Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB) is an annual series that provides national and subnational data on the distribution of economic data by size and industry. Statistics of U.S. Businesses covers most of the country's economic activity. The series excludes data on nonemployer businesses, private households, railroads, agricultural production, and most government entities.

Tabulations providing data by employment size of enterprise have been assembled as far back as 1989. The comparability of data over time may be affected by definitional changes in establishments, activity status, and industrial classifications. For more details on these changes, see the section ''Comparability With Other Data.''

These data were developed in cooperation with, and partially funded by, the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

CLASSIFICATION BY EMPLOYMENT SIZE OF ENTERPRISE

An establishment is a single physical location at which business is conducted or where services or industrial operations are performed. An enterprise is a business organization consisting of one or more domestic establishments under common ownership or control. For companies with only one establishment, the enterprise and the establishment are the same. The employment of a multi-establishment enterprise is determined by summing the employment of all associated establishments.

The size of an enterprise is determined by the summed employment of all associated establishments. The enterprise size group 0 includes enterprises for which no associated establishments reported paid employees in the mid-March pay period, but paid employees at some time during the year.

A firm is defined as that part of an enterprise tabulated within a particular industry, state or metropolitan area. For example, an enterprise with establishments in more than one state would be counted as a firm in each state in which it operates an establishment, but is also counted as only one firm in national all-industry tabulations. Thus, summing the firms across areas or industries would overstate the number of unique firms. Employment size is determined only for the entire enterprise. Hence, counterintuitive results are possible, for example, only 100 employees in a category of firms with 500 employees or more in a particular state.

INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATIONS

Data from the Statistics of U.S. Businesses series are published on the basis of the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) starting with the 2003 data year. Data for 1998 to 2002 were published based on 1997 NAICS. Most changes between 1997 NAICS and 2002 NAICS were minor, except within construction and wholesale trade.

SUSB data for 1997 and earlier years were published according to the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. While many of the individual NAICS industries correspond directly to industries as defined under the SIC system, most of the aggregate NAICS groupings do not. Particular care should be taken in comparing data for retail trade, wholesale trade, and manufacturing, which are sector titles used in both NAICS and SIC, but cover somewhat different groups of industries.

For more information on NAICS and changes between 1997 to 2002 or changes from the SIC system, go to www.census.gov/naics.

The Statistics of U.S. Businesses series includes the following NAICS sectors:

Statistics of U.S. Businesses data for 1998 to 2002 were tabulated by industry as defined in North American Industry Classification System: United States, 1997 with one important exception. For 1998 to 2002, data for auxiliary establishments (except corporate, subsidiary, and regional managing offices) were tabulated in a separate category (Sector 95). Starting with data year 2003, Statistics of U.S. Businesses data are tabulated by industry as defined in North American Industry Classification System: United States, 2002, and auxiliary establishments are classified in the industries to which they are assigned under NAICS, such as warehousing and storage or payroll services.

Industry is assigned on an establishment by establishment basis. An enterprise with establishments in more than one industry is counted as a firm in each industry in which it operates an establishment. Nonetheless, as noted above, the employment size category is assigned based on employment in the entire enterprise.

SCOPE OF THIS SERIES

The Statistics of U.S. Businesses covers all NAICS industries except crop and animal production (NAICS 111,112), rail transportation (NAICS 482), National Postal Service (NAICS 491), pension, health, welfare, and vacation funds (NAICS 525110, 525120, 525190), trusts, estates, and agency accounts (NAICS 525920), private households (NAICS 814), and public administration (NAICS 92).

This series excludes governmental establishments except for wholesale liquor establishments (NAICS 4228), retail liquor stores (NAICS 44531), Federally-chartered savings institutions (NAICS 522120), Federally-chartered credit unions (NAICS 522130), and hospitals (NAICS 622).

SOURCES OF DATA

Statistics of U.S. Businesses basic data items are extracted from the Business Register, a file of all known single and multi-establishment employer companies maintained and updated by the U.S. Census Bureau. The annual Company Organization Survey provides individual establishment data for multiestablishment companies. Data for single-establishment companies are obtained from various Census Bureau programs, such as the Annual Survey of Manufactures and Current Business Surveys, as well as from administrative records of the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Industry Classification

The quinquennial economic censuses are the primary source for industry and geography classifications. The annual Company Organization Survey, Annual Survey of Manufactures, Current Business Surveys, and other Census Bureau programs provide regular updates.

Additional sources for assigning industry classifications are the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These sources provide industry classification information for new businesses and businesses not canvassed in the Census Bureau programs. Establishments without sufficient industry information are tabulated in the ''unclassified establishments'' group.

Detailed descriptions of each industry are accessible by clicking on the industry title in the hypertext displays. The industry titles used throughout this series are the short NAICS titles; complete descriptions are contained in the manual entitled North American Industry Classification System: United States, 2002.

Geography Classification

Most geography codes are derived from the physical location address reported in Census Bureau programs. The Internal Revenue Service provides supplemental address information. Those employers without a fixed location within a state (or of unknown county location) are excluded from metropolitan area tabulations.

COMPARABILITY WITH OTHER DATA

Earlier Statistics of U.S. Businesses

The comparability of data with previous Statistics of U.S. Businesses series may be affected by the change in industrial classification definitions between the 2002 and 2003 editions and between the 1997 and 1998 editions.

Statistics by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) are classified for data years starting in 2003 according to their definitions as of June 6, 2003. MSA data for prior years were as defined June 30, 1996. Most MSA's changed boundaries during that interval.

2002 and 1997 Economic Census

Establishment and Firm Size reports were published from the 2002 and 1997 Economic Censuses for 14 of the sectors included in this program (exclusions: NAICS sectors 11, 21, 23, 31-33, 55, 95, and 99). For the covered sectors and their industries, the Establishment and Firm Size reports provide aggregate receipts in all displays, classification by receipt size of firm, and more detailed classification of employment size than is shown in SUSB. Legal form of organization and concentration in the largest 4, 8, 20 and 50 firms are also shown.

Establishment and Firm Size reports include only national level data. Further, they classify data by the employment size of the firm-that is, that part of the enterprise within the industry category shown-not the employment size of the entire enterprise as shown in Statistics of U.S. Businesses. In both programs, industry is determined on an establishment by establishment basis.

The 1997 Economic Census summarized data for many service industries separately depending on whether the firm is subject to Federal income tax or is tax-exempt. The 2002 Economic Census retained that distinction, but also published a total. Statistics of U.S. Businesses combines both taxable and tax-exempt firms within the same industry.

Certain industries covered in the SUSB program are excluded from Economic Census reports, and that should be taken into account when comparing Economic Census data for higher aggregates.

The 1997 Economic Census generally uses respondent-reported data. The Statistics of U.S. Businesses uses administrative record data for small establishments. Although efforts are made to resolve significant differences in the data, differences are known to exist.

Establishment and Firm Size reports from the 2002 Economic Census classify firms by 2002 NAICS. Statistics of U.S. Businesses data for 2002 were classified by 1997 NAICS. Similarly, the 1997 Economic Census classified firms by 1997 NAICS while SUSB classified 1997 data by SIC.

2002 Economic Census statistics by metropolitan statistical area (MSA) are classified according to their definitions as of June 6, 2003. MSA data in SUSB for 2002 were those defined as of June 30, 1996. The boundaries of most MSA's are different between the two reference dates. SUSB data starting in 2003 are consistent in MSA definitions with the 2002 Economic Census.

1992 Enterprise Statistics

Enterprise Statistics, published in conjunction with the 1992 and earlier censuses, was not published for 1997. The Enterprise Statistics Company Summary included higher employment size categories than shown in Statistics of U.S. Businesses. Enterprise Statistics determined an industry classification for each enterprise based on the activity associated with the largest revenue, and all employment and receipts of the enterprise were assigned to that industry.

Enterprise Statistics used the term company the same way the SUSB reports use the term enterprise.

County Business Patterns

Statistics of U.S. Businesses is developed from the same database that is used to produce County Business Patterns (CBP); nonetheless, CBP classifies establishments by the employment size of the establishment rather than the employment size of the entire enterprise.

DATA WITHHELD FROM PUBLICATION

In accordance with U.S. Code, Title 13, Section 9, no data are published that would disclose the operations of an individual employer. However, the number of firms and establishments in an industry classification and the distribution of these establishments by employment-size class are not considered to be disclosures, and so this information may be released even though other information is withheld from publications.

RELIABILITY OF DATA

All data are tabulated from universe files and are not subject to sampling errors. However, the data are subject to nonsampling errors. Nonsampling errors can be attributed to many sources: inability to identify all cases in the universe; definition and classification difficulties; differences in interpretation of questions; errors in recording or coding the data obtained; and estimation of employers who reported too late to be included in the tabulations and for records with missing or misreported data. The accuracy of the data is determined by the joint effects of the various nonsampling errors. No direct measurement of these effects has been obtained; however, precautionary steps were taken in all phases of collection, processing, and tabulation to minimize the effects of nonsampling errors.

DATA PRODUCTS

Statistics of U.S. Businesses data are presented at http://www.census.gov/epcd/susb/latest/us/US--.HTM in hypertext format for easy viewing, but only for 1998 and more recent years. The data are also available for downloading for these and earlier years (to 1988) via the Statistics of U.S. Businesses main page at www.census.gov/csd/susb/susb.htm. Data for 1997 and 1992 are available by Standard Industrial Classification; other years show all-industry totals only.

Special Tabulations

Special tabulations of Statistics of U.S. Businesses, dating back to 1989, are available on a cost-reimbursable basis. For more information, e-mail csd@census.gov or call (301) 763-3321.

DEFINITIONS OF BASIC DATA ITEMS

Establishments

An establishment is a single physical location at which business is conducted or services or industrial operations are performed. It is not necessarily identical with a company or enterprise, which may consist of one or more establishments. When two or more activities are carried on at a single location under a single ownership, all activities generally are grouped together as a single establishment. The entire establishment is classified on the basis of its major activity and all data are included in that classification.

An establishment with 0 employment is an establishment reporting no paid employees in the mid-March pay period, but paid employees at some time during the year. Establishment counts represent the number of locations with paid employees any time during the year.

Payroll

Total payroll includes all forms of compensation, such as salaries, wages, reported tips, commissions, bonuses, vacation allowances, sick-leave pay, employee contributions to qualified pension plans, and the value of taxable fringe benefits. For corporations, it includes amounts paid to officers and executives; for unincorporated businesses, it does not include profit or other compensation of proprietors or partners. Payroll is reported before deductions for Social Security, income tax, insurance, union dues, etc. First-quarter payroll consists of payroll during the Januaryto- March quarter.

Employees

Paid employment consists of full- and part-time employees, including salaried officers and executives of corporations, who are on the payroll in the pay period including March 12. Included are employees on paid sick leave, holidays, and vacations; not included are proprietors and partners of unincorporated businesses.

Skip this navigation

Census Bureau Links:   Home · Search · Subjects A-Z · FAQs · Data Tools · Catalog · Census 2000 · Quality · Privacy Policy · Contact Us

Page Last Modified: October 04, 2007