US Information Sector NAICS 51
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Industry Summary
The 161,000 establishments in the US information sector produce, manage, and distribute information, including news, entertainment, cultural programming, and data. The sector includes industries that provide the infrastructure and systems to transmit and distribute content, data, and communications, as well as those that allow customers to search for, store, and process data.
Fads and Trends
Success in the media and publishing industries is largely dependent on consumer acceptance, which is subject to fads and trends.
Evolving Technology
The information sector relies on rapidly evolving technology that can fundamentally change the dynamics of individual industries.
Recent Developments
Aug 4, 2025 - Corporation for Public Broadcasting Announces Shutdown
- The nonprofit Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the conduit for federal funds to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, announced that it is winding down its operations. President Trump has signed a law clawing back $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting through fiscal year 2027. The cuts to public broadcasting were part of a $9 billion rescissions package requested by the White House that also included cuts to foreign aid. CPB informed employees that the majority of staff positions will be eliminated with the close of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025.
- Streaming has surpassed broadcast and cable as a share of total television viewing, according to audience measurement firm Nielsen. Streaming accounted for 44.8% of viewership in May, while broadcast (20.1%) and cable (24.1%) together represented 44.2% of viewership. YouTube had four straight months of TV share increase through May, Nielsen said. The platform, owned by Google and its parent company, Alphabet, boasted the highest share of TV consumption among all streamers in May, with a 12.5% share. Netflix, Disney-owned platforms including ESPN and Hulu, Amazon's Prime Video, and the Roku Channel were also in the top five. The three largest FAST (free ad-supported) channels — Paramount's Pluto TV, the Roku Channel and Fox's Tubi — combined for 5.7% of total TV viewing in May, more than any individual broadcast network.
- The information sector is a leader in realizing a return on investment (ROI) from GenAI, according to payments and commerce analytics firm PYMNTS. About 57% of information firms report very positive ROI from their GenAI deployments, a higher rate than any other sector surveyed. Information sector firms are not just using off-the-shelf solutions but are actively customizing and developing proprietary large language models (LLMs) to meet their unique needs. Some 71% of information firms use GenAI for new content generation and 57% deploy it for automated cybersecurity systems. Information sector executives prioritize innovation and strategic insights as the top benefits of using AI, focusing on building new capabilities rather than just operational improvements, according to PYMNTS.
- The Producer Price Index for all information firms increased 1.72% year over year in July, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Information industry sales are forecast to grow at a 4.94% compounded annual rate from 2025 to 2029, faster than the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc.
Industry Revenue
US Information Sector
Industry Structure
Industry size & Structure
The information sector is comprised of 161,000 establishments that employ 3.6 million workers and generate $2.2 trillion in annual revenue, according to government sources.
- The information sector represents 5.4% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs 1.3% of the country's workers.
- The sector is concentrated at the top with the 20 largest firms representing 51% of revenue, but it is fragmented at the bottom.
- In addition to employer establishments, the information sector has 359,000 owner-operated establishments with no employees. Subsectors with the highest numbers of nonemployer establishments are motion picture and sound recording (38%); publishing (18%); and data processing, hosting, and related services (13%). The owners of nonemployer establishments typically perform the work and may outsource support functions like marketing and accounting.
- The information sector shed about 31,000 establishments in 2021, which equals about 11.4% of existing establishments, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the sector added about 54,000 new establishments, which is equivalent to 19.8% of existing establishments. As a result, the sector had a growth rate of 8.4%.
- The information sector is forecast to grow its employment base by 7.4% overall in 2021-2031, which is higher than the national average of 5.3% for all jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Industry Forecast
Industry Forecast
US Information Sector Industry Growth
Source: Vertical IQ and Inforum
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