 2022 |
| 2022-Q3 | $32.9 billion | 2022 |
| 2022-Q2 | $31.7 billion | 2022 |
| 2022-Q1 | $38.5 billion | 2022 |
| 2021-Q4 | $34.4 billion | 2017 |
| 2021-Q3 | $30.4 billion | 2017 |
| 2021-Q2 | $28.3 billion | 2017 |
| 2021-Q1 | $34.2 billion | 2017 |
| 2020-Q4 | $31.0 billion | 2017 |
| 2020-Q3 | $25.1 billion | 2017 |
| 2020-Q2 | $25.7 billion | 2017 |
| 2020-Q1 | $31.9 billion | 2017 |
| 2019-Q4 | $24.9 billion | 2017 |
| 2019-Q3 | $22.4 billion | 2017 |
| 2019-Q2 | $22.4 billion | 2017 |
| 2019-Q1 | $28.4 billion | 2017 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · Private ownership
Show the numbers
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $150 billion |
| 2022 | $139 billion |
| 2021 | $128 billion |
| 2020 | $115 billion |
| 2019 | $105 billion |
| 2018 | $97.6 billion |
| 2017 | $88.1 billion |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns
The ledger
Every published measure
| Measure | Source | Latest | Period | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EmploymentPrivate-sector jobs in the third month of each quarter | Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages | 856,001 | 2026-Q1 | 2019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published |
| EstablishmentsPrivate ownership | Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages | 54,918 | 2026-Q1 | 2019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published |
| Total wages in the quarterPrivate ownership | Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages | $54.6 billion | 2026-Q1 | 2019-Q1–2026-Q1 · 29 published |
| Annual payroll | County Business Patterns | $150 billion | 2023 | 2017–2023 · 7 published |
| EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12 | County Business Patterns | 957,341 | 2023 | 2017–2023 · 7 published |
| Establishments | County Business Patterns | 20,321 | 2023 | 2017–2023 · 7 published |
| Annual payroll | Economic Census | $143 billion | 2022 | 2017–2022 · 2 published |
| EmploymentPaid employees in the pay period including March 12 | Economic Census | 1,118,487 | 2022 | 2017–2022 · 2 published |
| Establishments | Economic Census | 20,307 | 2022 | 2017–2022 · 2 published |
| Firms | Economic Census | 16,450 | 2022 | 2017–2022 · 2 published |
| Receipts (sales, shipments or revenue)All establishments, current dollars | Economic Census | $331 billion | 2022 | 2017–2022 · 2 published |
Breakdown
Industries within Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
| NAICS | Industry | Size | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 541713 | Research and Development in Nanotechnology | $44.5 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census | 21,1722026-Q1 · QCEW |
| 541714 | Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) | $91.0 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census | 280,2632026-Q1 · QCEW |
| 541715 | Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) | $196 billionReceipts · 2022 · Economic Census | 554,5662026-Q1 · QCEW |
Sources
Where every number comes from
- Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work). Terms.
- County Business Patterns, U.S. Census Bureau. Annual. Public domain (U.S. Government work). Terms.
- Economic Census, U.S. Census Bureau. Every five years (2017, 2022). Public domain (U.S. Government work). Terms.
Figures are in current dollars and are the agencies’ own, revised when they revise. Each program defines its universe differently (employer firms, private ownership, all establishments), so figures from different sources are not meant to add up. This page is not endorsed by the Census Bureau, BEA or BLS. The same data is in the Palanor API (/v1/industries) and the MCP (palanor_get_industry). All industries.