REITs make key contributions the U.S. Economy, according to EY:

• U.S. REITs contributed the equivalent of an estimated 2.9 million full-time jobs to the economy in 2020 generating $197 billion of labor income.
• REIT activities resulted in the distribution of $88.8 billion of dividend income in 2020.
• REITs invested $85.2 billion in routine capital expenditures to maintain existing property and new construction in 2020.

Public REITs own 503,000 properties across the U.S. as of year-end 2020. Equity and mortgage REITs combined own roughly $2.5 trillion in gross real estate assets. Private REITs own an additional $1 trillion in gross assets bringing the total REIT ownership value to $3.5 trillion in the U.S. as of year-end 2020.

Listed REITs have year-end 2020 equity market capitalization around $1.2 trillion.