Corporate profits rise while infrastructure spending is flat: After-tax corporate profits versus federal infrastructure spending, as a share of GDP, 1956–2015

Fiscal Year After-tax corporate profits Infrastructure spending
1956 6.2% 2.5%
1957 5.8% 2.7%
1958 5.2% 2.9%
1959 6.1% 3.0%
1960 5.9% 2.9%
1961 5.9% 3.0%
1962 6.6% 2.9%
1963 6.9% 3.0%
1964 7.2% 2.9%
1965 7.8% 2.8%
1966 7.6% 2.8%
1967 7.1% 2.8%
1968 6.6% 2.7%
1969 5.7% 2.6%
1970 4.8% 2.7%
1971 5.4% 2.8%
1972 5.8% 2.8%
1973 5.8% 2.6%
1974 4.7% 2.5%
1975 5.2% 2.8%
1976 5.8% 2.7%
1977 6.3% 2.6%
1978 6.5% 2.5%
1979 6.0% 2.6%
1980 4.8% 2.7%
1981 5.1% 2.7%
1982 4.9% 2.5%
1983 5.5% 2.5%
1984 5.9% 2.4%
1985 5.9% 2.4%
1986 4.7% 2.5%
1987 4.8% 2.5%
1988 5.2% 2.5%
1989 4.7% 2.5%
1990 4.5% 2.5%
1991 5.1% 2.5%
1992 5.0% 2.5%
1993 5.1% 2.5%
1994 5.9% 2.5%
1995 6.3% 2.5%
1996 6.8% 2.4%
1997 7.2% 2.4%
1998 6.1% 2.4%
1999 5.9% 2.4%
2000 5.0% 2.4%
2001 5.2% 2.5%
2002 6.5% 2.5%
2003 7.1% 2.5%
2004 8.0% 2.4%
2005 8.1% 2.4%
2006 8.5% 2.4%
2007 7.5% 2.5%
2008 6.6% 2.5%
2009 7.8% 2.7%
2010 9.2% 2.7%
2011 9.3% 2.6%
2012 9.6% 2.5%
2013 9.4% 2.4%
2014 9.3% 2.4%
2015 8.5% 2.4%

Source: ATF and EPI analysis of BEA (2016) and CBO (2015a, Exhibit 3)

View the underlying data on epi.org.