• Finding Data, in the Economic Census webpage User Guide, will help you understand what data are available and how it's organized.
  
  
• Using American FactFinder on the Economic Census webpage will help you find what you want in American FactFinder.
  

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The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is a method of grouping establishments into industries based on the similarity of their production processes. Find out more about:

• business classification structure;
• how classification codes are assigned to individual business establishments.
• finding a NAICS code.

If you need assistance with NAICS codes please call our toll-free number (1-888-756-2427).

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The United States Code, Title 13, regarding confidentiality, prohibits the Census Bureau from releasing company-specific information. However, you can find information on various companies from the following online sources:

• Thomas Register (http://www.thomasregister.com/ )
• Dunn and Bradstreet (http://www.dnb.com/US/ ) 

This page contains one or more links, denoted by this symbol , which are not part of the Census Bureau website and do not imply endorsement of any particular product, company, or content.

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The only geographic area types shown in the economic census are states, metro areas, counties, places (e.g., towns and cities) over a certain size threshold, and ZIP Codes.

Census 2000 is the only data set that provides employment by industry for tracts, block groups, townships, Indian reservations, Congressional Districts, and a variety of other specialized areas. Note that the data in Census 2000 are counts of residents of the block group employed in that industry. Economic census data are counts of persons who work in the specified area. (See the note on Census 2000 data by place of work under the next question.) Users should also recognize that economic census figures exclude most self-employed individuals and other "nonemployers".

Census 2000 detail in SF3 includes employment in each of the 18 NAICS sectors shown in the economic census, plus two more outside the scope of the economic census: agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting; and public administration. SF3 also includes some broader sector groupings not shown in the economic census. SF4 includes over 80 industry categories, typically corresponding to 3-digit NAICS, but with some quirky omissions. The SF3 and SF4 data are shown separately for males and females.

2002 Economic Census ZIP Code data included only 8 of the 18 sectors, and, include only counts of establishments by sales-size class. ZIP Code Business Patterns is another source of similar statistics by detailed industry.

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These are terms used in our economic census and survey activities. 

• Establishment:  A business or industrial unit at a single location that distributes goods or performs services.

  • It is not necessarily identical with a company or enterprise, which may consist of one or more establishments.

  • When two or more activities are carried on at a single location under a single ownership, all activities generally are grouped together as a single establishment. The entire establishment is classified on the basis of its major activity and all data are included in that classification.

• Firm:  A business organization or entity consisting of one domestic establishment (location) or more under common ownership or control. All establishments of subsidiary firms are included as part of the owning or controlling firm.

• Company:  For the economic census and other economic programs, the terms "firm" and "company" are synonymous.

Check the American FactFinder for a general glossary of census terms (on the top banner).

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 The Census Bureau issues a number of economic indicator reports that economists and policymakers watch to monitor the nation's economic well-being.

The Census Economic Briefing Rooms page contains links to all indicator reports. There are also release schedules for the reports on this page.  Our indicators include:

• Construction spending
• Durable goods, new orders
• Homeownership
• Housing starts
• Housing vacancy
• Manufacturers' new orders
• Manufacturers' profits
• Monthly retail sales 
• Monthly wholesale trade
• New home sales
• Quarterly services survey 
• Retail profits 
• Total business sales
• Trade balance

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Below are some common questions and answers with regard to the Quarterly Financial Report program.

1. Besides mailing the QFR form back, are there any other ways to report?
2. What is NAICS?
3. Are estimates acceptable?
4. I reported estimates last quarter. Do you want my book figures now?
5. What businesses are considered in-scope to the QFR survey?
6. What industry subsectors are covered in the QFR?
7. About how long will it take to complete the QFR form?
8. How is the privacy of my company protected?
9. How many corporations are in the QFR sample?
10. How do corporations get selected for this survey?
11. How far back are QFR data available?
12. How are corporations classified?
13. What levels of industry detail are published?
14. What levels of asset size detail are published?
15. What is the difference between seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted (or unadjusted) estimates?
16. What is sampling variation and how do I interpret it?
17. Why are QFR data for Retail Trade released later than the data for Manufacturing, Mining, Wholesale Trade, and Selected Services industries?
18. Why are QFR data released approximately 75 days after the due date in the first, second, and third quarters, and approximately 90 days after the fourth quarter due date?
19. Are QFR data comparable to other economic statistics?
20. Is this survey mandatory?
21. Who uses the data?
22. My firm is no longer in business. What should I do?
23. Why do you need to know if I own other companies or if another company owns my firm?
24. If I need another copy of the QFR form, how can I obtain one?
25. I'm a very small business. Why do you want information from me?
26. How can I obtain the published data?

1. Besides mailing the QFR form back, are there any other ways to report?
The easiest method to report is to complete the survey online through our Business Help Site http://bhs.econ.census.gov/bhs/qfr/index.html. For this method you will need your Username and Password, which are located below the address label on your questionnaire. You can also call the QFR staff toll free at 800-272-4250 to get this information. A second reporting option is to fax your QFR form toll free to 800-447-4613.

2. What is NAICS?
NAICS is the North American Industry Classification System, and is used to classify QFR corporations' primary business activity. More information about NAICS is available at the following web site http://www.census.gov/naics/.

3. Are estimates acceptable?
Yes, if the actual data requested are not available by the due date, then your best estimates are an acceptable substitute for the actual data.

4. I reported estimates last quarter; do you want my book figures now?
Yes, we always want to improve our data. Fax your completed QFR form, containing revised figures, toll free to 800-447-4613. In order to reflect these changes and to provide users with the most accurate data available, revisions are made to the most recent four quarters of previously published data.

5. What businesses are considered in-scope to the QFR survey?
The QFR survey includes:

• Domestic corporations primarily operating in Manufacturing Industries, and which have assets of $250,000 and over, or annual receipts equal to or greater than $600,000, at time of sample selection.
• Domestic corporations primarily engaged in Mining, Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, and Selected Service Industries, and which have assets of $50 million and over, or annual receipts equal to or greater than annually-adjusted, industry-specific values, at time of sample selection.

6. What industry subsectors are covered in the QFR?
The QFR covers the following NAICS industry subsectors:

• Manufacturing: 311-316, 321-327, 331-337, 339
• Mining: 211-213
• Wholesale Trade 423, 424, 425
• Retail Trade 441-448, 451-454
• Selected Service Industries: 511-512, 515, 517-519, 541 (except 5411 Legal Services), 531-532, 561-562, 621-624, 721-722

7. About how long will it take to complete the QFR form?
The length of time it will take you to complete the QFR form, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information, has been estimated to average:

• 3.0 hours per response for the long forms, QFR-200 (MT) and QFR-300(S)
• 1.5 hours for the short form, QFR-201 (MG)

8. How is the privacy of my company protected?
Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9 requires the U.S. Census Bureau to keep your report strictly confidential and protects copies of the reports retained in your files from legal process. By law, the information that you provide can only be used for statistical purposes that do not identify individual firms.

9. How many corporations are in the QFR sample?
The QFR sample currently consists of:

• For Manufacturing, approximately 8,100 sample corporations drawn from a universe of approximately 135,800 corporations.
• For Mining, approximately 300 sample corporations drawn from a universe of approximately 600 corporations.
• For Wholesale Trade, approximately 1,200 sample corporations drawn from a universe of approximately 2,600 corporations.
• For Retail Trade, approximately 600 sample corporations drawn from a universe of approximately 1,300 corporations.
• For Selected Service Industries, approximately 2,400 sample corporations drawn from a universe of approximately 5,600 corporations.

10. How do corporations get selected for this survey?
Each year, a QFR sampling frame is built from an annual IRS file of corporate entities which are required to file IRS Forms 1120 or 1120S. This frame is stratified by industry classification and size of total assets and gross receipts prior to sampling.

11. How far back are QFR data available?
The QFR program has been collecting and publishing aggregate statistics on the financial results and position of U.S. corporations since 1947.

• Currently, QFR data published prior to 1987 are not available in electronic format, but may be available for review at certain research libraries.
• QFR publications are available online in PDF format from the year 1996 to the present.
• QFR data are also available online in Excel format from the year 2006 to the present.
• QFR data from the year 1987 to the present, previously offered in database (DBF) format, are now available online in Excel format.
• Please visit the QFR web site at: http://www.census.gov/econ/qfr/

12. How are corporations classified?
Corporations are classified by industry based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), as follows:

• The QFR survey includes corporations that derive a plurality of their domestic consolidated receipts from the NAICS Manufacturing, Mining, Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, or Selected Service Sectors.
• Corporations are further classified by the NAICS Subsector accounting for more gross receipts than any other Subsector within the Sector.
• In some cases, corporations are classified by Industry Groups within the Subsector that account for more gross receipts than other Industry Groups with that Subsector.
• Classification is reviewed periodically, and changed as needed, for as long as the corporation remains active in the sample.
• More information about NAICS is available at the following web site: http://www.census.gov/naics/

13. What levels of industry detail are published?

• The QFR publishes estimated statements of income and retained earnings, balance sheets, and related financial and operating ratios. These statistical data are aggregated by industry and by asset size.
• Most in-scope industries are aggregated at the three-digit NAICS Subsector.
• When statistically feasible, some Manufacturing Industries are aggregated in clusters of related four-digit NAICS Industry Groups, with a summary aggregation at the three-digit NAICS Subsector.
• In addition, Manufacturing corporations are aggregated by All Nondurable Manufacturing, and by All Durable Manufacturing.
• Finally, six Industry Sector aggregations are produced: All Manufacturing, All Mining, All Wholesale Trade, All Retail Trade, All Information, and All Professional and Technical Services (except Legal Services).

14. What levels of asset size detail are published?
The QFR publishes estimated statements of income and retained earnings, balance sheets, and related financial and operating ratios. These statistical data are aggregated by industry and by asset size.

• For Manufacturing corporations, asset size is determined according to a company's total assets reported for the quarter. Several levels of asset size are tabulated and published, including assets under $25 million, assets $25 million and over, and all asset sizes (total).
• Corporations in Mining, Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, and Selected Service Industries are tabulated according to their total assets at the time of sample selection, and published only at the all asset sizes (total) level.

15. What is the difference between seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted (or unadjusted) estimates?
The unadjusted estimates are survey estimates derived from data provided by the survey respondents. Seasonally adjusted estimates are adjustments to these initial unadjusted estimates to remove normal seasonal patterns from those initial estimates, facilitating quarter-to-quarter or year-to-year comparisons. The QFR produces seasonally adjusted estimates for net sales and net income after taxes for the Manufacturing Sector and net sales for the Retail Trade Sector. For more information about seasonal adjustment, please visit the QFR website at: http://www.census.gov/econ/qfr/, and select the tab ‘How the Data are Collected’.

16. What is sampling variation and how do I interpret it?
The sample used for QFR is one of many possible samples that could have been selected of the same size and using the same sample methodology. Each of these possible samples would most likely yield different results. The sample variance is a statistical measure of the variability among these possible samples. Measures of sampling variability can be used to derive interval estimates (or ranges) with prescribed levels of confidence that the interval includes the actual population total. For more information on calculating a confidence interval, please visit the QFR web site at: http://www.census.gov/econ/qfr/, and select the tab ‘How the Data are Collected’.

17. Why are QFR data for Retail Trade released later than the data for Manufacturing, Mining, Wholesale Trade, and selected Services industries?
The data collection quarters for Retail Trade corporations are one month behind the data collection quarters for Manufacturing, Mining, Wholesale Trade and selected Service industry corporations. Typically, Retail Trade corporations elect a fiscal year close with January 31 as their year end. The majority of Manufacturing, Mining, Wholesale Trade, and Selected Service Industry corporations elect a calendar year close with December 31 as their year end. For more information on QFR publication quarters compared to corporations' fiscal closing quarters, please visit the QFR web site at http://www.census.gov/econ/qfr/, and select the tab About the Survey.

18. Why are QFR data released approximately 75 days after the due date in the first, second, and third quarters, and approximately 90 days after the fourth quarter due date?
In the first three quarters of the year, the majority of the sampled Manufacturing, Mining, Wholesale Trade, and Selected Service Industry corporations are required to report their data by the 25th day following the close of the quarter. Corporations can request an extension by contacting the QFR staff. Historically, the majority of the data received are reviewed and processed three to four weeks prior to the close of the quarter. In the fourth quarter of the year, the QFR is aware of the other filing requirements of corporations for year end reporting. In addition to those considerations, the QFR delays the release of Manufacturing, Mining, Wholesale Trade, and selected Service industry data in order to include the fourth quarter Retail Trade data.

19. Are QFR data comparable to other economic statistics?
QFR data will not necessarily agree with other financial and industrial statistics, whether based upon a sample or a complete canvass.

• QFR data are tabulated and published by consolidated corporate enterprise industry and asset size, which may differ from industry and size classifications based on individual business locations or establishments.
• The corporations' QFR submissions generally embody the accounting conventions adopted for financial reporting purposes.
• QFR data are based upon a changing sample of audited, unaudited, and estimated reports required to be submitted within 25 days after the end of each quarterly reporting period, by corporations that are not necessarily identical entities from quarter to quarter.
• Aggregated for any four consecutive quarters, the QFR data will differ from similar aggregations of finalized and audited annual reports for accounting years that are not necessarily identical from corporation to corporation.

20. Is this survey mandatory?
Yes, your response is required by law. Title 13 of the U.S. Code requires businesses and other organizations selected in the sample to answer the questions and return the report(s) to the Census Bureau. The law also provides that copies retained in your files are confidential and immune from legal process. In addition, reported data are exempt from requests made under the Freedom of Information Act.

21. Who uses the data?
Users of QFR data include:

• The Bureau of Economic Analysis uses these data for the nation's Gross Domestic Income Accounts estimates, and in developing the national accounts' input-output tables.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses these data as input to its Producer Price Indices, and in developing productivity measurements.
• Trade and professional organizations use these data to analyze industry trends and benchmark their own statistical programs, develop forecasts, and evaluate regulatory requirements.
• The media use these data for news reports and background information.
• Private businesses use these data to measure market share, analyze business potential, and plan investments.

22. My firm is no longer in business. What should I do?
Please call the QFR staff toll-free at 800-272-4250 for further assistance.

23. Why do you need to know if I own other companies or if another company owns my firm?
We do not want to duplicate data if you are affiliated with another company that may already be in our survey.

24. If I need another copy of the QFR form, how can I obtain one?
Please visit the QFR web site at: http://www.census.gov/econ/qfr/, and select the tab Get Forms.

25. I'm a very small business. Why do you want information from me?
Taken together, small businesses have a real impact on the economy. Your firm was chosen from a scientifically selected sample of businesses and represents many other small businesses like yours.

26. How can I obtain the published data?
Please visit the QFR web site at: http://www.census.gov/econ/qfr/

• Current-quarter published data are available on the main QFR web page.
• Historical QFR data are available by selecting the tab Historical Data.

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The economic census covers nearly all businesses and industries in the private, non-farm U.S. Economy. For a list of industries not covered by the Economic Census - see Codes Not Covered in the 2007 Economic Census User Guide. Many small businesses with paid employees do not receive census forms - data are obtained from administrative sources. Although not every business receives a census form, the published totals reflect all covered businesses.

The economic census includes only businesses with paid employees. Data for businesses without paid employees are available annually in Nonemployer Statistics.

To learn more about economic census sampling, reliability, and non-response, see methodology.

There is a separate Census of Governments and Census of Agriculture , conducted on the same schedule as the economic census.

This page contains one or more links, denoted by this symbol , which are not part of the Census Bureau Web site and do not imply endorsement of any particular product, company, or content.

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The Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP) CD-ROMs, for the areas described above, includes a number of characteristics of persons working in an area including, for 15 industry sectors, sex, means of transportation to work, time arriving at work, earnings, occupation, Hispanic origin, and race.

The Census 2000 County-to-County Worker Flow Files shows workers by county of work by county of residence.

The Census 2000 Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) special tabulation includes the detailed occupation, race, hispanic origin and sex of workers by state and county of residence or worksite, for counties with 50,000 or more population. It also adds an age dimension (16-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60+) or educational attainment for counties or cities of 100,000 or more. One table shows detailed occupation by industry (generally 3-digit NAICS) for counties and cities of 100,000 or more population.

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• County Business Patterns (annual, by industry for all sectors, for the United States, states, metro areas, counties, and ZIP Codes; number of establishments by size, employment, and payroll for businesses with paid employees).
  
• Economic Census (years ending in 2 and 7, by industry for selected sectors, for the United States and states, metro areas, counties, cities, and ZIP Codes; number of establishments, employment, payroll, sales or receipts for businesses with paid employees). 2007 Economic Census data for local areas will be published in 2010. In the interim, see 2002 Economic Census data.)
  
• Nonemployer Statistics - businesses without paid employees (annual, by industry for selected sectors, for the United States, states, metro areas, and counties).

For the number of business firms (as opposed to individual establishments or locations), see:

• Statistics of U.S. Businesses (annual, by industry for the U.S., by subsector for states, by sector for metropolitan areas; shows number of firms with paid employees, employment, and payroll by employment-size of enterprise).
  
• Survey of Business Owners (years ending in 2 and 7, by industry for selected sectors, by gender, and by race and ethnicity, for the United States and states, metro areas, counties, and cities; total number of firms (including nonemployers) and total receipts; number of employer firms, employment, payroll, receipts).

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• Go to American FactFinder.
• Use the Geographies and Industry Codes buttons on the left to add your counties and industries of interest.
• Click on the "Economy-Wide Key Statistics" table name to open the table and see the data.

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The economic census classifies each business establishment by geography and industry.  We don't, as a rule, assign geographic or industry classifications to multi-establishment firms.  The industry classifications for all establishments covered by the economic census and surveys are based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

The method of assigning industry classifications is described in the Methodology section of the 2007 Economic Census User Guide.

For more information on NAICS and industry classification in general, see the section on Business Classification.

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Yes. Your response is required by law. Title 13 of the U.S. Code requires businesses and other organizations that receive the questionnaire(s) to answer the questions and return the report(s) to the Census Bureau. The law also provides that copies retained in your files are confidential and immune from legal process.

For more information, visit the Annual and Quarterly Services website.

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The Census Bureau does not define "small" because the criteria can vary by intended use. However, the Census Bureau often provides size breakdowns that allow users to define "small" business for their own purposes:

• Employment size of firms
• Employment size of establishments
• Receipts size of firms

See Statistics about Business Size.

The Economic Census has business-size data in American FactFinder.  Tables in the Subject Series include employment-size, sales-size, and other similar data sets by establishment and firm.

Other Census Bureau data sets with size data are:

• County Business Patterns in American FactFinder
• Statistics of U.S. Businesses on the Business & Industry page

Note: Independently, the Small Business Administration's  Office of Size Standards defines size standards for each NAICS industry [ PDF - 232 KB] to determine which businesses are eligible for its programs.

[PDF] or denotes a file in Adobe's Portable Document Format. To view the file, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader available free from Adobe.

 This page contains one or more links, denoted by this symbol , which are not part of the Census Bureau Web site and do not imply endorsement of any particular product, company, or content.

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The Census Bureau does not have statistics on business failure rates. Our Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB) program provides annual data for all U.S. paid employer firms, including establishment (single physical location) births and deaths.

In the past, Dun & Bradstreet produced Business Start and Failure reports. These were discontinued in early 2000's.

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• The Economic Census profiles the American economy every 5 years and provides detailed information about industries and geographic areas, including number of establishments, employment, payroll, and sales, receipts, or revenue.  The Economic Census covers the 18 sectors that comprise the private, nonfarm economy, but economy-wide totals are not published because the census does not cover the agricultural services that are included in the programs listed below, and because not all sectors are published for all geographic levels (U.S., states, metro areas, counties, and cities).
  
  
• County Business Patterns provides annual figures on the number of establishments, employment, and payroll, by industry.  Relative to the Economic Census, there are modest differences in coverage. 
  
  
• Nonemployer statistics provide annual information about the millions of businesses without paid employees, which are excluded from most economic census reports.  These reports provide number of businesses and their sales or revenue, for the U.S., states, metro areas, and counties.  Industry detail is somewhat less than is shown in the Economic Census.
  
  
• The Survey of Business Owners (SBO) provides the only comprehensive, regularly collected source of information on selected economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status, every 5 years, for years ending in “2” and “7.”  Published data include number of firms (both firms with paid employees and firms with no paid employees), sales and receipts, number of paid employees, and annual payroll; they are presented by kind of business, geographic area, and size of firm (employment and receipts).  Additional demographic and economic characteristics of business owners and their businesses are included, such as owner's age, education level, hours worked, and primary function in the business; family- and home-based businesses; types of customers and workers; sources of financing for start-up, expansion, or capital improvements; outsourcing; use of Internet and e-commerce; and employer-paid benefits.  Because this is a sample survey, it provides much less industry detail than other programs listed here.  The figures do not exactly match Economic Census totals because of slight differences in coverage.  
  

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Yes, you can. See Local Employment Dynamics: Industry Focus tool. This tool lets you determine the top industries for your local area and your local workers, focus on a particular industry to see how it ranks among top industries, and also look at the characteristics of those who work in that industryon a quarterly basis.

Industry Focus reporting is based on the following eight quarterly workforce indicators:

• Employment
• Growth in hiring
• Growth in employment
• Number of new hires
• Firm job change
• Average monthly earnings for all workers
• Growth in average monthly earnings for all workers
• Average monthly earnings for new hires.   

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No. Title 13 of the U.S. Code prohibits the Census Bureau from releasing any information that could be linked to a particular company, including name and address. Various private mailing list vendors sell lists of companies classified by industry, but none of their information about individual companies comes from the Census Bureau. 

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Yes, if your interest is in the health care industry, you have several options to consult.

Health care in general is classified under the following North American Industrial Standard Classification System (NAICS) code: 62, which includes health care and social assistance. This code will be useful to anyone searching our business web pages for information on industries.

The Economic Census is your best option in getting details on this industry. It has data on number of establishments, revenues, expenses, number of employees, payroll, product line revenues (e.g., inpatient hospital services), concentration of firms, and more. These reports deal with establishments that have paid employees.

Below we list the options based on the Economic Census and several others as well:

• The Census Bureau has released three industry reports based on the 2002 Economic Census, our most detailed information on health care businesses: Ambulatory Health Care Services (NAICS 621), Hospitals (NAICS 621),  and Nursing and Residential Care Facilities (NAICS 623). For a list of businesses covered, please click here.
• We have released a set of state reports  with data on industries within the state and its substate areas.
• For annual data, you can consult County Business Patterns, now available in the American FactFinder, which has data at the state and county level on number of establishments, number of employees, payrolls, and employment-size class (e.g., number of establishments with one to four employees). Data are published approximately 18 months after the close of the reference year.
• For annual data on revenues and source of revenue (e.g., private health insurance), consult the Service Annual Survey.
• The Economic Census also yields data on nonemployer firms -- firms where there are no paid employees (e.g., a small family business). Nonemployer data are published annually.
• The Census Bureau also releases data on health insurance coverage collected from household respondents, rather than from businesses.
• Finally the Statistical Abstract of the United States, America's premier data book, has statistics on health care topics (such as physicians' specialties, retail prescription, drug sales from other sources, HMOs, and hospital use); see Section 3 on "Health and Nutrition."

Also consult the National Center for Health Statistics, which offers many Fast Stats A to Z  sheets at its site. Examples of topics include:

• Emergency department visits
• Home health care
• Hospice care
• Hospital utilization
• Inpatient surgery
• Nursing home care
• Outpatient department visits 
• Surgery (inpatient)

Just in case you want to check other resources from the Census Bureau, search for these topics using Google.

This page contains one or more links, denoted by this symbol , which are not part of the Census Bureau Web site and do not imply endorsement of any particular product, company, or content.

[PDF] or denotes a file in Adobe’s Portable Document Format. To view the file, you will need the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader available free from Adobe.

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Concentration ratios of various industries are published in Subject Series tables.

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The Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS), is a data series that allows users to track annual changes in employment for growing and shrinking businesses at the establishment level.

The BDS monitors this activity, tracking annual job creation and destruction at the establishment level using elements not found in similar databases, such as firm age and size. Tracking by firm age, for example, allows users to distinguish between new establishments of new firms and new establishments of mature firms. These statistics are crucial to understanding current and historical entrepreneurial activity in the U.S.

The Business Dynamics Statistics provide data users unprecedented information on the life cycle of U.S. businesses. These rich new data will fundamentally change the way people think about job creation and economic growth.

A number of key economic data items are tabulated by the Business Dynamics Statistics, including number of establishments, establishment openings and closings, employment, job creation and destruction, and job expansions and contractions.

The Business Dynamics Statistics results from a collaboration between the U.S. Census Bureau's Center for Economic Studies and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The information is compiled from a database of establishments and firms tracked over time known as the Longitudinal Business Database.

  The Business Dynamics Statistics provide annual statistics from 1976 to 2005 by firm age and size. Annual files are also provided at the state level for Standard Industrial Classification sectors and for the economy as a whole.

     Findings from the Business Dynamics Statistics include:

• States differ substantially in the creation and establishment of new businesses. States with higher entrepreneurial activity are in the West and Southwest, with as much as 12 percent of employment accounted for by young firms (less than 3 years old). In contrast, states with low entrepreneurial activity are in the East and Midwest, and have about 6 percent of employment accounted for by young firms.
• Establishments owned by younger firms grow faster, on average, than those owned by older firms. However, many young firms close shortly after they open, so the job destruction rate is also higher for establishments owned by younger firms. Hence, BDS shows the pattern for young businesses is one of "up or out," with rapid net growth for survivors balanced by a high exit rate.
• The BDS shows that the fraction of employment accounted for by business startups in the U.S. private sector over the 1980-2005 period is about 3 percent per year. This exceeds the 1.8 percent average annual net employment growth. This pattern implies that job destruction exceeds job creation at existing businesses and highlights the importance of business startups for job creation in the U.S. economy.

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• View summary tables on many of these topics in our Statistical Abstract of the United States.  Select the edition (year) of interest and browse for the item of interest in the index.
• Find out about the specific classification code in our North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). With this information, you can search for data from the most recent economic census or for your local area using resources at these sites:
  • Economic Census
  • County Business Patterns (also includes state, ZIP Code, metropolitian data)
  • Imports by commodity and country
    
• Use our Google search (click Try our full site search for more results in the lower right corner) for additional listings on this topic at the Census Bureau site.
  
  
  

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• A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
  
  

• American Indian or Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.
  
  
• Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
  
  
• Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa, including those who consider themselves to be "Haitian."
  
  
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
  
  
• White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East.
  
  
• Some other race. This category includes all other responses not included in the "American Indian or Alaska Native," "Asian," "Black or African American," "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander," and "White" race categories described above.
  

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For all industry sectors except Construction, data are collected directly from all large businesses, and from a sample of small businesses.  For small businesses that are not selected to receive census forms, basic data (sales, payroll, and number of employees) are obtained from administrative records. For the Construction sector, data from establishments that are selected for sampling are expanded to represent all of the establishments in the sector –administrative data are not used for nonsampled establishments.

See Sources of the Data in the 2007 Economic Census User Guide for more information.

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Data are available online for some previous economic censuses:

• 2002 Economic Census data are in American Factfinder, and also in other data formats at http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/
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• 1997 Economic Census data are in American FactFinder, and also in other data formats at http://www.census.gov/econ97
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• Selected 1992 Economic Census data are at http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/92result.html

Data from the 1992, 1997, and 2002 Economic Census are also available on CD- or DVD-ROM. See the Census Product Catalog to order these products from the Census Bureau.

Some editions of the Statistical Abstract show selected data from earlier censuses - link to "Earlier Editions" on the Statistical Abstract site to view these data.

Contact your local State Data Center or Federal Depository Library for complete earlier economic census publications.

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This item includes the gross earnings of all employees paid during the calendar year (cash basis). It includes all forms of compensation, such as salaries, wages, commissions, dismissal pay, bonuses, vacation and sick leave pay, and compensation in kind, prior to such deductions as employees' social security contributions, withholding taxes, group insurance, union dues, and savings bonds. The total includes salaries of officers of corporations; it excludes payments to proprietors or partners of unincorporated concerns. The census definition of payroll is identical to that recommended to all Federal statistical agencies by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, in particular, the definition used on the Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return, Treasury Form 941. This definition does not include employers' social security contributions or other nonpayroll labor costs, such as employees' pension plans, group insurance premiums, and workers' compensation. Data presented on annual payroll are sample-based and include payroll of enterprise support locations, such as retail warehouses, and thus may not match payroll data compiled in the 2007 Economic Census.

For more information, visit the Business Expenses website.

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Three programs in American FactFinder show size data:

• The Economic Census shows sales, employment, and establishment size of firms, and sales and employment size of establishments every 5 years.
• The Survey of Business Owners shows sales and employment size of firms every 5 years.
• County Business Patterns shows employment size of establishments every year.

The annual Statistics of U.S. Businesses shows employment size of firms. For economic census years, it also shows revenue size of firms. You can access these data from the Business & Industry page. These data are not available in American FactFinder.

For a discussion of the various ways of defining small business and large business, and links to all relevant data sources, see Small Business on the Business & Industry webpage.

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The most current data 2007 Commodity Flow Survey can be found on the American FactFinder.  The 2007 CFS is also available in a print report series:

• U.S. Summary Report
• U.S. Hazardous Materials Report 
• U.S. Exports Report

The Commodity Flow Survey (CFS), undertaken through a partnership between the U.S. Census and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, produces data on the movement of goods in the United States.  The survey, conducted every 5 years (years ending in "2" and "7"), provides information on commodities shipped, their value, weight and mode of transportation, as well as the origin and destination of shipments of commodities from manufacturing, mining, wholesale, and selected retail and service establishments.

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No.  The Advance Monthly Sales for Retail Trade and Food Services Survey, Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services Survey, and Annual Retail Trade Survey do not publish data for number of retail establishments by kind of business.  The data are, however, available on a limited basis from the County Business Patterns Survey at (301) 763-2580 and from the 5-year Census of Retail Trade at (301) 763-2687.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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The Using American FactFinder Guide has a section on downloading data from American FactFinder.

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If you know that the census has the information you want but you can't find the right table, you can use the Search function on the American FactFinder main page tool bar. If you don't know what data the economic census has, or how it is organized, you can go to the Finding Data section on the 2007 Economic Census Web site for tips and tools.

It helps to know that the tables are organized by industry and geographic area. Generally the geographic area tables have basic data items like number of establishments, sales, payroll and number of employees by industry. Other data items, like detailed products and services, and industry-specific inquiries, and data sorts other than industry and geography (like size, and legal form of organization) are in industry or subject reports.

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The NAICS codes are hierarchical, as are the rows of the data tables. It's important to add rows only at the same level of industry detail - if you add together NAICS codes at more than one level, you could get a sum greater than the true total.  Theoretically, any sector (2-digit NAICS) total should equal the sum of its component subsectors (3-digit NAICS), each 3-digit total should correspond to the sum of its component 4-digits, and so forth.

There are two reasons why the NAICS detail shown in a table may not add to the total:

• Below the national level, NAICS categories are published only when they meet certain minimum criteria that vary from industry to industry. For example, county or city figures are shown only for those manufacturing industry categories that have at least 500 employees. Therefore, the detailed figures may not add to higher level totals because some categories simply aren't shown.
• 
  
• Some figures are withheld (replaced with "D") to avoid disclosure of confidential information. Data suppressed with a "D" at one level are still included in higher level figures. However, the number of establishments is never suppressed, so you may be able to confirm additive relationships with establishment counts that you can't with other figures. Finally, in cases where the sales or payroll figures are suppressed, the employment data are shown in ranges (e.g., 20-49 employees).
  

For more information, see Data Manipulation and Reading Data Sets on the 2007 Economic Census Web page.

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Yes. The Census Bureau does collect limited data.

Here are some sources:

• The best information source for physicians would be the American Medical Association ( http://www.ama-assn.org/) .  It has an inventory of active physicians by speciality broken down further by state and county, which appears in their annual report on "Physician Characteristics and Distribution in the United States."

• Some of these data also appear in the Health and Nutrition section of the online Statistical Abstract. Here is an example of a state ranking table (http://www.census.gov/statab/ranks/rank18.html).

• The Service Annual Survey provides financial data for receipts, revenue and expenses, and detailed financial data for selected service industries, such as doctors, physicians, dentists, etc (http://www.census.gov/econ/www/servmenu.html). Other findings from the SAS include sources of receipts for
  selected industries: such as Medicare payments to medical doctors' offices and clinics, Medicaid payments to medical doctors, and private insurance payments to medical doctors.  Sources of receipts data for other taxable firms such as dentists, other health practitioners and nursing-care facilities also are included.

• The Census 2000 Equal Employment Opportunity special file contains data on the number of people employed in nearly 500 occupations, from actors to veterinarians. Data cover gender, race, ethnicity, education, age, industry and earnings. In addition, users may find where workers live, where they work and how many who work in one place live somewhere else. Summary geographic levels include the nation, states, metropolitan areas, counties and places with populations of 50,000 or more.

This page contains one or more links, denoted by this symbol , which are not part of the Census Bureau Web site and do not imply endorsement of any particular product, company, or content.

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2002 Economic Census of Island Areas: Puerto Rico Construction (Sector 23)   

The 2002 Economic Census for the Island Areas provides periodic and comprehensive data for economic activity and structure. Areas included:

• Northern Mariana Islands
• Guam
• Virgin Islands
• Puerto Rico
• American Samoa

[PDF] or denotes a file in Adobe's Portable Document Format. To view the file, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader available free from Adobe.

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Varying in methodology, there are several different sources to get cross-industry totals.

• County Business Patterns include an industry total of employer establishments. Relative to the economic census, there are modest differences in coverage. For industry coverage, see methodology for County Business Patterns and the 2007 Economic Census User Guide. Industry totals for nonemployer establishments are available from Nonemployer Statistics.
  
  
• The Survey of Business Owners, and the prior surveys of minority- and women-owned business enterprises include a "Universe (All Firms)" line that includes sales, payroll and employment figures generally comparable to economic census breakdowns by sector. These figures won't match exactly the sum of the 18 sectors because of slight differences in coverage.
  
  
• The Survey of U.S. Businesses includes data on number of firms, number of establishments, employment, and annual payroll. The data are tabulated by geographic area, industry, and enterprise employment size.
  
  
• The Economy-Wide Key Statistics table in American FactFinder includes nonemployer establishment data. For prior census years, nonemployer data were only available in separate Nonemployer tables.

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E-commerce sales are sales of goods and services over the Internet, an extranet, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), or other online system. Payment may or may not be made online.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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• First, you need to understand what is supposed to add up. Theoretically, any sector (2-digit NAICS) total should equal the sum of component subsectors (3-digit NAICS), each 3-digit figure should correspond to the sum of component 4-digits, and so forth. If you add together NAICS codes at more than one level (such as both 3-digit codes and 4-digit codes), you could get a sum greater than the true total.
• In Economic Census data published for states and smaller areas, particular NAICS categories are shown only when they meet certain criteria that vary from industry to industry. For example, county or city figures are shown only for those manufacturing industry categories that have at least 500 employees. Detailed figures may not add to higher level totals because some categories simply aren't shown. (For missing industries, you may check County Business Patterns (CBP), which does not use publication cutoffs.)
• Some figures are withheld (replaced with D) to avoid disclosure of confidential information. Data withheld at one level are still included in higher level figures. The number of establishments is never suppressed, so you may be able to confirm additive relationships with establishment counts that you can't with other figures. In most places where sales or payroll figures are suppressed, employment is shown in ranges (e.g., 20-49 employees).

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This item represents the sum of detailed types of expenses presented in the published table.  This item excludes cost of goods sold (COGS); income, sales, and excise taxes; capital expenditures; funds invested; and interest expense (except for financial entities).

For more information, visit the Business Expenses website.

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The Center for Economic Studies (CES) is a unit of the U.S. Census Bureau established to increase the utility and quality of Census Bureau data and data products. CES administers the Census Bureau's Research Data Center (RDC) program. The CES research program centers on the empirical analysis of confidential microdata collected in the Census Bureau's regular survey and census programs. Access to microdata encourages knowledgeable researchers to become familiar with Census data products and Census collection methods.

More importantly, providing qualified researchers with access to confidential microdata under strictly controlled conditions at secure Census Bureau facilities enables research projects that would not be possible without access to respondent-level information. For more information about CES and the RDC program, see the CES home page at http://www.census.gov/ces/.

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• To calculate per capita ratios, you can divide business data by population counts for comparable populations.  Business data and population data are available from separate population and economic tables in American FactFinder to spreadsheet format.
  
  
• The Survey of Business Owners collects both demographic and economic characteristics of businesses and business owners.
  
  
• The Local Employment Dynamics program combines population and demographic data to create local area profiles.

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The Beyond 20/20 software included on the Zip Code Business Patterns CD/DVD-ROMS does not provide a feature which allows data users to download employment data for multiple zip codes at one time. There is a data file included on the CD/DVD-ROM which you can download into Excel (or another spreadsheet program) and obtain data for multiple zip codes. To access the file, follow the below listed steps:

1. Click the "Explore this CD (or DVD, depending on the media)", from the start-up menu when the Zip Code Business Patterns disk is first installed.
2. Double click on the folder titled "DataFiles".
3. Unzip the file named zbpyrrefarea.exe ("yr" refers to the year, for example the file for 2002 is named "zbp02refarea.exe").
4. When the file unzips, you can save it to the location of choice and retrieve it using Excel or some other software package.

The easiest way to do this is to save the unzipped file to your desktop. When you retrieve it using Excel, be sure to choose "comma delimited" for the format. Once the file is opened, the data items will appear in separate columns allowing you to sum the numeric items for as many zip codes as you need.

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American FactFinder allows you to sort output, and thus introduce ranking in any table. Once you have the industry and geographic areas you want (e.g., all states, or all counties within a state), you can "Sort" the rows by any data variable. For an example, see the "Sorting Rows" section in the Using American FactFinder Guide.

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No. Individual records cannot be released. Information about individuals and businesses covered by Census Bureau census and survey programs is protected under U.S. Code, Title 13. Learn more about preventing disclosure.

The Census Bureau's Center for Economic Studies allows special research projects using microdata files, under strictly controlled confidentiality rules, at Census Research Data Centers.

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In American FactFinder tables, click on the column heading to find the definition of the data item.

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Herfindahl-Hirschman indexes, a measure of market concentration, are available for manufacturing industries:

• 2007 Value of Shipments
• 2007 Value Added
• 2002 Value of Shipments
• 2002 Value Added

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Because estimates are based on a sample rather than the entire population, the published estimates may differ from the actual, but unknown, population values. In principle, many random samples could be drawn and each would give a different result. This is because each sample would be made up of different businesses who would give different answers to the questions asked. The spread of these results is the sampling variability.

Common measures of the variability among these estimates are the sampling variance, the standard error, and the coefficient of variation (CV). The sampling variance is defined as the squared difference, averaged over all possible samples of the same size and design, between the estimator and its average value. The standard error is the square root of the sampling variance. The CV expresses the standard error as a percentage of the estimate to which it refers. For example, an estimate of 200 units that has an estimated standard error of 10 units has an estimated CV of 5 percent. The CV has the advantage of being a relative, rather than an absolute, measure and can be used to compare the reliability of one estimate to another.

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American FactFinder is an on-line database that allows data users to find, manipulate, and download selected Census Bureau data sets free of charge. The data are shown at the summary level and have been subjected to disclosure avoidance suppressions (no data for individual businesses are shown).

The 2007 Economic Census Web site has information specifically for using economic census data sets in Using American FactFinder.

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Only six of the twenty NAICS sectors had changes during the 2007 revision of NAICS.

The 2007 Bridge Report shows the effect of the classification changes on the data. For the effect of changes that took place in 2002, see the 2002 Bridge Statistics.

Two files are available that map the complete concordance of 2002 to 2007 NAICS codes, and vice versa:

• 2007 NAICS U.S. Matched to 2002 NAICS U.S. [XLS]
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• 2002 NAICS U.S. Matched to 2007 NAICS U.S. [XLS]

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Geography changes from the 2002 Economic Census can be found in the Geography Changes section of the 2007 Economic Census User Guide.

As compared to the major changes to the metro area definitions from 1997 to 2002, the changes to the metro areas from 2002 to 2007 are few and not as significant.  However, changes to the place definition for 2007 are significant.  For 2007, the economic census will include data for all incorporated and (for the first time) unincorporated places with 5,000 or more population or 5,000 or more jobs.  The population cutoff is changed from 2002, and jobs is new for 2007, so there are many new cities and towns that will be shown in 2007 that were not shown in 2002.  There are also some small towns that will no longer be shown.

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• The Business and Industry page links to a number of annual, quarterly, and monthly surveys that provide more recent business statistics, primarily at the national level. In most cases, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) categories are less detailed than in the census.
• County Business Patterns has annual data on establishments, employment, and payroll (but no sales or receipts) for the same industries and most of the geographic areas (except places) shown in the Economic Census.

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No. The Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services Survey and Annual Retail Trade Survey include only retail firms. It excludes non-retail operations such as travel agencies, financial services, manufacturers, and wholesalers.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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We use a computer program called X-12-ARIMA to derive our seasonal adjustment and produce seasonal factors.

It is difficult to estimate seasonal effects when the underlying level of the series changes over time. For this reason, the program starts by detrending the series with a crude estimate of the trend-cycle. It then derives crude seasonal factors from the detrended series. It uses these to obtain a better trend-cycle and detrended series from which a more refined seasonal component is obtained. This iterative procedure, involving successive improvements, is used because seasonal effects make it difficult to determine the underlying level of the series required for the first step. Crude and more refined irregular components are used to identify and compensate for data that are so extreme that they can distort the estimates of trend-cycle and seasonal factors.

The seasonal factors are divided into the original series to get the seasonally adjusted series. For example, suppose for a particular January, a series has a value of 100,000 and a seasonal factor of 0.80. The seasonally adjusted value for this January is 100,000/0.80=125,000.

If trading day or moving holiday effects are detected, their estimated factors are divided out of the series before seasonal factor estimation begins. The resulting seasonally adjusted series is therefore the result of dividing by the product of the trading day, holiday, and seasonal factors. The product factors are usually called the combined factors, although some tables refer to them as the seasonal factors for simplicity.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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There are two reasons that we revise seasonal factors:

We revise factors when we revise the unadjusted data to achieve a better fit to the revised data.

The estimate of a seasonal factor for a given month, say January 2005, is most strongly influenced by the data from surrounding Januaries (especially from 2004 and 2006). In 2005, when the January data for 2006 and later are not available, the seasonal factor estimate for January 2005 will be of reduced quality, unless X-12-ARIMA has calculated good forecasts of data for 2006 and later years and has used them in place of the data that is not yet available. In any case, when future data become available, we use them to obtain improved seasonal factor estimates for the most recent years of the series. These revised factors lead to revised seasonal adjustments of higher quality.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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No.  The U.S. Postal Service is out of scope for the 2007 Economic Census.  

For a list of industries not covered by the economic census, see Codes Not Covered in the 2007 Economic Census User Guide.

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• It's not easy. If you are trying to compare data for two years, use data that are classified on the same basis where possible. For example, 1997 Economic Census data, while mostly published by NAICS, includes one report with both 1997 and 1992 data by SIC: Comparative Statistics.
• Fewer than half of all 4-digit SIC categories have direct NAICS counterparts or can be reconstructed by adding whole NAICS codes together. Another group can be approximated within 3 percent of sales using whole NAICS codes. You can identify which these are by looking for the (comparable) or (almost comparable) symbols in the Bridge Between NAICS and SIC. For the remaining SIC codes, identified with (not comparable), the bridge data allow you to determine what proportions of particular NAICS contribute to a given SIC. Note that any proration you do is subject to considerable error, and prorating on sales or employment may give significantly different results.

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Yes, you have several options to consult. These industries are classified under the following  North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code: 51, which includes print, broadcast, direct mail, telecommunications, and other information industries. This code will be useful to anyone searching our business web pages for information on industries.

• The Census Bureau has released 13 industry reports based on the 2002 Economic Census, our most detailed data on information services. The Telecommunications report covers wireless and cellular service providers. For a list of businesses covered, please click here. We are currently releasing a set of state reports with data on industries within the state and its substate areas. The Economic Census has data on number of establishments, revenues, number of employees, payroll, product line revenues (e.g., mobile local access and use), concentration of firms, and more. These reports deal with establishments that have paid employees.
• For annual data, you can consult County Business Patterns, which has data at the state and county level on number of establishments, number of employees, payrolls, and employment-size class (e.g., number of establishments with one to four employees). County Business Patterns data are published approximately 18 months after the close of the reference year.
• For annual data on revenues and source of revenue (e.g., private health insurance), consult the Service Annual Survey.
• Finally the Statistical Abstract of the United States, America's premier data book, has statistics on information services (such as number of cellular subscribers, average monthly bill, average length of call, etc.) from other sources; see section on "Information and Communications."

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If your 2007 SBO form requests information that is not in your available business records, you may use estimates. The Census Bureau has found that estimates from business officials are more accurate than industry averages or other estimates and increase the reliability of statistics when combined with information from other similar businesses.  If you want to clarify the survey request, discuss use of your available business records, or obtain help in preparing an estimate, please submit an email to csd.sbo@census.gov or call 1-888-824-9954 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Eastern time.

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A reference file that contains the geographic codes, titles, and other information for every valid geographic area for the 2007 Economic Census is on the American FactFinder (AFF) FTP site.  In addition, the "geo within geo" filter tool in AFF allows users to select all geographies within a higher level geographic type (for example, all places within a county).

For more information about the AFF FTP site and this tool, see Using AFF in the Economic Census User Guide.

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The Census of Governments, conducted for the same years as the economic census, summarizes employment in state and local governments. Counts of federal employees by state (even-numbered years only) theoretically complete the picture. There is a small amount of overlap: the economic census includes state-run liquor stores (retail trade) and government-owned hospitals (health care and social services).

A special tabulation from Census 2000, the Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP), shows employment numbers by sector by county, place, census tract, and traffic zone of work. The sector totals will include the agriculture and public administration sectors not included in the economic census, as well as the public school and social service agency employment not covered in the economic census or County Business Patterns.

For counties and cities of 100,000 or more population, the Census 2000 Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) special tabulation shows detailed occupation by industry (generally 3-digit NAICS), including 13 categories outside the scope of the economic census.

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The U.S. Energy Information Administration ( http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cbecs/char99/intro.html ) periodically does a survey of all commercial buildings by type of building, square footage, and other energy-related characteriestics. To supplement these data, you might also want to contact a group called McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge that generates information on new commercial construction for value and square footage.

Data from both of these sources may be found in the Construction and Housing section of the online "Statistical Abstract."  Additonally, the Transportation Annual Survey provides some data on warehousing for the years 1989 to 1998. 

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The following are self-employed worker definitions:

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For procedural histories of the Economic Census, go to:

• Procedural History of the 2002 Economic Census and
• History of the 1997 Economic Census .

For procedural history information for the Population and Housing Censuses, go to the following websites:

• Census 2000: Planning for the 2000 Round of Population and Housing Censuses 
• Census of Population and Housing 1990
• Census of Population and Housing 1980
• Census of Population and History 1970
• Census of Population and Housing 1960
• Census of Population and Housing 1950

For access to volumes not available on the Internet, please contact your local Federal Depository Library. 

[PDF] or denotes a file in Adobe's Portable Document Format. To view the file, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader available free from Adobe.

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Generally, economic data can be classified by industry and geography.

• See how economic census data are organized in Understanding Data Sets
• See what data items are published for the Economic Census.
• See all economic censuses and surveys conducted by the Census Bureau on the Business and Industry page.

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Yes. We update our sample regularly to account for new businesses, including retailers selling exclusively via the Internet. New businesses are identified when they notify the Federal Government of their intention to hire employees. The Bureau draws a sample of these new businesses and adds them to the survey each quarter.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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Participation in the economic census and the annual survey are required by law, therefore response rates are higher than in the monthly surveys. Respondents have more time to prepare their responses to the annual surveys than they do for the monthly survey. Data for the annual surveys are requested at a time when many firms have already compiled audited book figures. Respondents to our monthly survey have just a few weeks to provide their data. These data are sometimes based on unaudited records or include estimates. Also, we collect data from more businesses in the annual survey.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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For the 2007 Economic Census, data on large certificated air passenger carriers are being included for the first time.  Large certificated air carriers were out of scope for the previous economic censuses.  

To find out what else has changed since the 2002 Economic census, see What's New for 2007 in the 2007 Economic Census User Guide.

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Building permits data are based on those units authorized to be built.

Housing starts data are based on the actual breaking of ground for footings or foundations or beginning a new superstructure on top of an existing foundation. 

Statistics for these two types of data are available at our New Residential Construction site.

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Yes, we do. On Feb. 17, 2009, all full-power TV stations will cease to broadcast analog programming. This transition to digital television will enable more efficient use of the nation's airwaves, providing new advanced wireless services and increased public safety services. See our press release for Facts for Features: *Special Edition* Conversion from Analog to Conversion Digital-TV – Feb. 17, 2009 for additional details.

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You can use the following Census Bureau websites to access the SBO and the Economic Census results:

Survey of Business Owners (SBO)

• Gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status
• Geography (U.S., states, metropolitan areas, counties, and places)
• Industry (2- through 6-digit NAICS for selected geographies)
• Receipts size of firm
• Employment size of firm

Economic Census website contains:

• Complete details about the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and other topics
• Geographic profiles and complete reports from the Economic Census

American FactFinder

• Detailed statistics from the Economic Census and Surveys
• Data sets by geography, industry/product, or data item

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Statistics about the agriculture sector are covered in the Census of Agriculture which is published by the U.S. National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Public administration (government) data are published by the Census Bureau in a separate Census of Governments and other surveys.

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The Service Annual Survey (SAS) provides data that help to measure America's current economic performance. Using a sample of about 70,000 service firms, the SAS collects revenue; expenses; e-commerce sales; and, for some industries, exports, inventories, class of customer, and detail product lines based on the North American Product Classification System (NAPCS).

The government uses the data to determine economic policy; private industry relies on these data for planning and research.

For more information, visit the Annual and Quarterly Services website.

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NAICS is used to classify a business location's primary activity. NAICS replaced the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system.

For more information, visit the Annual and Quarterly Services, or the NAICS website.

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Call our National Processing Center on 1-800-772-7851 weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, to request a replacement copy.

The forms for all but the Service Annual Survey are also available in Portable Document Format (PDF) at the Annual and Quarterly Services website.

When you print out the form, be sure to enter your company name and address in the address section.

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The mechanics of seasonal adjustment involve breaking down a series into trend-cycle, seasonal, and irregular components.

Trend-Cycle: Level estimate for each month (quarter) derived from the surrounding year-or-two of observations.

Seasonal Effects: Effects that are reasonably stable in terms of annual timing, direction, and magnitude. Possible causes include natural factors (the weather), administrative measures (starting and ending dates of the school year), and social/cultural/religious traditions (fixed holidays such as Christmas). Effects associated with the dates of moving holidays like Easter are not seasonal in this sense, because they occur in different calendar months depending on the date of the holiday.

Irregular Component: Anything not included in the trend-cycle or the seasonal effects (or in estimated trading day or holiday effects). Its values are unpredictable as regards timing, impact, and duration. It can arise from sampling error, non-sampling error, unseasonable weather, natural disasters, strikes, etc.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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X-12-ARIMA is a seasonal adjustment program developed at the U.S. Census Bureau. The program is based on the Bureau's earlier X-11 program and the X-11-ARIMA/88 program developed at Statistics Canada.

Improvements to X-12-ARIMA include:

• Use of ARIMA models to forecast the series, allowing us to use better, symmetric moving averages that give us generally smaller revisions to the seasonal factors;
• New diagnostic tools; Wider variety of moving average options; and
• New user interface.
• For more information, see the X-12-ARIMA website.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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For the 2007 Economic Census, equity real estate investment trusts (REITs) are included in Industry Group 5311, Lessors of Real Estate, based on primary type of real estate property leased, and mortgage REITs are included in Industry Group 52599, Other Financial Vehicles.  However, for the 2002 Economic Census, both the equity and mortgage REITs were classified in Subsector 525, Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles.

To find out what else has changed since the 2002 Economic census, see What's New for 2007 in the 2007 Economic Census User Guide.

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The HUBZone Empowerment Contracting Program stimulates economic development in urban and rural communities by providing federal contracting preferences to small businesses. These preferences go to small businesses that obtain HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) certification in part by employing staff who live in a HUBZone. HUBZone criteria are set by law. They may be rural areas of a certain population; there are income and employment criteria too. They are also "qualified census tracts" in urban areas (HUD identifies these areas).

While census data are used in determining which areas qualify as HUBZones, the Census Bureau has no part in the actual determination of these areas, nor do Census Bureau tabulations contain data for HUBZones. Users with questions on HUBZones should visit the Small Business Administration Web site or contact the agency at (202) 205-8885.

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For information on chiropractic care, you may wish to try the following sources:

• National Institute of Health report entitled Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults: United States, 2002 report (http://nccam.nih.gov/news/camstats.htm).  
• The National Center of Health Statistics (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus05.pdf)  releases results from the National Health Interview Survey. The annual report entitled Health U.S. will give assistance for background information (see especially table 108).
• The American Chiropractic Association (http://www.amerchiro.org/)  provides the number of chiropractors.
• Economic data on chiropractic care are available in our Economic Census series, including County and ZIP Code Business Patterns. The NAICS number is 621310.
• Our Equal Employment Opportunity data base has occupation data by sex, race, and ethnicity.
• Finally, data on all medical specialties, visits, hospital discharges, etc. may also be found in the online Statistical Abstract of the United States. See the "Health and Nutrition" section.

This page contains one or more links, denoted by this symbol , which are not part of the Census Bureau Web site and do not imply endorsement of any particular product, company, or content.

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• The Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) to assess business assistance needs and allocate available program resources.
  
  
• Local government commissions on small and disadvantaged businesses to establish and evaluate contract procurement practices.
  
  
• Federal, state, and local government agencies as a framework for planning, directing, and assessing programs that promote the activities of disadvantaged groups.
  
  
• A national women-owned business trade association to assess women-owned businesses by industry and area and to educate other industry associations, corporations, and government entities.
  
  
• Consultants and researchers to analyze long-term economic and demographic shifts, and differences in ownership and performance among geographic areas.
  
  
• Individual business owners to analyze their operations in comparison to similar firms, compute their market share, and assess their growth and future prospects.
  

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Starting with the 2007 Economic Census, data are no longer available in print, PDF, HTML or CD/DVD-ROM formats. Limiting publication to one format accelerates release of the data. The American FactFinder and the 2007 Economic Census web page have information and tutorials to assist new data users.

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• Go to American FactFinder.
• Use the Geographies and Industry Codes buttons on the left to add your industries of interest.
• Click on the "Economy-Wide Key Statistics" table name to open the table and see the data.

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We obtain a list of EINs regularly from other government agencies that have this information (e.g., the Social Security Administration). We are authorized by law to do this (Section 6103 of Internal Revenue Code).

For more information, visit the Annual and Quarterly Services website.

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No.  A firm is classified by its major source of receipts by establishment.  Firms are instructed to report their total sales for a given month for all retail establishments even if they include some non-retail receipts.  For example, if a firm operates an establishment engaged in both retail and wholesale operations, but the majority of sales are from the retail operation, the establishment is classified as retail.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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No. The Monthly Retail Trade Survey covers all sales of establishments primarily engaged in retail activities, including traditional retailers selling via the Internet and companies selling goods exclusively on-line. The survey excludes companies conducting non-retail operations such as travel, ticketing, and financial services.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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Seasonal adjustment procedures for monthly time series estimate effects that occur in the same calendar month with similar magnitude and direction from year to year. In series whose seasonal effects come primarily from weather (rather than from, say, Christmas sales or economic activity tied to the school year or the travel season), the seasonal factors are estimates of average weather effects for each month, for example, the average January decrease in new home construction in the Northeastern region of the U.S. due to cold and storms. Seasonal adjustment does not account for abnormal weather conditions or for year-to-year changes in weather. It is important to note that seasonal factors are estimates based on present and past experience and that future data may show a different pattern of seasonal factors.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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• General questions

1. What if I have questions about the Economic Census for American Samoa?

2. What is the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)?

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The historic release files are the reports as they were originally released.  No data updates are made over time to these files.  The historic time series files are updated each month in two ways:

1. Current month preliminary estimates are added,
2. Prior month estimates are finalized
   

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Public reporting burden for this survey is estimated to average 10 to 12 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.  

Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: 

•  Paperwork Project 0607-0943, U.S. Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, AMSD-3K138, Washington, DC 20233.  

You may e-mail comments to paper@census.gov ; use "Paperwork Project 0607-0943" as the subject.  Please DO NOT RETURN your questionnaire to this address.  Use the enclosed preaddressed envelope to return your questionnaire.  

Response to this survey is not required unless the questionnaire displays a valid approval number from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB eight-digit number appears in the upper right corner of the report form.

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Call 1-888-225-4022 Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Eastern time.  Our telephone staff can answer questions about the survey.

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Yes, carefully prepared estimates are acceptable if book figures are not readily available.

For more information, visit the Annual and Quarterly Services website.

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• A chart in the Economic Census User Guide shows which levels of geography are published for each sector.
  
  
• Annual County Business Patterns publishes county, metro area, and ZIP Code data for all industries (but not sales data).
  
  
• Annual Nonemployer Statistics publishes county and metro area data for selected sectors.

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Yes. The retailers in the survey are very cooperative and in most cases are able to provide the dollar volume of their e-commerce sales.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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The Census Bureau periodically redesigns and reselects the samples for its business surveys to reflect the results of the latest Economic Census. The Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey is being revised to reflect the 2002 Economic Census of Retail Trade and more recent data from the Business Register. This ensures that our sample is representative of the current retail industry. Revising the sample also allows the Census Bureau to redistribute the burden of reporting for small and medium sized companies.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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• Phone: (301)-763-2580
• Email: epcd.Nonemployer.statistics@census.gov
• Web: http://www.census.gov/econ/Nonemployer/index.html

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Our Economic Division has developed a website that provides information for businesses to aid in the completion of the various Economic surveys and forms. Information includes frequently asked questions, online services such as form remails and time extensions, as well as other sources of assistance.

There is an index of the forms and their form numbers sorted by program for reference. 

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The unadjusted estimates are Horvitz-Thompson estimates. In other words, they are computed by summing weighted data (reported or imputed) where the weight for a given unit is the reciprocal its probability of being selected into the sample.

The adjusted estimates are adjusted for seasonal variation and trading-day differences using the Census Bureau's X-12 ARIMA program.

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All merchant wholesalers, excluding manufacturers' sales branches and offices, that are in the monthly survey are also in the annual survey.  Manufacturers' sales branches and offices and agents and brokers are not included on the monthly survey. The data from each survey are reconciled annually.

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• Form 1040 (Schedule C), "Profit or Loss from Business" (Sole Proprietorship).  Many self-employed individuals do not consider the activity reported on their Schedule C to be an actual business (for example, babysitter, sales representative, construction contractor, real estate agent, and so forth).  Any activity reported on Form 1040 (Schedule C) meets the definition of a business for purposes of this survey.
  
  
• Form 1065, "U.S. Return of Partnership Income"
  
  
• All 1120 Corporation Tax forms
  
  
• Form 941, "Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return"
  
  
• Form 944, "Employer's Annual Federal Tax Return"

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The U.S. Census Bureau publishes a variety of annual, quarterly, and monthly surveys that provide more timely data than is possible with the economic census. At the same time, most of these data sets are published only at the national level and may not have as much industry, product, or subject detail as the economic census. The Business and Industry page can help you find the most appropriate data set.

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Because 2007 Economic Census data are released over time, the 2002 Economic Census may have the latest data.

Also, the Business and Industry Web page has links to earlier economic census data sets as well as links to annual data sets, like County Business Patterns, and quarterly and monthly data sets, which have limited, but more recent data.

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• Go to American FactFinder.
• Use the Geographies and Industry Codes buttons on the left to add your counties and industries of interest.
• Click on the "Economy-Wide Key Statistics" table name to open the table and see the data.

Note that not all industry sectors are published at the county level, so these tables do not necessarily show total sales for the county.

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Yes. In order to protect the confidentiality of your company's information, requests must be made in writing from an officer of the company.  Please contact the Census Bureau at 800-233-6136 to find out the procedure for requesting copies of forms filed by your company.

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E-commerce sales for the Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services Survey are estimated based on the monthly activity of over 12,000 retail firms. E-Commerce sales for the Annual Retail Trade Survey are estimated based on the annual activity of 25,000 retail firms.  All firms that receive the retail survey report form each month are asked to provide their e-commerce sales.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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When seasonal adjustment is done by dividing the time series by seasonal factors (or combined seasonal-trading day-holiday factors) it is arithmetically impossible for the adjusted series to have the same annual totals as the unadjusted series (except in the uninteresting case in which the time series values repeat perfectly from year to year). "Benchmarking" procedures can be used to modify the adjusted series so as to force the adjusted series to have the same totals as the unadjusted series, but these procedures do not account for evolving seasonal effects or for trading day differences due to the differing weekday compositions of different years.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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Modular homes require a building permit and are subject to local zoning and building code standards. Manufactured homes must meet building standards defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and are defined as a movable dwelling, 8 feet or more wide and 40 feet or more long, designed to be towed on its own chassis, with transportation gear integral to the unit when it leaves the factory, and without need of a permanent foundation. No building permit is required for a manufactured home.

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The collection of monthly data doesn't begin until the month ends.  While companies are requested to provide data within the first 10 business days, it usually takes at least 4 weeks to obtain an acceptable response level.  Processing and analyzing overlap this collection period and it takes an additional 5 business days to finalize the report. Preliminary MWTS estimates are typically published approximately 45 days after the reference month. Final estimates are published approximately 75 days after the reference month. The collection of AWTS data doesn't begin until 3 or 4 weeks after the reference year ends.  While companies are requested to provide data within 30 business days, it usually takes at least 8 months to obtain an acceptable response level.  Processing and analyzing overlaps this collection period to some extent, but most occurs after data collection ends. The final estimates are typically released 13-16 months after the reference year has ended. The most current reports are on the main page.

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Geographic types are defined in the sidebar of the Geography section of the 2007 Economic Census User Guide.

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In American FactFinder tables the alphabetic and character symbols indicate data suppressions and other caveats about the data.  Left mouse click on a symbol to bring up the definition.

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The Service Annual Survey collects additional data not included on the Quarterly Services Survey, including e-commerce and detailed expense data. Often, companies have final adjustments to their quarterly level that we wouldn't know about without the annual survey.

For more information, visit the Annual and Quarterly Services website.

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Taken together, small businesses have a real impact on the economy. Your firm was chosen from a scientifically selected sample of businesses and represents many other small businesses like yours.

For more information, visit the Annual and Quarterly Services website.

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Last year's Service Annual Survey results are posted on the Annual and Quarterly Services website (in statistical form only).

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The grocery store estimate represents total receipts of stores that are primarily engaged in the sale of groceries. The estimate includes the value of all items sold by grocery stores and may include receipts for drugs, gasoline, stationery, beer and wine, household items, etc. sold by the grocery store. A retail operation is classified based on its major source of receipts.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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Some data by commodity are available in the Merchandise Line Sales report available in Census years. Data are available from the Census of Retail Trade at (301) 763-2687.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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Yes. Using its annual surveys, the Census Bureau produces estimates of e-commerce activity for manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; food service and accommodations; and information, finance, transportation, business, professional and personal services. These data are available as part of the Census Bureau's E-Stats report.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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Businesses are categorized by their industrial activity and size. Within each of these groups, the Census Bureau selects a random sample of firms. Each quarter, new businesses undergo a similar procedure, and additional sampling units are selected and added to the survey. This methodology ensures that the sample contains businesses of all sizes and from each retail industry.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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We benchmark the estimates in two stages. When the latest Economic Census becomes available we benchmark to set the annual sales and end-of-year inventory estimates equal to the results from the Economic Census and minimize revisions to the previously published year-to-year trends. After we benchmark the annual estimates to the Economic Census results, we benchmark the monthly estimates to equal the annual estimates and the Economic Census results and minimize revisions to previously published month-to-month trends.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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No. We cannot isolate the effect of Hurricane Katrina on the August and September 2005 retail sales and inventories as the Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services Survey (MRTS) measures retail activity on a national level and not at specific geographic areas.

The areas affected by the hurricane ordinarily account for a minimal percentage of total U.S. retail activity based on the 2002 Economic Census. Furthermore, the effect of Hurricane Katrina on retail activity at the national level for August would be much less since Hurricane Katrina only impacted the last few days of August.

See the Census Bureau fact sheet on Gulf Coast Areas Affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Business, Government, and International Trade for data from the 2002 Economic Census for the areas affected by the Hurricane Katrina.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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No. Ordinarily, no imputation is done for individual nonrespondents. The MARTS survey accounts for missing data when estimating industry totals. The estimate makes use of data from MARTS respondents that report sales data for both the current and prior month and applies the resulting month-to-month change to the prior month sales estimates from the Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS). The MRTS imputes missing data for nonresponding firms based on reported data from firms that are in the same industry and the same size category as the nonrespondents.

The estimation procedure assumes that for a given industry the month-to month change for firms that report is similar to the month-to-month change for firms that do not report. This assumption is supported if sufficient reports from the affected area are received or if the reports received are representative of the area.

Retail sales for the most affected area are ordinarily a small percentage of the national total, so any bias that may be incurred because sales for responding firms are substantially different from sales for nonresponding firms will be negligible in the context of the Nation's total sales. As part of our review, we evaluated the effect of nonresponse on the national totals and felt no change to the methodology was necessary.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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No. Rail transportation is out of scope for the 2007 Economic Census. For a list of industries not covered by the economic census, see Codes Not Covered in the 2007 Economic Census User Guide.

However, we do collect and publish data for NAICS 4882, Support Activities for Rail Transportation. Business establishments in the economic census are grouped into industries based on the similarity of their production processes. These industries are coded according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

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No. Sales and commissions from sales of government lottery tickets are excluded from the retail sales estimates.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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No. More detailed information, including industry and merchandise category detail, can be obtained from the annual surveys as part of the Census Bureau's E-Stats report.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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No. The quarterly estimates appear to be meeting user needs.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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The sample is revised approximately every five years. During the life of the sample, we apply quarterly updates which are designed to account for new businesses (births) and businesses which discontinue operations (deaths).

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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No. We cannot isolate the effect of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the Advance Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services Survey (MARTS) estimates since the sample is designed to measure retail and food services activity at the national level and not at specific geographic areas.  However, the 2002 Economic Census does measure sales at the areas affected by the hurricane.

See the published Geographic Area Series of the 2002 Economic Census for more information.

Even though we cannot isolate the effect, we did receive indications from the companies that the hurricanes had both positive and negative effects on the retail sales data. Some firms reported a drop in sales due to permanent or temporary store closures and stores having reduced business due to damage, fewer customers, and/ or lack of employees. On the other hand, some firms reported sales increases due to significant sales of supplies for the affected areas and evacuees purchasing retail and food services in different geographic locales.

The areas most affected by the hurricanes ordinarily account for a minimal percentage of total U.S. retail and food services sales based on the 2002 Economic Census. See the 2002 Economic Census Geographic Area Series Areas Affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita for additional data.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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During our data collection, we will continue to ask questions that will help us monitor impacts from the affected areas as part of our regular telephone follow-up. We will monitor data responses and make adjustments if necessary.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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The option ensured that the magnitudes and directions of the seasonal adjustments of September, October, and surrounding months were consistent with the magnitudes and directions of the adjustments for these same calendar months in the recent past.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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Indeed there is a census of agriculture, and the United States has collected such data since 1840. Prior to 1992, the Census Bureau conducted the census; starting with the 1997 census, the U.S. Department of Agriculture performs this operation. Like the Economic Census, the agriculture census is conducted every five years, in years ending in 2 and 7. The census produces data on farms and farmers, crops, livestock, and a host of related topics. For more information on the census, contact the Department of Agriculture at http://www.nass.usda.gov/CensusofAgriculture/index.asp.

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No. The law authorizing this survey (Title 13, U.S. Code) does not authorize funds for payment.

For more information, visit the Annual and Quarterly Services website.

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Yes. In addition, we are separately estimating e-commerce sales.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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We drop firms from the monthly survey once we receive notification that a firm has ceased operation. The survey is updated each quarter to add new businesses and delete firms no longer in business.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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Electronic auctions directed at individual consumers are classified as retail trade. However, commissions and fees, not sales, are included in the e-commerce estimate. This is similar to the way the Census Bureau treats sales at traditional auction houses.

For more information, visit the Monthly and Annual Retail Trade website.

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