Library Guides: Labor Statistics & Data: US Surveys of Establishments

Start Here: Establisments

How is the data collected?

The Business Register is the Census Bureau’s source of information on employer establishments. A company operating at more than one location is required to file a separate report for each location or establishment. Companies engaged in distinctly different lines of activity at one location are requested to submit separate reports, if the business records permit such a separation, and if the activities are substantial in size.

NAICS/SIC

It helps to know the industry code for your company before trying to find establishment or enterprise statistics.

North American Industry Classification System
standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.
Standard Occupational Classification
Older code used by Federal statistical agencies to classify workers into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, or disseminating data.

Census FAQ

The Census has a nice page of frequently asked questions for business statistics.

US Economic Census

Economic Census [U.S. Bureau of the Census]
Census Bureau of Economic Statistics
home to the Economic Census and Economic Indicators.
Census Data (was American FactFinder)
provides access to data about the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas. It contains data from a broad range of surveys and censuses from the United States.
Economic Census
Business & Industry : Census Bureau Economic Statistics
find economic indicators as well as the economic census and related programs such as County Business Patterns.
Historical Data [Economic Census]

Annual Statistics Programs

The Current Employment Statistics Program is a federal-state cooperative program. The CES survey is based on approximately 146,000 businesses and government agencies representing approximately 623,000 worksites throughout the United States.

Current Employment Statistics Program (CES)
The Current Employment Statistics Program is a federal-state cooperative program. The CES survey is based on approximately 146,000 businesses and government agencies representing approximately 623,000 worksites throughout the United States.
County Business Patterns (CBP)
CBP is an annual series that provides subnational economic data by industry. This series includes the number of establishments, employment during the week of March 12, first quarter payroll, and annual payroll.

United States Establishment Surveys

Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs (ASE)
Provides estimates of number of firms, sales/receipts, annual payroll, and employment by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status.
Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (APES)
Provides state and local government data on full-time and part-time employment, part-time hours worked, full-time equivalent employment, and payroll statistics.
Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS)
Provides measures of openings and closings, job creation and destruction by size, age, and industrial sector, and other statistics on business dynamics.
Business R&D Survey (BRDS)
Provides detailed statistics on global & domestic R&D expenses of US based companies as well as statistics on the R&D workforce, and other information.
Business R&D and Innovation Survey (BRDIS)
Provides statistics on global & domestic expenses, workforce, intellectual property, technology transfer activities and innovation of US based companies.
Census of Jails
Collects information on each facility, including admissions and releases, use of space, crowding, staffing, inmate work assignments, and counseling programs.
Enterprise Statistics Program (ESP)
Provide periodic and comprehensive company-wide data, including company support organizations and selected financial activities.
Management and Organizational Practices Survey (MOPS)
Provides information on the use of decentralized decision rights, data-driven decision making, and investments in human capital.
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
Provides estimates on private and public sector employer-sponsored health insurance coverage.
National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS)
Meets the need for objective, reliable information about the provision and use of ambulatory medical care services in the United States.
Nonemployer Statistics
An annual series that provides subnational economic data for businesses that have no paid employees and are subject to federal income tax.
Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS)
Provides attrition rates for principals in K-12 public, private, and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools.
Quarterly Survey of Public Pensions
Provides national summary data on the revenues, expenditures, and composition of assets of the largest defined benefit public employee retirement systems.
Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI)
A set of economic indicators including employment, job creation, earnings, and other measures of employment flows.
Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS)
A system of related questionnaires that provide a variety of statistics on the condition of education in the United States.
Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB)
Provides detailed annual data for U.S. business establishments by geography, industry, and enterprise size.
Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons (SBO)
Provides estimates on selected economic and demographic characteristics for businesses & business owners by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status.

Penn State University Libraries

Labor Statistics & Data

Other related guides

Start Here: Establisments

US Economic Census

Annual Statistics Programs

United States Establishment Surveys