The Economic Census is the official measure of the Nation’s businesses and economy. Conducted every five years, the survey serves as the statistical benchmark for current economic activity, such as, the Gross Domestic Product and the Producer Price Index.

Data collected from individual business establishments on physical location, type of business activity (industry), employment, payroll, and revenue by type of service or product and more provides vital information on the changes in the ownership and organizational structure of American Businesses and industries. Some inquiries apply to certain industries but not others, such as, materials consumed and franchising.

Economic Census data is important to everyone. Examples include businesses using the data to make decisions about where to locate, local communities use the data to attract new businesses and individuals use the data to identify emerging markets. For more information on how the data is used, go to: Using Census Bureau Statistics.

What is new

Published statistics from data collected in 2017 will show several changes in comparison to 2012. These changes mirror the ever-changing U.S. economy, communities, and data user needs. Below is a summary of these key changes and links to more information. The changes include the following:

• First Look will replace the Industry Series as part of the Core Business Statistics. The National level data will be available September 2019.
• The tables will include new data fields, as prior to 2012, the amount of fields were limited. Users can refer to the glossary.
• To reflect the changes in geographic areas, reference materials are available to highlight differences from 2012.
• For the 2017 Economic Census, detailed product line data is consolidated and reformatted to follow the new North American Product Classification System.

To learn more, go to What's New For 2017