Research

The digital economy contributes critical resources to U.S. jobs, growth, and trade. Overall, American creative communities supplied the economy with 5.7 million jobs, $1.5 trillion in economic growth, and $218.7 billion in copyright sales overseas. In 2018, the U.S. digital services trade surplus for the licensing of intellectual property (IP) was valued at $80 billion, leading virtually every other category of U.S. digital services trade. By the same token, U.S. digital services trade exports for IP licensing reached $128 billion, outpacing nearly every other sector, including financial, telecommunication and computer information, transportation, and insurance services.