Guide to the
1997 Economic Census
Each census includes one or more reports that add further dimension to the analysis of industries, primarily at the national level. Most common are statistics on establishment and firm size (e.g., for differentiating big and small businesses) and on capital expenditures and assets. Others include information on legal form of organization (corporations, partnerships, and individual proprietorships), concentration of activity in the largest firms in each industry, and measures unique to a particular sector.
Of special significance are the Merchandise Line Sales report for retail businesses and the Commodity Line Sales report for wholesale trade which interrelate the kinds of merchandise sold with the kinds of businesses carrying each line. (A corresponding classification of manufacturing and mining by products produced is included in the Industry Series reports for those sectors.)
Establishment and Firm Size reports present data on the number of establishments, sales, payroll, and employment, cross-tabulated by industry by size of establishment, by size of firm, by concentration, and by legal form of organization, for the United States.
Specific subject report titles are shown in the list of reports by sector.
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