National data are collected every other year, and data for each of 46 selected Metropolitan Areas are collected about every four years, with an average of 12 Metropolitan Areas included each year. The national sample covers on average 55,000 homes. Each metropolitan areas sample covers 4,800 or more homes. County Business Patterns is an annual series that provides subnational economic data by industry. Businesses use the data for analyzing market potential, measuring the effectiveness of sales and advertising programs, setting sales quotas, and developing budgets.
Government agencies use the data for administration and planning.
This survey covers Employment, Unemployment, Earnings, Educational Attainment, Income, Poverty, Health Insurance coverage, Job Experience and Tenure, School Enrollment, Voting and Registration, Computer Usage, Internet Usage, Veterans. Findings are based on a sample of visits to nonfederally employed office-based physicians who are primarily engaged in direct patient care. Physicians in the specialties of anesthesiology, pathology, and radiology are excluded from the survey. The survey was conducted annually from 1973 to 1981, in 1985, and annually since 1989. In 1983, NCHS established a unique research data set comprised of linked birth and death certificates for infants born in the United States who died before reaching one year of age.