Business segment data (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Schedule of revenues and earnings or loss before income taxes by segment

Our operating businesses include a large and diverse group of insurance, manufacturing, service and retailing businesses. We organize our reportable business segments in a manner that reflects how management views those business activities. Certain businesses are grouped together for segment reporting based upon similar products or product lines and marketing, selling and distribution characteristics, even though those business units are operated under separate local management. Revenues and earnings before income taxes by segment for the third quarter and first nine months of 2021 and 2020 were as follows (in millions).

	Third Quarter						First Nine Months
	2021			2020			2021			2020
Revenues of Operating Businesses
Insurance:
Underwriting:
GEICO	$	9,604		$	8,540		$	28,073		$	26,689
Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group		2,964			2,490			8,373			7,103
Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group		5,159			4,883			14,868			13,464
Investment income		1,339			1,223			4,212			4,486
Total insurance		19,066			17,136			55,526			51,742
BNSF		5,790			5,176			17,000			15,195
Berkshire Hathaway Energy		7,013			6,226			19,022			15,392
Manufacturing		17,496			15,170			50,821			43,238
McLane Company		12,612			12,040			36,529			35,079
Service and retailing		8,679			7,279			25,614			20,272
		70,656			63,027			204,512			180,918
Reconciliation of segments to consolidated amount
Corporate, eliminations and other		(73	)		(3	)		(216	)		211
	$	70,583		$	63,024		$	204,296		$	181,129

	Third Quarter						First Nine Months
	2021			2020			2021			2020
Earnings Before Income Taxes of Operating Businesses
Insurance:
Underwriting:
GEICO	$	(289	)	$	276		$	1,360		$	3,320
Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group		(23	)		(126	)		349			(63	)
Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group		(708	)		(441	)		(1,298	)		(2,033	)
Investment income		1,337			1,220			4,205			4,480
Total insurance		317			929			4,616			5,704
BNSF		2,029			1,777			5,667			4,855
Berkshire Hathaway Energy		1,375			1,122			2,797			2,074
Manufacturing		2,445			2,255			7,595			5,765
McLane Company		(8	)		96			179			205
Service and retailing		1,110			779			3,234			1,745
		7,268			6,958			24,088			20,348
Reconciliation of segments to consolidated amount
Investment and derivative gains		4,921			31,582			38,015			1,392
Interest expense, not allocated to segments		(128	)		(116	)		(386	)		(363	)
Equity method investments		377			290			775			333
Goodwill and intangible impairments		—			(25	)		—			(10,659	)
Corporate, eliminations and other		46			(759	)		241			(761	)
	$	12,484		$	37,930		$	62,733		$	10,290