Federal outlays reached 4.4 trillion dollars. Government consumption and gross investment accounted for 8.2 percent of GDP. Online purchases occurred among 72.7 percent of consumers while households directed substantial sums to housing.
Key Takeaways
- 8.2% of US GDP in 2023 is total government consumption expenditure and gross investment (general government, current prices), i.e., the share of US economic activity from government spending
- $4.4 trillion US federal outlays in FY2023 are total spending by the US federal government
- $1.1 trillion net interest outlays for the US federal government in FY2023 are interest payments on the national debt
- $2,429.1 billion in US retail sales in 2023 (monthly sales series annualized) measures total US retail spending
- $204.3 billion US fast-food industry revenue in 2023 measures consumer spending at fast-food restaurants
- 72.7% of US consumers bought at least one item online in 2023, reflecting the penetration of online purchasing
- $37.9 billion US software spending in 2024 is the market value of the US software sector (software and cloud software combined)
- $1.1 trillion global spending on cloud end-user computing in 2024 indicates enterprise/user IT spending direction relevant to American enterprises
- $1.12 trillion in global enterprise IT spending in 2024 is a market estimate covering IT purchases by enterprises (context for US share)
- $3.5 trillion US business investment in 2023 (nonresidential fixed investment) measures total spending by businesses on plant and equipment
- $105.0 billion US clean energy investment in 2023 (private and public) indicates spending directed to clean energy
- $263.2 billion US construction spending in 2023 (total construction) measures nationwide building and construction expenditures
- $44.6 billion US newspaper advertising revenue in 2023 measures print ad market spend
- 58% of US marketers increased their spend on marketing technology in 2023, measuring adoption of martech investment
- $16.7 billion US influencer marketing spend in 2023 measures brand payments to influencers
In 2023, US federal outlays totaled $4.4 trillion with Medicaid and interest among major shares, while government, tech, and energy investment drove demand.
Related reading
01 · Category
Budget & Government9 stats
01
8.2% of US GDP in 2023 is total government consumption expenditure and gross investment (general government, current prices), i.e., the share of US economic activity from government spending
02
$4.4 trillion US federal outlays in FY2023 are total spending by the US federal government
03
$1.1 trillion net interest outlays for the US federal government in FY2023 are interest payments on the national debt
04
19.2% of total US federal outlays in FY2023 went to Medicaid and CHIP (including related payments), reflecting the share of federal spending for health programs
05
42% of US federal discretionary spending in FY2023 was for defense, indicating the share of discretionary outlays devoted to defense programs
06
31.5% of US households received means-tested benefits in 2023, measuring the share of households getting certain federal assistance
07
$88.0 billion in US federal R&D funding in FY2022 is total federal research and development outlays (R&D), a key spending category
08
$180.8 billion in US federal infrastructure spending is the amount directed to infrastructure initiatives in FY2023 (BIL + IRA + other related programs aggregation as tracked by the CRS infrastructure report set)
09
$1.9 trillion in US federal student aid spending for FY2023 is total federal student aid outlays
Interpretation
Budget & Government Interpretation
In the Budget and Government landscape, the federal government spent $4.4 trillion in FY2023 with net interest alone at $1.1 trillion, while Medicaid and CHIP accounted for 19.2% of outlays and defense made up 42% of discretionary spending.
02 · Category
Consumer Spending4 stats
01
$2,429.1 billion in US retail sales in 2023 (monthly sales series annualized) measures total US retail spending
02
$204.3 billion US fast-food industry revenue in 2023 measures consumer spending at fast-food restaurants
03
72.7% of US consumers bought at least one item online in 2023, reflecting the penetration of online purchasing
04
$978.9 billion US household spending on housing in 2023 (expenditures category) measures spending on housing-related goods/services
Interpretation
Consumer Spending Interpretation
Consumer spending in the US is broad and substantial, with $2,429.1 billion in annualized 2023 retail sales and $978.9 billion on housing, while deep online adoption is clear as 72.7% of consumers bought at least one item online in 2023.
03 · Category
Enterprise It & Software10 stats
01
$37.9 billion US software spending in 2024 is the market value of the US software sector (software and cloud software combined)
02
$1.1 trillion global spending on cloud end-user computing in 2024 indicates enterprise/user IT spending direction relevant to American enterprises
03
$1.12 trillion in global enterprise IT spending in 2024 is a market estimate covering IT purchases by enterprises (context for US share)
04
12.8% of US enterprise IT budgets in 2024 are allocated to security spending, measuring the share directed to cybersecurity
05
$186.6 billion US cybersecurity spending in 2023 measures total US spending on cybersecurity products and services
06
$591 billion global public cloud services market size in 2023 indicates the scale of cloud services spending that US enterprises are part of
07
8.7% compound annual growth (CAGR) for US SaaS spending from 2023 to 2028, measuring expected growth in the SaaS segment
08
$416.8 billion US IT spending in 2024 (IT market) measures total US spending on IT products and services
09
$1.0 trillion in global IT spending on AI in 2024 is the estimated amount enterprises will spend on AI technologies
10
55% of enterprise data is expected to be generated by edge devices by 2025, measuring spending drivers for edge infrastructure
Interpretation
Enterprise It & Software Interpretation
In the Enterprise IT and Software space, the US market is already backing software and cloud expansion with $37.9 billion in 2024 software spending while enterprises simultaneously prioritize cybersecurity, with 12.8% of 2024 IT budgets going to security and US cybersecurity spending reaching $186.6 billion in 2023.
04 · Category
Industry & Capex3 stats
01
$3.5 trillion US business investment in 2023 (nonresidential fixed investment) measures total spending by businesses on plant and equipment
02
$105.0 billion US clean energy investment in 2023 (private and public) indicates spending directed to clean energy
03
$263.2 billion US construction spending in 2023 (total construction) measures nationwide building and construction expenditures
Interpretation
Industry & Capex Interpretation
In the Industry and Capex category, the US economy spent $3.5 trillion on nonresidential plant and equipment in 2023 while adding $105.0 billion toward clean energy and $263.2 billion on construction, showing both broad industrial investment and a meaningful but smaller dedicated shift into cleaner projects.
More related reading
05 · Category
Marketing & Media4 stats
01
$44.6 billion US newspaper advertising revenue in 2023 measures print ad market spend
02
58% of US marketers increased their spend on marketing technology in 2023, measuring adoption of martech investment
03
$16.7 billion US influencer marketing spend in 2023 measures brand payments to influencers
04
$48.0 billion US public relations (PR) industry revenue in 2023 measures spending on communications and PR services
Interpretation
Marketing & Media Interpretation
In 2023, Marketing and Media spending was clearly shifting toward modern channels and services, with $44.6 billion in US newspaper advertising revenue alongside rapid martech investment growth as 58% of marketers increased marketing technology spend.
06 · Category
Business & Investment2 stats
01
$0.5 trillion in US structures investment in 2023 measures business spending on buildings and other structures.
02
7.4% of US business revenues were spent on R&D in 2022 (median across Compustat firms per NSF HERD survey analysis in related research), indicating R&D intensity tied to spending behavior.
Interpretation
Business & Investment Interpretation
In the Business and Investment category, US structures investment reached $0.5 trillion in 2023 and businesses devoted 7.4% of revenues to R&D in 2022, showing strong spending on both physical capacity and innovation.
07 · Category
Consumer & Retail1 stats
01
15.0% of total retail sales were e-commerce sales in Q4 2024, measuring the share of retail transactions conducted online.
Interpretation
Consumer & Retail Interpretation
For the Consumer and Retail angle, e-commerce accounted for 15.0% of total retail sales in Q4 2024, showing that a significant and growing share of spending is shifting online.
08 · Category
Infrastructure & Housing1 stats
01
$2.4 trillion in US gross domestic energy investment (private and public) in 2024 measures total spending directed to energy supply, production, and supporting infrastructure.
Interpretation
Infrastructure & Housing Interpretation
With $2.4 trillion in US gross domestic energy investment in 2024, American Infrastructure and Housing is being driven by large-scale energy supply funding that supports how communities build and sustain essential infrastructure.
report visual · Breakdown
Where Federal Spending Goes
Key shares of US federal outlays point to major program and priority areas (health programs and defense within the discretionary budget).
42%
42% of US federal discretionary spending in FY2023 was for defense, indicating the share of discretionary outlays devote
58%
58% of US marketers increased their spend on marketing technology in 2023, measuring adoption of martech investment
source-verifiedcbo.gov · salesforce.com2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). American Spending Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/american-spending-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "American Spending Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/american-spending-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "American Spending Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/american-spending-statistics.
Sources & references
34 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)