ENTERPRISE STATISTICS
(discontinued after 1992)

PURPOSE

To provide periodic and comprehensive company-wide data, including company support organizations and selected financial activities. The United States Code, Title 13, authorizes this program and provides for mandatory responses.

COVERAGE

All multi-establishment companies in industries covered in the economic censuses and auxiliary establishments of companies (e.g., headquarters offices, research and development facilities, and data processing centers).

CONTENT

Selected establishment data from the censuses consolidated to the enterprise (company-wide) level; supplementary data for large multi-establishment companies; and establishment data for all company auxiliaries. Consolidated company data include sales, employment, payroll, form of organization and enterprise industry classification. Supplementary data for large companies include inventories, assets, fringe benefits, capital and research and development (R&D) expenditures, and depreciation. Data for auxiliaries include sales, employment and payroll, billings, inventories, capital and R&D expenditures, and selected purchased services.

FREQUENCY

Data collection began in December of the reference year and continued for several months; data were for activities taking place during the census year. Conducted as part of the economic censuses; similar data were produced for 1963, 1958, and 1954. Data were collected every 5 years since 1967, for years ending in "2" and "7."

METHODS

Separate mail-out/mail-back surveys of about 10,000 multi-unit companies with 400 or more employees and 49,000 auxiliary establishments of multi-unit companies; consolidation of selected economic census data to the company-wide level; and assignment of enterprise industry classifications for all companies. Data consolidated from the economic censuses include direct responses from companies and data from administrative records.

The enterprise survey of large multi-unit companies is a cutoff sample survey, with the cutoff based on employment size data from the latest company organization survey (COS). Large companies provide consolidated end-of-year company-wide totals. The auxiliary establishment survey covers establishments identified in the latest Company Organization Survey (COS) and requests information on their location, business activity, employment, and selected operations.

PRODUCTS

Large Companies reports provide national statistics for companies with 500 or more employees about two and one-half years after the reference year. Data include selected company operating and financial data by industry, industry diversification patterns, employment and asset size, and historical comparisons.

Auxiliary Establishment reports provide national and state data for auxiliary establishments about 3 years after the reference year. Statistics include location, primary functions, employment by type of work, and selected operating and financial data.

Company Summary reports provide basic data for all census covered multi-unit companies about three and one-half years after the reference year.

USES

The Bureau of Economic Analysis used these data for input-output studies and to calculate the Gross Domestic Product. The Small Business Administration used the data to determine industry size standards for small businesses. The Census Bureau used the data to benchmark results of the Plant and Equipment Survey.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Provided the only source of economy-wide company-level statistics, and data to relate the activities of companies and their affiliated establishments.