Return
on Equity by Sector (US)Data Used: Multiple data services
Date of Analysis: Data used is as of January 2026
Download as an excel file instead: https://www.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/pc/datasets/roe.xls
For global datasets: https://www.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/data.html
can be obtained by clicking here
on
which companies are included in each industry
| Industry Name | Number of firms | ROE (unadjusted) | ROE (adjusted for R&D) |
| Advertising | 52 | -1.34% | -0.50% |
| Aerospace/Defense | 79 | 15.27% | 11.32% |
| Air Transport | 23 | 14.19% | 13.44% |
| Apparel | 35 | 10.42% | 10.37% |
| Auto & Truck | 33 | 3.16% | 2.55% |
| Auto Parts | 35 | 2.17% | 1.83% |
| Bank (Money Center) | 15 | 12.86% | 12.86% |
| Banks (Regional) | 568 | 9.75% | 9.75% |
| Beverage (Alcoholic) | 14 | 0.57% | 0.57% |
| Beverage (Soft) | 27 | 30.92% | 29.92% |
| Broadcasting | 24 | 3.99% | 3.99% |
| Brokerage & Investment Banking | 32 | 17.77% | 17.61% |
| Building Materials | 41 | 16.00% | 14.90% |
| Business & Consumer Services | 155 | 18.20% | 16.82% |
| Cable TV | 9 | 11.06% | 10.95% |
| Chemical (Basic) | 29 | -8.29% | -7.82% |
| Chemical (Diversified) | 4 | -15.30% | -13.09% |
| Chemical (Specialty) | 59 | 3.50% | 3.25% |
| Coal & Related Energy | 16 | -2.51% | -2.52% |
| Computer Services | 64 | 18.25% | 14.61% |
| Computers/Peripherals | 36 | -0.17% | 48.43% |
| Construction Supplies | 40 | 22.86% | 19.68% |
| Diversified | 20 | 11.37% | 11.23% |
| Drugs (Biotechnology) | 496 | -5.67% | -2.21% |
| Drugs (Pharmaceutical) | 228 | 24.04% | 11.38% |
| Education | 32 | 15.90% | 13.46% |
| Electrical Equipment | 112 | 1.53% | 1.56% |
| Electronics (Consumer & Office) | 8 | -28.81% | -12.73% |
| Electronics (General) | 114 | 12.62% | 10.28% |
| Engineering/Construction | 48 | 26.14% | 26.01% |
| Entertainment | 92 | 6.09% | 5.58% |
| Environmental & Waste Services | 53 | 19.74% | 19.15% |
| Farming/Agriculture | 35 | 12.04% | 10.55% |
| Financial Svcs. (Non-bank & Insurance) | 176 | 28.82% | 26.81% |
| Food Processing | 78 | 4.60% | 4.43% |
| Food Wholesalers | 13 | 18.22% | 18.22% |
| Furn/Home Furnishings | 27 | 3.11% | 2.49% |
| Green & Renewable Energy | 15 | -7.36% | -7.35% |
| Healthcare Products | 204 | 11.26% | 9.37% |
| Healthcare Support Services | 104 | 9.89% | 9.87% |
| Heathcare Information and Technology | 115 | 6.40% | 5.46% |
| Homebuilding | 30 | 14.23% | 14.23% |
| Hospitals/Healthcare Facilities | 31 | 50.84% | 50.25% |
| Hotel/Gaming | 63 | 45.38% | 33.77% |
| Household Products | 110 | 27.02% | 23.80% |
| Information Services | 15 | 14.95% | 13.12% |
| Insurance (General) | 21 | 19.07% | 18.90% |
| Insurance (Life) | 20 | 12.87% | 12.87% |
| Insurance (Prop/Cas.) | 57 | 18.71% | 18.71% |
| Investments & Asset Management | 283 | 15.88% | 15.77% |
| Machinery | 105 | 16.42% | 15.11% |
| Metals & Mining | 73 | 17.79% | 17.62% |
| Office Equipment & Services | 14 | 13.23% | 10.86% |
| Oil/Gas (Integrated) | 4 | 9.96% | 9.88% |
| Oil/Gas (Production and Exploration) | 142 | 12.21% | 12.07% |
| Oil/Gas Distribution | 23 | 18.03% | 18.03% |
| Oilfield Svcs/Equip. | 97 | 8.65% | 8.23% |
| Packaging & Container | 19 | 12.29% | 11.80% |
| Paper/Forest Products | 6 | 7.01% | 7.05% |
| Power | 46 | 12.40% | 12.37% |
| Precious Metals | 56 | 23.52% | 23.17% |
| Publishing & Newspapers | 19 | 13.83% | 13.01% |
| R.E.I.T. | 190 | 5.04% | 5.04% |
| Real Estate (Development) | 14 | 5.06% | 5.06% |
| Real Estate (General/Diversified) | 12 | 10.77% | 10.77% |
| Real Estate (Operations & Services) | 54 | 3.30% | 3.18% |
| Recreation | 49 | -12.76% | -10.38% |
| Reinsurance | 1 | 7.79% | 7.79% |
| Restaurant/Dining | 64 | 0.10% | 0.10% |
| Retail (Automotive) | 34 | 34.38% | 34.32% |
| Retail (Building Supply) | 14 | NA | NA |
| Retail (Distributors) | 62 | 18.33% | 18.30% |
| Retail (General) | 23 | 26.05% | 17.18% |
| Retail (Grocery and Food) | 15 | 12.90% | 11.00% |
| Retail (REITs) | 26 | 6.36% | 6.36% |
| Retail (Special Lines) | 94 | 30.12% | 29.67% |
| Rubber& Tires | 3 | -36.41% | -28.92% |
| Semiconductor | 66 | 31.36% | 22.33% |
| Semiconductor Equip | 31 | 35.78% | 24.08% |
| Shipbuilding & Marine | 8 | 10.15% | 10.15% |
| Shoe | 11 | 19.49% | 19.28% |
| Software (Entertainment) | 77 | 36.51% | 24.03% |
| Software (Internet) | 29 | -1.47% | 0.03% |
| Software (System & Application) | 309 | 29.62% | 20.21% |
| Steel | 19 | 3.68% | 3.68% |
| Telecom (Wireless) | 12 | 16.06% | 16.04% |
| Telecom. Equipment | 57 | 24.96% | 16.19% |
| Telecom. Services | 39 | 19.82% | 19.47% |
| Tobacco | 10 | NA | NA |
| Transportation | 19 | 36.58% | 31.75% |
| Transportation (Railroads) | 4 | 29.07% | 29.07% |
| Trucking | 26 | 7.60% | 7.52% |
| Utility (General) | 14 | 10.42% | 10.42% |
| Utility (Water) | 14 | 10.28% | 10.27% |
| Total Market | 5994 | 17.21% | 14.71% |
| Total Market (without financials) | 4822 | 17.60% | 14.44% |