Fixed investment is divided into two major categories: nonresidential and residential. Each of these subcategories is then further divided into structures and producers' durable equipment.

• The nonresidential category is just under 70 percent of gross private domestic investment and just over 70 percent of fixed investment. This subcategory includes structures (buildings, pipelines, oil wells) and producers' durable equipment (computers, machinery, vehicles). Structures are about one-fourth of nonresidential fixed investment and producers' durable equipment is about three-fourths.


• The residential category primarily includes houses and apartments, and comes in at just under 30 percent of both fixed investment and gross private domestic investment. Like nonresidential fixed investment, residential fixed investment is divided into structures and producers' durable equipment. Structures are separated into single family (houses) and multifamily (apartments).

  Of some importance, single family structures can be owned by either a business or an individual. In other words, the production of an owner-occupied house is included as gross private domestic investment in the National Income and Product Accounts. This is the only notable purchase made by the household sector that is not included in personal consumption expenditures. Structures are about 98 percent of this residential category and producers' durable equipment is the remaining 2 percent.