AI Adoption Statistics by Industry: How Many Businesses Use AI in 2026?

Census data on AI adoption rates reveal that usage has increased quite a bit over the last three years.

By Lyle Daly – Updated Oct 19, 2026 at 8:29 PM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

U.S. business AI adoption reached 24% in 2026, an increase from less than 4% in 2023.
The information sector leads AI adoption at 50%, with professional services at 43%.
AI usage varies by business size; the smallest firms (1-4 employees) report a 24% adoption rate.

The Census Bureau reported that 23.8% of U.S. businesses used AI in September 2026, up from 3.7% in September 2023, when it started tracking AI adoption by industry.

Even though it may seem like businesses everywhere are integrating AI into their operations, the reality is more complicated. AI adoption is growing overall, but it's also shifting across industries, sizes, and locations.

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U.S. business AI adoption reached 24% in September 2026, up from under 4% in 2023

In the September 2026 Census Bureau survey, 24% of businesses reported using AI, and 28% expected to use it in the next six months. Fewer than 4% of businesses reported using AI in the Census Bureau's September 2023 survey, its first on AI adoption.

Here are more details on companies using AI nationwide:

AI adoption is steadily rising. Although the numbers fluctuate between survey periods, usage and projected usage numbers have grown significantly over the last three years.
Use cases are still somewhat narrow. The national measure of AI usage includes companies across the entire economy, including sectors with relatively few AI applications, such as agriculture, accommodation and food, and transportation. Low usage in those sectors pulls down the overall rate.

It's worth noting that the U.S. Census Bureau adjusted its survey wording in mid-2025, asking businesses whether they used AI in "any business function" rather than "to produce goods and services." The jump in usage and projected usage around that time period is likely due to the change in wording.

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The information sector leads AI adoption by industry at 50%, ahead of professional services at 43%

The information sector has the highest AI usage at 50%. This makes sense, considering companies in this sector are likely to be early adopters of new technology, and many major tech companies are also AI companies. Professional services companies are close behind at 43%, and finance ranks third at 40%.

Industries with the lowest AI adoption are agriculture (10%), accommodation and food (10%), and transportation (11%).

Some industries have seen their AI adoption rates ebb and flow, with construction being a notable recent example. AI adoption in construction declined from the start of the year through May 2026, with only 10% of construction companies reporting AI use. That rose to 17% in September 2026, and construction is no longer among the bottom five industries for AI usage.

Although AI started out handling more white-collar job duties, its role in the workplace is expanding. In addition to construction, there's also growing use of AI in manufacturing, with 21% of companies in this sector having adopted AI.

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The smallest businesses use AI at 24%, ahead of firms with 5-19 employees

Businesses with one to four employees have an AI usage rate of 24%, outperforming businesses in the five-to-nine and 10-to-19 employee bands, both at 22%.

However, business size still correlates positively with AI usage, with the largest firms having the highest adoption rates. Among companies with 250 or more employees, 37% reported using AI. Businesses with 100 to 249 employees closely followed at 36%.

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DC leads state AI adoption at 44%, ahead of Utah at 35%

Washington, D.C., has the highest AI adoption rate at 44%, followed by Utah at 35% and Arizona at 30%. The metro area with the highest AI usage is Phoenix at 32%, followed by the Minneapolis-St. Paul area (32%) and the Tampa metro area (31%).

The bottom states/territories in terms of how many people use AI are Puerto Rico (12%), Mississippi (13%), and North Dakota (15%). The metro areas with the lowest AI usage are Riverside-San Bernardino and New York-Newark, both at 19%.

Geographic rankings of AI usage change frequently, although some areas have maintained their positions. Washington D.C. was No. 1 in March, but Delaware ranked second. Phoenix was the top metro area in March, followed by Denver in second and Portland in third.

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Writing and editing are the dominant AI tasks -- 84%–92% of employees using generative AI apply it to documents and communications

Businesses have widely adopted AI in their written content, with an estimated 84% to 92% using it for writing and editing. Usage varies for other tasks:

Searching and summarizing are also popular uses of AI. Between 48% and 57% of businesses use AI to search for information. Another 43%-60% use it to interpret and summarize documents.
The next wave could be sales, marketing, and business development. Among firms planning to adopt AI, 54% to 68% plan to use it for sales and marketing, and 53% to 59% for strategy and business development.
AI hasn't caught on for the production of goods or distribution. Usage rates for both were under 9%.

Perhaps surprisingly, only a small portion of businesses (10% to 17%) use AI for coding.

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63% of non-adopters say AI simply doesn't apply to their business -- cost ranks last among major barriers

AI adoption is primarily a matter of relevance, not cost. The barriers cited by non-adopters make that clear:

The majority believed AI didn't apply to their business. Between 42% and 63% of non-adopters cited this reason, with the exact percentage depending on business size.
About 1 in 5 mentioned lack of knowledge or security concerns. Approximately 21% of non-adopters cited a lack of knowledge about AI capabilities, and approximately 20% cited privacy or security concerns.
Cost wasn't a major obstacle for most business owners. Only about 7% of non-adopters considered cost one of their AI adoption challenges. Costs are also dropping, thanks to AI infrastructure investments. The cost of AI models decreased by 95% from 2023 to 2026, according to research from Goldman Sachs (GS -1.48%).

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AI adoption continues to accelerate

More and more U.S. businesses report using AI, but growth isn't evenly distributed across industries and geographic areas. Certain sectors have picked up the pace with AI adoption, and so have the largest businesses. The states and metro areas leading in AI usage have also changed multiple times since the Census Bureau started tracking this data.

The AI industry itself is fast-moving. Shifting trends with AI business adoption provide insight into where the industry is going, making them worth monitoring for investors, particularly those with a sizable allocation to companies involved in the AI build-out, including semiconductor stocks, memory companies, and hyperscalers.

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About the Author

Lyle Daly is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering information technology and cryptocurrency. Lyle has been a contributor at the financial services company since 2018. His work has been featured on USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, Fox Business, and Nasdaq. Before joining The Motley Fool, he wrote for financial brands including Intuit.

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@LyleDaly

Lyle Daly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Oracle. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

AI Adoption Statistics by Industry: How Many Businesses Use AI in 2026?

Census data on AI adoption rates reveal that usage has increased quite a bit over the last three years.

Key Points

U.S. business AI adoption reached 24% in September 2026, up from under 4% in 2023

The information sector leads AI adoption by industry at 50%, ahead of professional services at 43%

The smallest businesses use AI at 24%, ahead of firms with 5-19 employees

DC leads state AI adoption at 44%, ahead of Utah at 35%

Writing and editing are the dominant AI tasks -- 84%–92% of employees using generative AI apply it to documents and communications

63% of non-adopters say AI simply doesn't apply to their business -- cost ranks last among major barriers

AI adoption continues to accelerate

About the Author

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Writing and editing are the dominant AI tasks -- 84%–92% of employees using generative AI apply it to documents and communications

63% of non-adopters say AI simply doesn't apply to their business -- cost ranks last among major barriers

AI adoption continues to accelerate