According to data from the NSF, in 2016, US companies spent $375 billion on R&D performance, an increase of 5.3%. The majority of R&D went towards applied research, totaling $61.0 billion, up 8.1%. Basic research spending jumped 13.1% to $24.6 billion in 2016, and general development grew 4.1% to $289.0 billion, making up the majority, or 77%, of total R&D spending. Companies’ internal sources of funding increased 7.1% to $318 billion, while funding from other sources was $57 billion in 2016, a 3.7% drop.

The chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries spent $73.6 billion and $64.6 billion on R&D in 2016, respectively, while professional, scientific and technical services’ R&D performance spending totaled $37.3 billion. Within that industry category, scientific R&D services totaled $66.6 billion.

Micro-, small- and medium-sized companies, defined as organizations with between 5 and 249 domestic employees, conducted 11% of total US R&D in 2016, with an R&D-to-sales ratio, or R&D intensity, of 7.8%. In terms of sales, these companies represented 6% of all sales and staffed 9% of the 19.3 million employees that worked for R&D companies that perform or fund R&D. Large companies, defined as firms with 250 to 24,999 domestic employees, unsurprisingly, performed the vast majority of total US R&D in 2016 at 53%, with an R&D intensity of 4.4%. These companies represented 49% of sales and staffed 46% of workers at R&D performing or R&D funding organizations.

In regards to capital expenditures, the chemicals industry spent $40.6 billion in 2016, while the pharmaceuticals and medicines industry had expenditures of $16.6 billion. For professional, scientific and technical services, 2016 capital expenditures reached $19.5 billion, with scientific R&D services spending $1.6 billion of that figure.

Source: NSF