The REIT Industry
A REIT, or Real Estate Investment Trust, is a company that owns, operates or finances income-producing
real estate or real estate-related projects. Established by Congress in 1960 and modeled after mutual funds,
REITs provide an investment opportunity for everyday Americans to buy into real estate and real-estate
related projects that would otherwise be dominated by Wall Street, banks or hedge funds. REITs are an effective
way to raise the capital needed to help finance projects that revitalize neighborhoods, enable the digital
economy, power community essential services, and build the infrastructure of tomorrow, while creating American
jobs and economic activity along the way.
*Past performance does not guarantee future results. Information should not be construed as investment
advice and is for informational purposes only.
Quick Stats
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145 million Americans invest in real estate through REITs, accessing them through mutual funds and ETFs in their 401(k)s and IRAs, through pension plans, or by buying stock directly in a REIT.
Americans benefit from the reliable dividends REITs provide. In 2020, REITs returned $88.8B in dividends.
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.
In
2020, REITs invested $85.3 billion in new construction and routine capital expenditures to maintain existing
property.
REITs own $3.5 trillion in real estate in 13 sectors, including infrastructure, health care, office, industrial, data centers, retail, residential, self- and refrigerated storage, lodging, timberlands, and more - representing more than 503,000 properties in every corner of across the U.S.
REITs can help increase the capital available for important infrastructure, cleaner energy and jobs.