Assessing Stakeholder 

Data Needs for the 

2022 Economic Census

October 27, 2022

Michael Sprung

Economic Census Assistant Survey Director

Economy-Wide Statistics Division

U.S. Census Bureau

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Any opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Census Bureau has reviewed this data product for unauthorized disclosure of confidential information and has approved the

disclosure avoidance practices applied. (Approval ID: CBDRB-FY23-ESMD002-002)
The Economic Census

• Conducted in years ending in 2 and 7, it produces the most 

comprehensive economic data available and serves as a 

benchmark for other economic surveys. 

• The Economic Census is conducted online, and response is 

required by law.

• Responses are confidential. The Census Bureau is required 

by law to keep all information private and secure.

• The next Economic Census will be conducted in 2023 with 

businesses reporting their 2022 year-end numbers. 

• ~8 million employer business establishments in scope

• Just over 4 million direct data collection

• Administrative records for the remainder

• Results are available for all to use – free and online.

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Economic Census Coverage

Scope Data Collected

Core coverage of 19 industrial sectors (About 

950 North American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS) Industries):

• 7,900 goods and services from the North American 

Product Classification System (NAPCS)

• By business establishment

• Statistics on key economic data items, such as 

number of establishments, payroll, employment and 

sales/revenue/value of shipments

• Additional topics such as costs, expenses, assets 

capital expenditures, inventories, and intellectual 

capital

By geographic area: • Nearly 21,000 geographic areas: U.S., States, Metro 

areas, Counties, Places, and U.S. Territories

• 16,000+ Cities and towns

By Island Area: • Puerto Rico • American Samoa • Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands • Guam • U.S. Virgin Islands

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Industry Core Coverage

NAICS Code North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Sector

11 Agriculture, only NAICS 1151 – Support Activities for Crop Production, NAICS 1152 – Support Activities for Animal Production

21 Mining

22 Utilities

23 Construction

31-33 Manufacturing

42 Wholesale Trade

44-45 Retail Trade

48-49 Transportation and Warehousing, excluding NAICS 482 - Rail Transportation, NAICS 491 - Postal Service

51 Information

52 Finance and Insurance, excluding NAICS 525 - Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles

53 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

54 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

55 Management of Companies and Enterprises

56 Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services

61

Educational Services, excluding NAICS 6111 - Elementary and Secondary Schools, NAICS 6112 - Junior Colleges, NAICS 6113 -

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools

62 Health Care and Social Assistance

71 Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation

72 Accommodation and Food Services

81

Other Services (Except Public Administration), excluding NAICS 8131 - Religious Organizations, NAICS 81393 - Labor Unions 

and Similar Labor Organizations, NAICS 81394 - Political Organizations, and NAICS 814 - Private Households

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Questionnaire Content

Basic Data Items

• Primary business or activity

• Revenue (and expenses in some cases)

• Employment 

• Payroll

• Products sold or services provided

Sector-Specific Data and Special Items

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• Congress - Informed policy making

• Federal agencies - Basis for fundamental measures of economic activity

• State & local governments - Economic development, regional planning, 

emergency management, zoning, small business procurement guidelines and 

analysis of business and labor

• Trade associations - Gauge trends in products and services, and analysis of 

industries, competitiveness and labor demand 

• Individual businesses – Market share and data for decisions on location, 

investment, expansion, product development, business plans and loan 

applications 

• Researchers - Detailed information on sales, employment and payroll

• Census - Benchmarks for economic indicators and other current business surveys 

and updates to the Business Register

Key Users of Economic Census Data
Improvements for the 2022 Economic Census

• Expanded stakeholder engagement

• Additional content and industry coverage

• Smarter data collection instrument

• Improved classification

• Maximize use of electronic communication

• Comprehensive outreach

• Accelerated data releases

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Stakeholder Identification Groundwork

• Reengineering the Census Bureau’s Annual Economic Surveys

• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus 

study

• Evaluate data needs and identify gaps in current data products

• Identified Economic Census stakeholders and questions 

relevant to specific parties 

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Stakeholder Engagement

Federal Stakeholders (BEA, BLS, CMS, FRB, USDA)

• Data Gaps: 2020

• New Content Follow-up/Feedback: Feb-May 2021

• Drops Feedback: June 2021

Internal Stakeholders and Survey Owners

Trade Associations

Federal Register 

• General Notice

Island Areas

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Federal Stakeholder Acronyms:

BEA – Bureau of Economic Analysis

BLS – Bureau of Labor Statistics

CMS – Centers for Medicare & 

Medicaid Services

FRB – Federal Reserve Board

USDA – U.S. Department of 

Agriculture
New Content to Measure a 

Changing Economy

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New question topics

• Business Technologies

• Touchscreens/kiosks 

• Additive manufacturing (3D printing)

• Radio-frequency identification (RFID) 

• Industrial robots

• Service robots 

• Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and 

autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)

• Export/Import of Services

• Telemedicine
New Question – Business Technologies 

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New Question – Business Technologies Acquisition 

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New Question – Exported Services

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New Question – Telemedicine

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New Content – Kinds of 

Business and Products

Primary kind of business

• Cannabis

NAPCS

• Cannabis

• Cryptocurrency 

• Electric Vehicles

• Remanufacturing

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Industry Expansion – New Ag Subsectors

1151 - Support Activities for Crop Production

11511 - Support Activities for Crop Production

115111 - Cotton Ginning

115112 - Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating

115113 - Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine

115114 - Postharvest Crop Activities (except Cotton Ginning)

115115 - Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders

115116 - Farm Management Services

1152 - Support Activities for Animal Production

11521 - Support Activities for Animal Production

115210 - Support Activities for Animal Production

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Industry Expansion – New Ag Subsectors

2022 Focus for NAICS 115

• Frame coverage

• Basic data items

• Primary business activity

• Receipts

• Employment, payroll

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New Content Considered but Not Added

• Human Capital (Formal Employee Training)

• Small Business Pulse Survey Content

• Auxiliaries

• Climate related content

• Space Vehicle Manufacturing

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Removal of Questions

After careful consideration, several questions were removed 

for 2022:

• Inventories Outside the United States

• Shipping & Handling

• Manufacturing Activities

• Retail Health Clinics

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Accelerated Data Release Plan

Series Description Planned Release

First Look Report General statistics data at the 2 – 3 digit NAICS level By March 2024

Island Area Series • Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands

• U.S. Virgin Islands

• Puerto Rico

• June 2024

• July 2024

• June 2025

Geographic Area Series General statistics data at the U.S., State, Metro Area, 

County, and Place level; Complete state released 

By March 2025

Establishment & Firm Size Summary statistics by revenue size and employment size 

for all sectors

By June 2025

Bridge/Comparative Industries whose NAICS changed between 2022 and 

2017/All 2-6 2022 NAICS for 2022 and 2017

By June 2025

North American Product 

Classification System 

(NAPCS) Tables

Product details for industries By September 2025

Misc. Subjects Trade specific, on a flow basis Last release by March 

2026

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Conclusions

• Work should not end with finalizing questionnaire content or mailout

• Continue to engage with stakeholders throughout the dissemination 

cycle

• Ensure that published data and products also provide the timeliness, 

relevancy, and quality to data users.

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Thank you!

Contact Information:

Michael Sprung

michael.j.sprung@census.gov

Meghan (Harrison) Powell

meghan.a.harrison@census.gov

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