Preview to the

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

BUREAU OF THE CENSUS
Content of this booklet

How the data are collected 1

How the data are classified 1

What’s new for 1997? 5

Basic census content 8

How the data are published 8

Special census programs 11

Where to get more information 14

Page

The Economic Census is the primary source of detailed

facts about the Nation’s economy. Census data are

essential for government, business, and the public.

Market Businesses compare their sales to

share census totals for their industry or area

 to make plans and evaluate 

performance.

Targeting Companies use census data to lay 

sales out territories, allocate advertising, 

and locate new stores or offices.

Business-to- Firms supplying goods and services 

business to other businesses use census data

marketing to target industries for marketing.

Manufacturers look at statistics on 

materials consumed to learn about 

industries that use their products.

Operating Businesses compare their operating ratios 

ratios to census averages to see how

 they stack up to the competition.

Research Consultants and researchers use 

census data to analyze changes in 

industrial structure and location.

Monitor Important measures of economic activity,

business including Monthly Retail Sales and

activity the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 

are based on census data. Associations 

and news media study census data to find 

key business facts and project trends.

Legislation Legislators use census data in the 

and preparation and evaluation of new laws.

economic State and local governments monitor 

develop- census data to understand their economic

ment base and to help them focus efforts to attract

new business or retain existing firms.
The Economic Census is mandated by law under Title

13 of the United States Code (sections 131, 191, and

224). The law requires firms to respond and specifies

penalties for firms that fail to report.

The law also requires the Census Bureau to maintain

confidentiality. Individual responses may be seen

only by sworn Census Bureau employees. No data

are published that could reveal the identity or activity

of any business.

HOW THE DATA ARE CLASSIFIED

Economic Census statistics are collected and

published primarily by establishment. An establishment is a business or industrial unit at a single

physical location that produces or distributes goods

or performs services, for example, a single store

or factory.

Many companies own or control more than one establishment, and those establishments may be located

in different geographic areas and may be engaged

in different kinds of business. By collecting separate

information for each establishment, the Economic

Census can include detailed data for each industry

and area.
Industry 51332 Wireless telecommunications carriers,

except satellite

U.S. Industry 513321 Paging

The Census Bureau also classifies products, and, in the

case of manufacturing and mining, products are classified in a manner consistent with the NAICS structure.

The first 6 digits of the 10-digit product code are

normally the same as the NAICS code for the industry

with which the product is most frequently associated.

Broad pro- duct or service lines also are provided for

retail and wholesale trade and other service industries.

The 1997 Economic Census covers 1,057 of the 1,169

industries in NAICS; exclusions are noted in Table 2.
52 Finance and Insurance

(Census excludes funds and trusts)

53 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

54 Professional, Scientific, and Technical

Services (Census excludes landscape

architecture and veterinary services)

55 Management of Companies

and Enterprises

56 Administrative and Support, Waste

Management, and Remediation

Services (Census excludes landscaping

services)

61 Educational Services (Census excludes

elementary and secondary schools,

colleges, and professional schools)

62 Health Care and Social Assistance

71 Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation

72 Accommodation and Foodservices

81 Other Services (Except Public

Administration) (Census excludes

pet care; labor, political, and religious

organization; and private households)

92 Public Administration (Separate census

of governments does not present data

according to NAICS or SIC systems)
Retail Trade X X X X X Transportation and Warehousing X X Information X X X X Finance and Insurance X X X X Real Estate and Rental and Leasing X X X X Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services X X X X X Management of Companies and Enterprises X Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services X X X X X Educational Services X X t t t Health Care and Social Assistance X X t t t Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation X X t t t Accommodation and Foodservices X X X X X Other Services (Except Public Administration) X X t t t
Access software on both CDROM and the Internet will

be easier to use and will have more capabilities than the

software on 1992 CD-ROMs.

Greater Integration of Data Economy-Wide

Data for all sectors will be integrated in the Core

Business Statistics reports and key CD-ROM files.

Those statistics that are published separately by

sector will have a more consistent look and feel.

Less Geographic Detail for Certain Industries,

More for Others

Due to budget cuts, metropolitan area data are no

longer available for construction industries, and county

data no longer produced for mining. Industry detail for

counties and places will be more variable, but as such

will better reflect concentrations of locally significant

industries.

Terminology

All reports will be titled as Economic Census reports, no

longer treated as if each sector had a separate census,

e.g., the census of manufactures.
Class of customer

Type of structure

EXPENSES

Total

Cost of materials, etc

Cost of fuels

Energy consumed

Cost of electricity

Cost of other utilities

Products bought for resale

Taxes and license fees

Cost of office supplies

Depreciation charges

Commission expense

Purchased services:

Advertising

Rental payments

Legal services

Accounting services

Data processing services

Refuse removal

Communications services

Purchased repairs

Cost of contract work

ASSETS, CAPITAL EXPENDITURES, INVENTORIES

Capital expenditures, total

Depreciable assets, gross value

Value of inventories

1The Business Expenses report covers auxiliary establishments classified

in manufacturing, mining, and construction under the old SIC; and all

establishments in retail and wholesale trade and service industries, also

as defined under the old SIC.
N

N N

D S S e e

S S S e e e

S S

S S S e e e

e e e

S S e

e e e

e e

S S e e e

e

N e e e

S S S e e e

N e e e

N e e e

N e e e

N

N S S e e e

N S e e e

S S e

S S S

S S S

S S S e D

2National data only for utilities, trucking and warehousing, finance and

insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing.

315 selected states and 15 selected metro areas only.
NAICS

code Geographic area and kind of business

COLORADO

44-45 Retail trade

441 Motor vehicle and parts dealers

4411 Automobile dealers

44111 New car dealers

44112 Used car dealers

4412 Other motor vehicle dealers

44121 Recreational vehicle dealers

44122 Motorcycle, boat, and other motor vehicle dealers

441221 Motorcycle dealers

441222 Boat dealers

441229 All other motor vehicle dealers

4413 Automotive parts, accessories and tire stores

442 Furniture and homefurnishing stores

4421 Furniture stores

Table 5. Sample Data in the Geographic

Area Series
Paid employees

Estab- for pay period Annual

lishments Sales including March 12 payroll

(number) ($1,000) (number) ($1,000)

22 921 28 532 646 283 457 3 488 242

1 340 6 018 542 18 932 484 044

546 5 305 849 13 631 384 357

262 5 024 487 12 503 363 316

284 281 362 1 128 21 041

173 272 136 1 171 26 057

60 142 413 432 11 438

113 129 723 739 14 619

71 86 493 486 9 799

27 31 333 172 3 303

15 11 897 81 1 517

605 434 640 4 089 72 952

1 749 1 543 869 10 380 187 582

449 447 968 2 899 61 219
What s the latest from the

Economic Census?

check http://www.census.gov/econ97

G www.census.gov delivers the data more quickly

than any other medium.

G The most widely used numbers are available

free; the rest of the details are part of the subscription service CenStats.

G Data are available in two formats:

G Database format, with functions similar to the

CD-ROMs, including export to ASCII, dbf, and

other formats..

G Viewable formats (primarily PDF portable

document format) that allow you to view or print

tables just like the detailed printed reports available

previous censuses. You can print on demand .
Business Expenses

Data on operating expenses of retailers, merchant

wholesalers, and service firms (as classified under SIC)

and auxiliary establishments of manufacturing, mining,

and construction firms will be presented in the report

Business Expenses. These operating expenses include

supplemental labor costs, energy costs, taxes and a

variety of purchased services including advertising, legal

and accounting services, and repairs.

Transportation Surveys

The Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey reports on the

physical characteristics and operational use of the

Nation s 60 million private and commercial trucks.

The Commodity Flow Survey reports on the origin

and destination of commodities shipped from

selected industries.

Economic Censuses of Outlying Areas

These special censuses provide data on retail trade,

wholesale trade, services industries, construction,

and manufacturing for

- Puerto Rico

- U.S. Virgin Islands

- Guam

- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
jy

SubjectSeries:MaterialsConsumedUDVPX

LocationofManufacturingUSMCPDX

ZIPCodeStatisticsUSMCZDX

WholesaleTrade

GeographicAreaSeriesUSMCPDVXXX

SubjectSeries:CommodityLineSeriesUSMDVX

SubjectSeries:EstablishmentandFirmSizeUDVX

SubjectSeries:MiscellaneousSubjectsUSMDVX

SummaryUDVPX

RetailTrade

GeographicAreaSeriesUSMCPDVXXX

SubjectSeries:MerchandiseLineSalesUSMDVX

SubjectSeries:EstablishmentandFirmSizeUDVX

SubjectSeries:MiscellaneousSubjectsUSMDVX

SummaryUDVPX

ZIPCodeStatisticsUSMCZDX

TransportationandWarehousing

GeographicAreaSeriesUSMDVXX

SubjectSeries:RevenueLinesUDVX

SubjectSeries:EstablishmentandFirmSizeUDVX

SubjectSeries:MiscellaneousSubjectsUSDVX

SummaryUDVPX

Vehicle InventoryandUseSurveyUSDVXXXX

CommodityFlowSurveyUSDVX

Information

GeographicAreaSeriesUSMCPDVXXX

SubjectSeries:SourcesofReceiptsUSDVX

SubjectSeries:EstablishmentandFirmSizeUDVX

SubjectSeries:MiscellaneousSubjectsUSDVX

SummaryUDVPX

ZIPCodeStatisticsUSMCZDX

FinanceandInsurance

GeographicAreaSeriesUSMDVXX

SubjectSeries:RevenueLinesUDVX

SubjectSeries:EstablishmentandFirmSizeUDVX

SubjectSeries:MiscellaneousSubjectsUSDVX

SummaryUDVPX
jp

Subject Series: Establishment and Firm Size U D V X

Subject Series: Miscellaneous Subjects U S D V X

Summary U D V P X

ZIP Code Statistics U S M C Z D X

Health Care and Social Assistance

Geographic Area Series U S M C P D V X X X

Subject Series: Sources of Receipts U S D V X

Subject Series: Establishment and Firm Size U D V X

Subject Series: Miscellaneous Subjects U S D V X

Summary U D V P X

ZIP Code Statistics U S M C Z D X

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation

Geographic Area Series U S M D V X X X

Subject Series: Sources of Receipts U S D V X

Subject Series: Establishment and Firm Size U D V X

Subject Series: Miscellaneous Subjects U S M D V X

Summary U D V P X

ZIP Code Statistics U S M C Z D X

Accommodation and Foodservices

Geographic Area Series U S M C P D V X X X

Subject Series: Sources of Receipts U S M D V X

Subject Series: Establishment and Firm Size U D V X

Subject Series: Miscellaneous Subjects U S M D V X

Summary U D V P X

ZIP Code Statistics U S M C Z D X

Other Services (Except Public Administration)

Geographic Area Series U S M C P D V X X X

Subject Series: Sources of Receipts U S D V X

Subject Series: Establishment and Firm Size U D V X

Subject Series: Miscellaneous Subjects U S M D V X

Summary U D V P X

ZIP Code Statistics U S M C Z D X

Outlying Areas

Puerto Rico:

Geographic Area Series PR M C D V P X

Subject Series PR D V P X

Construction PR M C D V P X

Manufactures PR M C D V P X

Virgin Islands VI M C P D V P X

Guam GU M C D V P X

Northern Mariana Islands NM M C D V P X
Census and You also announces conferences

and workshops and describes new releases and

reference materials.

G Census Catalog and Guide Annual publication,

the latest edition of of which is available on-line,

describes all data products issued by the Census

Bureau up to the start of the reference year. (More

recent product information is available through the

CenStore section of the Census Bureau www

site.) Each edition of the Catalog and Guide also

lists sources for more information, including

Census Bureau specialists by subject, State Data

Centers and affiliates, and depository libraries.

G Monthly Product Announcement Free monthly

publication updates the Catalog and Guide with

ordering information for every Census Bureau

product released during the previous month.
Your one-stop source for information from

or about the 1997 Economic Census...

check http://www.census.gov/econ97

Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the

Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin

Islands, have recent reports and CD-ROM s for

their respective areas. Business and Industry Data

Centers are an extension of the SDC program in

about half of the states. These centers and their

affiliates specialize in economic data for business

data users.

* Federal Depository Libraries in the reference

sections of many university and community libraries maintain collections of Economic Census

reports and CD-ROMS.
Information 301-457-2689

scb@census.gov

Finance and Insurance 301-457-2824

fcb@census.gov

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 301-457-2824

fcb@census.gov

Professional, Scientific, and

TechnicalServices 301-457-2689

scb@census.gov

Management of Companies

and Enterprises 301-457-2689

scb@census.gov

Administrative and Support, Waste

Management, and Remediation Services 301-457-2689

scb@census.gov

Educational Services 301-457-2689

scb@census.gov

Health Care and Social Assistance 301-457-2689

scb@census.gov

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 301-457-2689

scb@census.gov

Accommodations and Foodservices 301-457-2687

rcb@census.gov

Other Services

(Except Public Administration) 301-457-2689

scb@census.gov

Company Statistics 301-763-7174

agfs@census.gov

Minority- and

Women-Owned Businesses 301-763-5726

agfs@census.gov

CENSUS BUREAU CUSTOMER SERVICES

Washington, DC 301-457-4100

Customer Services

Washington, DC 20233-0800

Census Bureau Information

Regional Offices Center Phone

Atlanta 404-730-3833

101 Marietta St., N.W. Suite 3200

Atlanta, GA 30303-2700

Boston 617-424-4730

2 Copley Place, Suite 301

Boston, MA 02117-9108

Charlotte 704-344-6144

901 Center Park Drive, Suite 5501

Westchester, IL 60154

Chicago 708-562-1723

2255 Enterprise Drive, Suite 106

Westchester, IL 60154-5800

Dallas 214-640-4470

6303 Harry Hines Blvd., Suite 210

Dallas, TX 75235-5269

Denver 303-969-7750

6900 West Jefferson Avenue

Denver, CO 80235-2032

Detroit 313-259-1875

1395 Brewery Park Blvd.

Detoit, MI 48232-5405

Kansas City 913-551-6711

400 State Avenue, Suite 600

Kansas City, KS 66101-2410

Los Angeles 818-904-6339

15350 Sherman Way, Suite 300

Van Nuys, CA 91406-4224

New York 212-264-4730

26 Federal Plaza, Rm. 37-130

New York, NY 10278-0044

Philadelphia 215-597-8313

105 South 7th St., 1st Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19106-3395

Seattle 206-728-5314

101 Stewart St., Suite 500

Seattle, WA 98101-1098