Statistics of U.S. Businesses
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EXPLANATION OF TERMS:
Establishment - A single physical location where business is conducted or where
services or industrial operations are performed.
Employment - Paid employment consists of full and part-time employees, including
salaried officers and executives of corporations, who were on the payroll in the pay
period including March 12. Included are employees on sick leave, holidays, and vacations;
not included are proprietors and partners of unincorporated businesses.
Annual Payroll - Total annual payroll includes all forms of compensation, such
as salaries, wages, commissions, bonuses, vacation allowances, sick-leave pay, and the
value of payments inkind (e.g., free meals and lodgings) paid during the year to all
employees.
Receipts - Receipts (net of taxes) are defined as the revenue for goods
produced, distributed, or services provided, including revenue earned from premiums,
commissions and fees, rents, interest, dividends, and royalties. Receipts excludes
all revenue collected for local, state, and federal taxes. Receipts are acquired
from the Economic Census data for establishments in industries that are in-scope
to the Economic Census; receipts are acquired from IRS tax data for single-establishment
businesses in industries that are out-of-scope to the Economic Census; payroll-to-receipts
ratios are used to estimate receipts for multi-establishment businesses in industries
that are out-of-scope to the Economic Census. Statistics of U.S. Businesses
has receipts for 1997 & 2002 only.
Enterprise - An enterprise is a business organization consisting of one or more
domestic establishments that were specified under common ownership or control. The
enterprise and the establishment are the same for single-establishment firms. Each
multi-establishment company forms one enterprise - the enterprise employment and annual
payroll are summed from the associated establishments.
Firm - A firm is a business organization consisting of one or more domestic
establishments in the same state and industry that were specified under common ownership
or control. The firm and the establishment are the same for single-establishment firms.
For each multi-establishment firm, establishments in the same industry within a state will
be counted as one firm- the firm employment and annual payroll are summed from the
associated establishments.
Enterprise Size - Enterprise size designations are determined by the summed
employment of all associated establishments. The enterprise size group `0` includes
enterprises for which no associated establishments reported paid employees
in the mid-March pay period but paid employees at some time during the
year.
Business Information Tracking Series (BITS) - A file which links establishments
in the annual County Business Patterns data from year to year. We use a series
of matches to link establishments across years. The primary match links establishments
having the same census identification number in both the initial and subsequent years.
These are establishments which have undergone no ownership or organizational
changes.
The remainder of the matches use establishment identification numbers such as
the employer identification number, as well as, establishment attributes like
business name and address, ZIP code, and industry code to create links for establishments that
have remained in existence but have undergone ownership or organizational changes which lead
to changes in the census file numbers across years.
Using this file, we are able to create longitudinal tabulations. A longitudinal tabulation is
a tabulation that provides a study of business entities across a span of years. A longitudinal
tabulation measures the change in business entities, such as establishment births, deaths,
expansions,and contractions for an industry and/or enterprise size. In contrast,
non-longitudinal tabulations show aggregate totals for an industry and/or enterprise size.
Comparison of non-longitudinal tabulations of two-year time periods do not provide
explanations for changes in business entities.
Establishment Births - Births are establishments that have zero employment in the first
quarter of the initial year and positive employment in the first quarter of the subsequent year.
Establishment Deaths - Deaths are establishments that have positive employment in the
first quarter of the initial year and zero employment in the first quarter of the subsequent year.
Establishment Expansions - Expansions are establishments that have positive
first quarter employment in both the initial and subsequent years and increase employment during the
time period between the first quarter of the initial year and the first quarter of the subsequent year.
Establishments Contractions - Contractions are establishments that have positive
first quarter employment in both the initial and subsequent years and decrease employment during the
time period between the first quarter of the initial year and the first quarter of the subsequent year.
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) -
[1988-2002] An MSA is an integrated economic and
social unit with a large population nucleus. Each MSA consists of one or more counties or
statistically equivalent area meeting published standards of population and metropolitan
character; in the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont), cities and towns (rather than counties) are used as
the component geographic units.
[2003 +] Based on OMB definitions effective
June 6, 2003. A core area with a substantial population nucleus, together
with adjacent communities having a high degree of social and economic integration
with that core.
- Metropolitan Statistical Areas have at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more population, plus
adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured
by commuting ties.
- Micropolitan Statistical Areas have at least one urban cluster of at least 10,000 but less than
50,000 population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with
the core as measured by commuting ties.
Legal Form of Organization (LFO) -
[1988-2001]
a. Corporations - Enterprises legally incorporated under state laws.
b. Partnerships - Unincorporated enterprises owned by two or more persons having financial
interest in the business.
c. Sole Proprietorships - Unincorporated enterprises owned by one person.
d. Nonprofit Organizations - Enterprises with non-profit status (tax-exempt).
e. Other (Associations, Trust, Joint Ventures, Estates, etc.) - Enterprises that are
formed by other legal form of organization.
f. Unknown - Enterprises with unknown legal form of organization.
[2002 +]
a. Corporations (subject to taxes) - Enterprises legally incorporated under state laws.
b. Tax-Exempt Corporations - Enterprises legally incorporated under state laws & not subject to taxes.
c. Partnerships - Unincorporated enterprises owned by two or more persons having financial
interest in the business.
d. Sole Proprietorships - Unincorporated enterprises owned by one person.
e. Other (trusts, estates, cooperatives with undetermined tax status, etc.) - Enterprises that are
formed by other legal form of organization.
f. Tax-Exempt Other (religious organizations, etc.) - Enterprises that are
formed by other legal form of organization & not subject to taxes.
g. Unknown - Enterprises with unknown legal form of organization.
Employment Size Class Symbols - For all suppressed totals, employment has been
replaced by an employment size class
symbol. The employment for all suppressed totals has been replaced with the employment
size symbols as listed below.
Employment Size Symbol Employment Size Range
[a]
Less
than 20
[b]
20
to 99
[c]
100
to 249
[e]
250
to 499
[f]
500
to 999
[g]
1,000
to 2,499
[h]
2,500
to 4,999
[i]
5,000
to 9,999
[j]
10,000
to 24,999
[k]
25,000
to 49,999
[l]
50,000
to 99,999
[m]
100,000
or more
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