The Census Product Update is a listing of recently released and upcoming data products from the U.S. Census Bureau. Census Bureau data come in many media types. PDF files cited below can be ordered in print from the Customer Services Center for a cost. Call for prices. Some printed reports must be ordered from the U.S. Government Printing Office (202-512-1800). Before ordering other products listed for sale, be sure to consult the ordering information at the end of this newsletter.
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Headline News
Profiles of Older Workers: Washington. (Released October 15, 2008)
US Retail and Food Service Sales for August Reached $375.5 Billion. (Released October 15, 2008)
US Total Business Sales for August Were $1,192.3 Billion. (Released October 15, 2008).
Profiles of Older Workers: Tennessee. (Released October 14, 2008)
The Nation's International Deficit in Goods and Services Decreased to $59.1 Billion in August From $61.3 Billion (Revised) in July. (Released October 10, 2008)
August 2008 Sales of Merchant Wholesalers Were $404.9 Billion, Down 1.0 Percent From Last Month. (Released October 9, 2008)
Census Bureau Releases Comprehensive Health Insurance Coverage Estimates by County. (Released October 9, 2008)
After-Tax Profits for Retail Corporations With Assets Greater Than $50 Million Averaged 2.3 Cents Per Dollar of Sales for the Second Quarter 2008. (Released October 8, 2008)
Capital Expenditures Rise 14 Percent to Record High in 2006. (Released October 7, 2008)
Nation's Housing Stock Reaches 128 Million. (Released October 6, 2008)
Fact of the Day
Capital Expenditures By US Businesses
Capital spending by all US businesses rose 14.3 percent to a record high $1.31 trillion, in 2006. This represents a $165 billion increase from the $1.14 trillion in capital spending reported in 2005 and surpasses the previous high of $1.16 trillion in 2000.
These data come from the Census Bureau's 2008 Capital Spending Report: US Capital Spending Patterns, 1999 - 2006. Find out much more at the Annual Capital Expenditures Survey website!
Hot Tip
International Statistics!
The International Programs Center (IPC) is part of the US Census Bureau Population Division. It conducts demographic and socioeconomic studies and strengthens statistical development around the world through technical assistance, training, and software products. For over 50 years IPC has assisted in the collection, processing, analysis, dissemination, and use of statistics with counterpart governments throughout the world. Check out their website, including these handy links to international statistical agencies!
Recently Released
Housing
American Housing Survey: 2007. (PDF - 6.82 MB) The American Housing Survey (AHS) is conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The survey collects data on the nation's housing, including apartments, single-family homes, mobile homes, vacant housing units, household characteristics, income, housing, neighborhood quality, and much more. National data are collected in odd numbered years, and data for each of 47 selected metropolitan areas are collected currently about every six years. The AHS returns to the same housing units year after year to gather data; therefore, this survey is ideal for analyzing the flow of households through housing.
Small Area Health Insurance Estimates: 2005. Interactive tables, maps, and downloadable files containing estimates of health insurance coverage for all counties and states. Data are provided by age, sex, and income at the county level, and, in addition to these characteristics, by race and Hispanic origin at the state level. The estimates are based on models combining data from a variety of sources, including the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey, Census 2000, administrative records, and population estimates.
Latest Economic Indicators
Quarterly Financial Report for Retail Trade: 2nd Quarter 2008. Press release shows second quarter sales of large retail trade corporations. Includes large US retailers' after-tax profits.
Monthly Wholesale Trade: August 2008. Press release showing estimates for sales, inventories on a non-LIFO ("last in-first out") basis, and stock-sales ratios for merchant wholesalers by three-digit major kind-of-business groups.
US International Trade in Goods and Services: August 2008. Press release showing monthly exports, general imports (including data by country), and limited data on imports for consumption.
Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services: September 2008. Press release presenting advance monthly estimates of retail store sales by kind-of-business groups. Report includes seasonally adjusted estimates and percentage changes for major kind-of-business groups.
Manufacturing and Trade: Inventories and Sales: August 2008. Press release showing sales, inventories, and inventories-to-sales ratios for the combined domestic activities of retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers.
Economic Census and Surveys
2008 Capital Spending Report: US Capital Spending Patterns, 1999-2006. A look at capital expenditure patterns from 1999 to 2006 reveals data about firms with and without employees, expenditures for structures and equipment, and expenditures for major industry sectors. The data comes from the Annual Capital Expenditures Survey.
Older Worker Profiles. Reports (will be released for each of over 30 states) providing a detailed picture of workers 55 and older at the county and metropolitan area levels for 2004. Based on data from the Local Employment Dynamics program, the reports highlight the age of the states' work force, job gains, and losses, industries in which older workers are concentrated, job stability, and earnings. The following states are available as of the publish date of this newsletter:
Iowa (PDF - 1.31 MB)
Maine (PDF - 1.45 MB)
Vermont (PDF - 762 KB)
Indiana (PDF - 1.53 MB)
Arkansas (PDF - 1.81 MB)
Hawaii (PDF - 558 KB)
Delaware (PDF - 464 KB)
Colorado (PDF - 779 KB)
Wisconsin (PDF - 766 KB)
New Jersey (PDF - 800 KB)
Maryland (PDF - 1.03 MB)
Kentucky (PDF - 1.58 MB)
Oklahoma (PDF - 696 KB)
South Carolina (PDF - 1.34 MB)
Montana (PDF - 1.03 MB)
Oregon (PDF - 756 KB)
New Mexico (PDF - 486 KB)
Tennessee (PDF - 1.13 MB)
Washington (PDF - 1.03 MB)
Government
Consolidated Federal Funds Report for Fiscal Year 2007 (PDF - 5.27 MB) and Federal Aid to States for Fiscal Year 2007 (PDF - 3.65 MB). These two reports provide an overview of federal spending at the national, state and county levels. The data are obtained from federal agencies and describe spending for procurement contracts, salaries and wages, direct payments, loans and insurance, as well as federal grants to state and local governments.
Reference and Compendia
Facts for Features: Hispanic Heritage Month 2008: September 15 - October 15
Facts for Features: Unmarried and Single Americans Week (September 21-27)
Facts for Features: Halloween (October 31)
Thanksgiving Day (November 27)
Upcoming Releases
Economic Indicators
Housing Starts and Building Permits: September 2008. Press release showing data for housing starts, completions, and building permits. Scheduled for release October 17, 2008.
New Residential Sales: September 2008. Press release reporting new one-family houses sold and for sale. Includes sales prices, months on the market, and stage of construction. Scheduled for release October 27, 2008.
Housing Vacancies: 3rd Quarter 2008. Press release showing rental and homeowner vacancy rates and characteristics of units available for occupancy. Scheduled for release October 28, 2008.
Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufactures' Shipments and Orders: September 2008. Press release showing advance information on key business indicators. Scheduled for release October 29, 2008.
Government
2007 State and Local Government Employees and Payroll. Internet tables and files available in PDF containing figures about the nation's 89,526 state and local governments. These will be the first comprehensive data from the 2007 Census of Governments. Local governments include counties, cities, townships, special districts and school districts.
Facts for Features
American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month (November). Presidents have signed proclamations to honor the nation's 4.5 million American Indian and Alaska Natives each year at this time. This group is younger and has larger families than the national population.
Veterans Day (November 11). Parades and speeches across the country, as well as a national ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, highlight this federal holiday. Some of the statistics from this day include the number of veterans in the country, their racial and ethnic backgrounds, and the number who vote.
