Every five years the Census Bureau conducts the Economic Census. The first Economic Census was taken in 1810 - the Census of Manufactures. The Enterprise Statistics Program is useful in that it provides data on groups of establishments under common ownership or control in order to show various economic characteristics of the owning or control firm. The Census Agriculture is also taken every five years. It provides data on crops, livestock, farm and labor characteristics.
Data is available by county or zip code.
The 1992 census covers approximately five million establishments. Today the Economic Census, together with the separately conducted censuses of agriculture and government, covers virtually the entire economy. Each establishment in the Economic Census is assigned an industry code in accordance with the 1987 SIC manual. If you want to know how a subject item was made or produced , look in the Census of Manufacturers, Mineral Industries, Construction Industries. If you want to know how a subject item was marketed or sold , look in the Census of Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, Selected Services.