February 24, 2006
Headline News
New Orders for Manufactured Durable Goods in January Decreased $23.6 Billion or 10.2 Percent to $207.2 Billion. (Released February 24, 2006)
County Business Patterns, Puerto Rico: 2003 Now Available. (Released February 23, 2006)
Facts for Features: Women's History Month (March). (Released February 22, 2006)
Privately Owned Housing Starts in January Were at a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of 2,276,000. This Is 14.5 Percent Above the Revised December 2005 Figure of 1,988,000. (Released February 16, 2006)
Census Bureau Releases Income and Poverty Estimates Reflecting Expanded Income Definitions. (Released February 14, 2006)
U.S. Retail and Food Service Sales for January Reached $365.4 Billion, Up 2.3 Percent From the Previous Month. (Released February 14, 2006)
U.S. Total Business Sales for December Were $1,044.5 Billion, Up 1.2 Percent From Last Month. (Released February 14, 2006)
Fact of the Day
Carolinas Lead in Mobile Homes
South Carolina leads the nation in the percentage of houses that are mobile homes (18.8 percent), followed by North Carolina (16.8), New Mexico (16.6), and West Virginia (16.0). At the bottom of the list are Hawaii (0.2), New Jersey (0.9), Rhode Island (1.0), and Massachusetts (1.0). The information comes from the 2004 American Community Survey available in American FactFinder.
Among cities of 250,000 or more people, Mesa, Arizona leads the way in percentage of mobile homes at 12.3 percent, with Tucson next at 7.7 percent. Among counties of 250,000 or more, three in Florida head the list: Polk (28.4), Pasco (27.6), and Lake (24.8). Hidalgo County, Texas (22.5) and Manatee County, Florida (19.0) round out the top five.
You can find this table by coming to FactFinder, selecting "get data" under American Community Survey, and then selecting "Ranking Tables." You'll find an extensive list of tables with rankings on many subjects for states, counties, and places.
Hot Tip
FIPS County Lookup
"Help! I have a bunch of FIPS codes and I want to find the counties they designate."
Try the Census Bureau's FIPS County Lookup . You can use it in three ways:
* Select a state name and see the FIPS codes for all the counties.
* Type in a county and see the two-digit state and three-digit county code.
* Type in the five-digit FIPS code and see the state and county names. For example, type in "32003" and you'll see this is the FIPS code for Clark County, Nevada.
The lookup also lets you download a simple text file showing the FIPS code for each county in the nation arranged by state.
FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) codes are the official government identifiers for geographic areas such as counties, cities, metro areas, etc. More information .
Recently Released
Population
Census Bureau Releases Income and Poverty Estimates Reflecting Expanded Income Definitions. The Effects of Government Taxes and Transfers on Income and Poverty: 2004 provides a series of alternative estimates that take into account the extent to which noncash benefits (such as food stamps) and taxes - which were not considered in the official income and poverty measures released in August 2005 - affect median household income, the poverty rate, and income inequality. Report available as Internet files, in ASCII and Excel format, PDF, or in print from the Customer Services Center.
Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the United States: 1850 to 2000, Working Paper No. 81. Selected decennial census data available online on the foreign-born population, with data for the nation's largest metropolitan areas and cities.
Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Website Provides Exciting Look at Employment and Census Data. The first of four e-learning modules, called "Site Tour," is now available on the Local Employment Dynamics website. The modules feature voice and animation to illustrate the features of the website and of the three analytic tools, "On the Map," "Industry Focus," and "QWI Online," using scenarios relevant to State Labor Market Information offices (LMIs) and Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs). The latter three modules will be released on a flow basis over the next several weeks.
We the People: American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States. [File Size; 756 KB]. Report available online or in print from the Customer Services Center. A portrait of the American Indian and Alaska native population in the United States, providing data on the largest specified tribal groupings, reservations, Alaska Native Village Statistical Areas (ANVSAs), and areas outside reservations and ANVSAs at the national level. It is part of a special report series that presents data collected from Census 2000 on demographic, social, and economic characteristics.
Latest Economic Indicators
Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services: January 2006. Press release presenting advance monthly estimates of retail store sales by kind-of-business groups. Report includes seasonally adjusted estimates and percentage changes for major kind-of-business groups.
Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: January 2006. Press release showing advance information on key business indicators.
Manufacturing and Trade: Inventories and Sales: December 2005. Press release showing sales, inventories, and inventories-to-sales ratios for the combined domestic activities of retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers.
New Residential Construction: January 2006. Press release showing data for housing starts, completions, and building permits.
Retail E-Commerce Sales: 4th Quarter 2005. Press release showing quarterly estimates for retail e-commerce sales.
Economic Census and Surveys
County Business Patterns, 2003: Puerto Rico Now Available. Annual series provides subnational economic data by industry. The series is useful for studying the economic activity of small areas; analyzing economic changes over time; and as a benchmark for statistical series, surveys, and databases between economic censuses. Data for Puerto Rico are available as Internet files, in PDF, or as a print-on-demand report from the Customer Services Center.
Current Industrial Reports Provide Ongoing Data. The Census Bureau releases 39 Current Industrial Reports - most on an annual basis, but some on a quarterly or monthly basis. These reports provide detailed data on industries, their products, exports, etc., and are available in PDF or Excel format.
Latest Manufacturing Activity in States Reported in 2004 Annual Survey of Manufacturers, Geographic Area Statistics. Report available online in PDF, and for sale in print from the Customer Services Center, providing state-level data for industries down to the four-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) level. Includes statistics on employment, payroll, value added by manufacture, cost of materials consumed, value of shipments, and total capital expenditures.
Governments
Federal Aid to States: 2004. [PDF; 764 KB]. Report available online in PDF and for sale from the Customer Services Center presenting data on federal government grants and other payments to state and local governments, by agency and for selected programs, by state and Island Areas.
State Government Finances: 2004. Internet files and report available online in PDF and for sale in print from the Customer Services Center, for the 50 state governments. Detailed data are shown on revenue by type and source, such as taxes, charges, and federal aid; expenditures by function (e.g., police, fire and education); and cash and security holdings. Also data on state-administered lotteries. State rankings included.
Reference and Compendia
Facts for Features. Collections of statistics from the Census Bureau's demographic and economic subject areas intended to commemorate anniversaries or observances or to provide background information for topics in the news:
African-American History Month (February 2006)
Women's History Month (March 2006)
Upcoming Releases
Population
Health Status, Health Insurance, and Health Services Utilization: 2001. Report provides data on the frequency of visits to doctors, dentists, and hospitals (and whether people are taking prescription medicine) by characteristics such as self-reported health status, age, and health insurance coverage status.
Poverty Status of Families by Type and by U.S. Citizenship Status of the Householder: 2003. Four national-level tables from the American Community Survey present poverty data on the foreign-born by the following characteristics: citizenship status, year of entry, region of birth, and family type.
Economic Census and Surveys
2002 Economic Census: Subject Series. Series of 57 reports for several industry sectors, all at the national level, showing product shipments by contributing industries and other information, product lines, establishment size, and legal form of organization. Reports issued on a flow basis; most available now.
Annual Capital Expenditures (ACES): 2004. Internet files and report providing data from ACES, part of a comprehensive program designed to provide more detailed and timely information on capital investment by nonfarm businesses. The 2004 estimates presented are based on data collected from a sample of 46,000 companies with employees and 15,000 businesses without employees. For those companies with employees, capital expenditures data are published for 136 industries. Total capital expenditures, with no industry detail, are shown for the businesses without employees.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Survey: 2004. Internet files and report providing data from this supplement to the Annual Capital Expenditures Survey, the ICT shows noncapitalized and capitalized spending for 19 separate economic sectors based on the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). It covers purchases, and operating leases and rental payments for ICT equipment. For computer software, the report covers purchases and payroll for developing software, software licensing, and service/maintenance agreements.
Economic Indicators
New Residential Sales: January 2006. Press release reporting new one-family houses sold and for sale. Scheduled for release February 27, 2006.
Construction Put in Place: January 2005. Press release showing estimates of the value of total new construction put in place by type of construction and by type of owner. Scheduled for release March 1, 2006.
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: January 2006. Press release showing monthly exports, general imports (including data by country), and limited data on imports for consumption. Scheduled for release March 9, 2006.
Facts for Features
Older Americans Month (May). Statistics from the Census Bureau's demographic and economic subject areas pertaining to people who are 65 years or older.
February 10, 2006
Headline News
The Nation's International Deficit in Goods and Services Increased to $725.8 Billion in 2005 From $617.6 Billion in 2004. For December, the Goods and Services Deficit Increased to $65.7 Billion From $64.7 Billion (Revised) in November. (Released February 10, 2006)
December 2005 Sales of Merchant Wholesalers Were $314.9 Billion, Up 1.0 Percent From Last Month. End-of-Month Inventories Were $362.5 Billion, Up 1.0 Percent From Last Month. (Released February 9, 2006)
We the People: American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States. (Released February 8, 2006)
New Orders for Manufactured Goods in December Increased $4.5 Billion or 1.1 Percent to $415.1 Billion. (Released February 3, 2006)
California Leads U.S. in Value of Product Shipments. See the 2004 Annual Survey of Manufactures, Geographic Area Statistics for more information on manufacturing industries in states. (Released February 2, 2006)
Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the United States: 1850 to 2000, Working Paper No. 81. (Released February 2, 2006)
Total Construction Activity for December 2005 ($1,160.6 Billion) Was 1.0 Percent Above the Revised November 2005 ($1,149.3 Billion) Figure. (Released February 1, 2006)
Homeownership Rate in the Fourth Quarter 2005 (69.0 Percent) Not Statistically Different From the Fourth Quarter 2004 Rate (69.2 Percent).(Released January 31, 2006)
Sales of New One-Family Houses in December 2005 Were at a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of 1,269,000. (Released January 27, 2006)
Fact of the Day
Chow Mein, Cacciatore, or Fajitas?
According to the 2002 Economic Census, the U.S. had 195,659 full-service restaurants (i.e., restaurants where customers generally area are seated, served by wait staff, and pay after eating). Of this total, 17,415 were Italian restaurants; 17,395 were Chinese; 15,112 were Mexican; and 19,281 were restaurants with some other ethnic specialty.
Among the nation's 186,942 limited-service restaurants (such as carry-outs where customers typically pay before eating), 14,093 were Mexican, 10,996 were Chinese; 5,361 were Italian; and 4,439 were restaurants with some other ethnic specialty.
Look for this information in the Miscellaneous Subjects report for the accommodations and food services industries (NAICS ) based on the 2002 Economic Census. The report has data on the numbers and revenues of restaurants, the average price of a meal, the primary menu type, the seating capacity, the number of franchise establishments, and more. The data are issued in PDF and downloadable tables in the American FactFinder. Eventually it will be released on DVD and sold by Customer Services.
Hot Tip
Rankings Large and Small
Most people know or could guess that New York is the nation's most populous metropolitan area, with Los Angeles a close second. Probably many fewer people know or could guess that Torrington, Connecticut, with a July 1, 2004 population of 189,246 is the most populous of the nation's 575 micropolitan statistical areas, followed by Lake Havasu City-Kingman, Arizona with 179,981 people. Micropolitan areas are comprised of an urban core of over 10,000 people but under 50,000 people and the surrounding counties meeting certain commuting thresholds. You can find estimates and rankings for both metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas on the Census Bureau web site. More on the concepts here.
Recently Released
Population
American Community Survey: 2004. Third data set released. New 2004 American Community Survey (ACS) Tables. Approximately 120 tables include population profiles for race, Hispanic origin, and ancestry groups; new place of work geography tables; and a new detailed table on median age at first marriage.
Foreign-Born Population of the United States from the American Community Survey: 2003. Internet files on the foreign-born population in 2003 illustrating demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, such as age, educational attainment, poverty status, and population by state. These characteristics are presented by U.S. citizenship status, year of entry into the United States, world region of birth, and by sub-region of birth for Latin America.
Population Change in Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: July 1, 2004. Each year the Population Estimates Program publishes population estimates for all metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, using current metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area definitions. The data include demographic components of change (births, deaths, and migration) for metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas.
We the People: American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States. A portrait of the American Indian and Alaska native population in the United States, providing data on the largest specified tribal groupings, reservations, Alaska Native Village Statistical Areas (ANVSAs), and areas outside reservations and ANVSAs at the national level. It is part of a special report series that presents data collected from Census 2000 on demographic, social, and economic characteristics.
Historical Census Statistics on the Foreign-Born Population of the United States: 1850 to 2000, Working Paper No. 81. Selected decennial census data available online on the foreign-born population, with data for the nation's largest metropolitan areas and cities.
Latest Economic Indicators
New Residential Sales: December 2005. Press release reporting new one-family houses sold and for sale.
Housing Vacancies: 4th Quarter 2005. Press release showing rental and homeowner vacancy rates and characteristics of units available for occupancy.
Construction Put in Place: December 2005. Press release showing estimates of the value of total new construction put in place by type of construction and by type of owner.
Full Report on Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: December 2005. Press release showing information on key business indicators. Revised durable goods totals, in addition to nondurable goods manufacturers' shipments, inventories, and orders.
Monthly Wholesale Trade: December 2005. Press release showing estimates for sales, inventories on a non-LIFO ("last in-first out") basis, and stock-sales ratios for merchant wholesalers by three-digit major kind-of-business groups.
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: December 2005. Press release showing monthly exports, general imports (including data by country), and limited data on imports for consumption.
Economic Census and Surveys
Latest Manufacturing Activity in States Reported in 2004 Annual Survey of Manufacturers, Geographic Area Statistics. Report available online in PDF, and for sale in print from the Customer Services Center, providing state-level data for industries down to the four-digit North American Industry Classification System level. Includes statistics on employment, payroll, value added by manufacture, cost of materials consumed, value of shipments, and total capital expenditures.
Women-Owned Businesses Grew at Twice the National Average. Find out more in 2002 Survey of Business Owners: Women-Owned Firms. First in a series of reports that will provide more in-depth information about businesses owned by Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, and American Indians and Alaska natives. Report available online in PDF, for sale in print from the Customer Services Center, and eventually for sale as a DVD.
Survey Provides Aggregate Data on the Operating Expenses of Businesses and Organizations. Find out more in Business Expenses: 2002. Internet files released as part of the Industry Series, 2002 Economic Census. Industries covered by the Business Expenses Survey include merchant and wholesale trade, retail trade, real estate, health care and social assistance, securities and investment banking, trade schools, and more. Also available online in PDF and for sale in print from the Customer Services Center. [File Size; 1.14 MB]
Governments
Federal Aid to States: 2004. Report available online in PDF presenting data on federal government grants and other payments to state and local governments, by agency and for selected programs, by state and Island Areas.
State Government Finances: 2004. Internet files and report available online in PDF and for sale in print from the Customer Services Center, for the 50 state governments. Detailed data are shown on revenue by type and source, such as taxes, charges, and federal aid; expenditures by function (e.g., police, fire and education); and cash and security holdings. State rankings included. Also data on state-administered lotteries.
Housing
Market Absorption of Apartments, 2nd Quarter, 2005. Internet files showing data for the United States and regions concerning the rate at which non-subsidized, privately financed, unfurnished units in buildings, with five or more units are rented or sold (that is, absorbed). Data are shown quarterly by rent class and number of bedrooms. Information is provided on the rate at which cooperative and condominium apartments are sold. Information by price class and number of bedrooms is shown for condominium apartments.
Reference and Compendia
Facts for Features. Collections of statistics from the Census Bureau's demographic and economic subject areas intended to commemorate anniversaries or observances or to provide background information for topics in the news:
African-American History Month
Upcoming Releases
Population
Health Status, Health Insurance, and Health Services Utilization: 2001. Report provides data on the frequency of visits to doctors, dentists, and hospitals (and whether people are taking prescription medicine) by characteristics such as self-reported health status, age, and health insurance coverage status.
Poverty Status of Families by Type and by U.S. Citizenship Status of the Householder: 2003. Four national-level tables from the American Community Survey present poverty data on the foreign-born by the following characteristics: citizenship status, year of entry, region of birth, and family type.
Economic Census and Surveys
2002 Economic Census: Subject Series. Series of 57 reports for several industry sectors, all at the national level, showing product shipments by contributing industries and other information, product lines, establishment size, and legal form of organization. Reports issued on a flow basis; most available now.
Annual Capital Expenditures (ACES): 2004. Internet files and report providing data from ACES, part of a comprehensive program designed to provide more detailed and timely information on capital investment by nonfarm businesses. The 2004 estimates presented are based on data collected from a sample of 46,000 companies with employees and 15,000 businesses without employees. For those companies with employees, capital expenditures data are published for 136 industries. Total capital expenditures, with no industry detail, are shown for the businesses without employees.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Survey: 2004. Internet files and report providing data from this supplement to the Annual Capital Expenditures Survey, the ICT shows noncapitalized and capitalized spending for 19 separate economic sectors based on the 2002 North American Industry Classification System. It covers purchases, and operating leases and rental payments for ICT equipment. For computer software, the report covers purchases and
payroll for developing software, software licensing, and service/maintenance agreements.
Economic Indicators
Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services: January 2006. Press release presenting advance monthly estimates of retail store sales by kind-of-business groups. Report includes seasonally adjusted estimates and percentage changes for major kind-of-business groups. Scheduled for release February 14, 2006.
Manufacturing and Trade: Inventories and Sales: December 2005. Press release showing sales, inventories, and inventories-to-sales ratios for the combined domestic activities of retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Scheduled for release February 14, 2006.
New Residential Construction: January 2006. Press release showing data for housing starts, completions, and building permits. Scheduled for release February 16, 2006.
Retail E-Commerce Sales: 4th Quarter 2005. Press release showing quarterly estimates for retail e-commerce sales. Scheduled for release February 17, 2006.
