You are here:  Home New for 2002

For respondents

1. Collection Methods

• Electronic Reporting software provides a more convenient method of completing your 2002 Economic Census forms.

back to top

2. New Questions Asked

• Questions about E-commerce sales
• Questions about Supply chain (including outsourcing)
• Questions about Leased employees

back to top

3. Customer support

• The Business Help Site provides assistance 24 hours/day, 7 days/week for the 2002 Economic Census. It provides instructions for filling out forms, replacement forms, and other online requests businesses need.
• Toll-free Telephone Help Line - For those who prefer talking to live operators to receive quick answers to questions: 1-800-233-6136, 8:00am - 8:00pm eastern time, Monday - Friday.

back to top

4. New Look to the Forms

In response to requests from respondents, we are using a standard size for all forms - 8 ½ x 11. This will make our forms easier to handle and complete, easier to file or fax, and easier to store. Most questions are the same as in the last economic census, but many forms will have additional pages.

back to top

5. New Industry Classification for Today's Economy

The Economic Census organizes businesses by industry based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

Substantial changes will be implemented for 2002 for construction. Revisions for wholesale trade and retail trade will provide better information about electronic commerce. In addition, restructuring of wholesale trade will more accurately reflect production-function differences between those wholesalers that take title to goods and those that do not.

The information sector is restructured to distinguish between traditional publishing and broadcasting and similar activities using the Internet; to distinguish between the production and distribution of information or cultural content and the creation of the infrastructure used in distribution; and to reflect the growing importance of information industries such as Internet service providers and Web search portals.

back to top

6. New Products for Service Industries

We are implementing the first phase of the new North American Product Classification System (NAPCS) initiative, a three-country endeavor with Canada and Mexico. The first phase addresses the products of four NAICS service sectors:

1. Information (sector 51);
2. Finance and Insurance (sector 52) except Insurance (subsector 524);
3. Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services(sector 54); and
4. Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services (sector 56)

We will use the products identified and defined under Phase I of the NAPCS initiative to measure revenues by product if your business is engaged in one of these sectors.

back to top

For data users

1. Industry and Product Classifications

• Most industries are comparable 1997 to 2002 under NAICS.
• New industries added to Construction, Wholesale Trade, and parts of Retail Trade and Information sectors.
• New products for selected service industries.

back to top