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1997 ECONOMIC CENSUS - PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC, AND TECHNICAL SERVICES (SECTOR 54)
PURPOSE
To provide periodic and comprehensive statistics about professional, scientific and technical establishments and their activities. The United States Code, Title 13, requires this census and provides for mandatory responses.
COVERAGE
All domestic establishments with payroll that primarily specialize in performing professional, scientific, and technical services for others. These are establishments classified in North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Sector 54: Professional, Scientific and Technical Services. Data for this sector are shown for establishments of firms subject to Federal income tax and separately for establishments of firms which are exempt from Federal income tax under provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. In 1997, over 615 thousand taxable employer establishments accounted for over $579 billion in receipts and over 5 thousand tax-exempt employer establishments accounted for over $15 billion in revenue.
CONTENT
Basic data obtained for all establishments include kind of business, geographic location, tax status, receipts/revenue, expenses (for tax-exempt establishments only), annual and first quarter payroll, and employment for the pay period including March 12. Establishments receiving a census form provide additional data on receipts/revenue by source and other industry-specific measures.
COMPARABILITY TO THE 1992 CENSUS
The adoption of NAICS has had a major impact on the comparability of data between the 1997 and 1992 censuses.
The Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector (new) primarily includes professional and other highly specialized technical service establishments that were classified in SIC Division I, Services. Most establishments in this sector were classified in SIC major groups 73, 81, and 87. Title abstract offices, part of SIC Division H, Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate, and advertising specialty distributors, part of SIC Division F, Wholesale Trade, are also included in this sector. Note that veterinary services, although part of this sector, are not in scope of the 1997 Economic Census.
FREQUENCY
Every 5 years for years ending in "2" and "7". Data collection begins in December of the census year and reports are due about 8 weeks later. Data are requested for activities taking place during the census calendar year.
METHODS
A mail-out/mail-back data collection for all establishments of multi-unit companies and most single-establishment employers; administrative records data for some small employers and all nonemployers. All establishments of multi-unit firms and single-unit employers with annualized payroll above a size cutoff receive a census form. A sample of small employers also receives a census form. This sample is selected using a stratified sampling procedure with strata based on industry and geography. Basic data for non-selected small employers and nonemployers are obtained from Federal administrative records. For this sector estimates of receipts/revenue by source and other industry-specific data are based partly on small employer sample results.
PRODUCTS
Geographic Area Series reports consist of 52 reports, available in portable document format (PDF) or in manipulable file format; one for the U.S., each state, and the District of Columbia. These files contain data for establishments with payroll by tax status by NAICS code for the U.S., states, metropolitan areas, counties, and places. These data are disseminated in print and on the Internet.
The ZIP Code Statistics Series summarize data for service employers by 5-digit ZIP Code and give kind-of-business detail for establishments by receipts/revenue and employment size category. Data are only available on CD-ROM.
Subject Series reports consist of 3 reports, available in PDF and manipulable file format, presenting tabulations for the US with some additional geographic detail (available in manipulable format only). Titles include Establishment and Firm Size (Including Legal Forms of Organization), Sources of Receipts or Revenue, and Miscellaneous Subjects. A new Summary Report provides highlights of the most widely used statistics from previously issued reports and will be available in print and PDF.
USES
The Bureau of Economic Analysis will use the data to benchmark the national income and product accounts and input-output tables. The Bureau of Labor Statistics will use the data in developing productivity measures.
Trade associations will use census data to analyze their industry. Professional, scientific, and technical companies will use census data to determine their market share, analyze their performance relative to the rest of the industry, and develop marketing strategies.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The only source of detailed industry and geographic data on receipts, receipts by source, and key industry-specific measures.
Core Business Statistics Series: SIC-Based Comparative Statistics | Bridge Between NAICS and SIC
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