EMBARGOED UNTIL: 12:01 A.M. EST, JANUARY 31, 2001 (WEDNESDAY)
Public Information Office CB01-19
301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax)
301-457-1037 (TDD)
e-mail: pio@census.gov
Michael Armah/Jeff Barnett
301-457-2787
Information Sector's Annual Revenues Near
$776 Billion, Census Bureau Reports
The Commerce Department's Census Bureau reported today that the
economy's information sector increased total revenues by 12 percent in
1999, from $695 billion in 1998 to $776 billion.
The tabulations for both employer and nonemployer firms, released on the
Internet, show increased revenues (up 59 percent, to $24 billion) for the
information services industry group, which includes news syndicates,
libraries and archives, and other information services.
The overwhelming majority of the information sector's revenues in
1999 -- 99 percent, or $768 -- billion were recorded by employer firms
(establishments with paid employees). These firms had $689 billion in
revenues for 1998.
Highlights for selected industry groups, employer firms only, for
1998 to 1999:
Information and Data Processing Services
-- Revenues from online information services increased 66 percent to
$18 billion, led by Internet access fees, which approached $9 billion,
an increase of 63 percent.
-- Revenues from data processing services increased 14 percent, to
$37 billion. Transaction-processing revenue, the largest component
of data processing services, increased 14 percent, to $22 billion.
Publishing Industry
-- Publishing industry revenue showed an increase of 9 percent, to
$220 billion; advertising revenue for newspaper publishing was up
8 percent, to $36 billion.
-- Software publishing accounted for 37 percent of the publishing
industry's revenues and showed a growth of 12 percent, to
$81 billion.
Cable Networks and Program Distribution
-- Revenue for cable network and program distribution gained 15 percent,
to $60 billion, with advertising revenue increasing 22 percent, to
$10 billion. Expenses increased 17 percent, to $53 billion.
-- Cable network revenue increased 18 percent, to $18 billion; expenses
increased 15 percent, to $13 billion.
-- Cable-program distribution revenue increased 13 percent, to
$42 billion, with basic service revenue increasing 14 percent,
to $27 billion. Expenses increased 18 percent, to $40 billion.
Radio and Television Broadcasting
-- Revenue from radio and television broadcasting services increased
8 percent, to $47 billion. Expenses increased 11 percent, to
$37 billion.
Telecommunications
-- Revenues from cellular and other wireless telecommunications, except
paging, showed strong growth, increasing 30 percent, to $46 billion.
Motion Picture and Sound Recording
-- Motion picture and video production revenues increased 7 percent,
to $51 billion; sound recording revenue increased 10 percent, to
$12 billion.
The information sector's estimates are the second of six sectors being
released as part of the 1999 Service Annual Survey report. This sector
includes revenues for the publishing industries, including software
publishers, motion picture and sound recording, broadcasting and
telecommunications, and information services and data processing services.
Subsequent survey reports will cover the health sector, selected financial
industries, trucking and warehousing, and computer services.
This is the first year the Service Annual Survey uses the North American
Industry Classification System.
The data are subject to sampling variability and nonsampling errors.
Sources of nonsampling error include errors of response, nonreporting and
coverage. Measures of sampling variability, presented as relative standard
errors, are shown in the tables.
available free from Adobe.
