The service sector of the U.S. economy is divided into many subsectors, one of which is the Rental and Leasing Services sector, designated in the North American Classification System with the number 532. This subsector covers activities as diverse as car rental firms, the leasing of office equipment, and the rental of formal wear and costumes. Today’s market size post looks at the last of these items, the business of renting formal wear and costumes, which has held its own over time but has not kept up with the growth of the economy generally.

The graph shows revenue for businesses engaged in renting formal wear and costumes from 1997 through 2010 and by way of comparison, the gross domestic product is presented on the graph as a line.

Geographic reference: United States
Year: 2010
Market size: $899 million
Source: “Table 5.1. Real Estate and Rental Leasing Services (NAICS 53)—Estimated Revenue for Employer Firms: 2002 Through 2010,” February 2, 2012, one of the tables in the 2012 Service Annual Survey, available from the Census Bureau website here. Data used in the graph come from earlier editions (2003) of the Service Annual Survey, available from the Census website here.
Original source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census
Posted on December 5, 2012