October 19, 2006
Headline News
Detailed Tables Provide Data on Educational Attainment and School Enrollment. (Released October 19, 2006)
Facts for Features: Thanksgiving Day (November 23, 2006). (Released October 19, 2006)
Privately-Owned Housing Starts in September Were at a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of 1,772,000. This Is 5.9 Percent Above the Revised August 2006 Estimate of 1,674,000. (Released October 18, 2006)
Zip Code Business Patterns 2003-2004 Released on DVD. (Released October 18, 2006)
U.S. Retail and Food Service Sales for September Reached $366.2 Billion, Down 0.4 Percent From the Previous Month. (Released October 13, 2006)
U.S. Total Business Sales for August Were $1,075.3 Billion, Up 0.8 Percent From Last Month. Month-End Inventories Were $1,357.0 Billion, Up 0.6 Percent From Last Month. (Released October 13, 2006)
Facts for Features: Veteran's Day (November 11). (Released October 12, 2006)
Nation's Population to Reach 300 Million on October 17. (Released October 12, 2006)
The Nation's International Deficit in Goods and Services Increased to $69.9 Billion in August From $68.0 Billion (Revised) in July, as Imports Increased More Than Exports. (Released October 12, 2006)
After-Tax Profits for Retail Corporations with Assets Greater Than $50 Million Averaged 2.8 Cents Per Dollar of Sales for the Second Quarter 2006. (Released October 11, 2006)
August 2006 Sales of Merchant Wholesalers Were $335.6 Billion, Up 1.1 Percent From Last Month. (Released October 10, 2006)
Fact of the Day
Survey of Business Owners (SBO) Shows 49 Percent of Firms Were Home-Based in 2002
Approximately 49 percent of the 16.7 million respondent firms in the 2002 Survey of Business Owners reported that they were home-based. (Respondent firms are ones that submitted information on owner characteristics in the survey or stated that they were publicly owned. Both employer and nonemployer firms are included.)
The percentages vary according to the characteristics of the owners. Over 56 percent of respondent firms with female owners were home-based; the percentage for male-owned firms was just over 47 percent. About 45 percent of Hispanic-owned firms were home-based; the percentage for Black-owned firms was 53 percent; for American Indian and Alaska Native firms, it was 56 percent; for Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander firms, it was 53 percent; and for Asian firms, it was 28 percent.
The data come from the SBO report on Characteristics of Business and show various kinds of business data according to the sex, race, Hispanic origin of the owners: family-based and family-owned, franchises, year business acquired, employment and receipts size, capital needed to start or acquire business, etc. The data are available in a PDF report (PDF - 7.56mb) and in downloadable form via American FactFinder. A related report based on the survey, Characteristics of Business Owners (PDF - 512kb) focuses on the owners themselves: their age, veteran status, average hours spent working, education, etc.
Hot Tip
Updates on OMB Notices Affecting Census Bureau Programs
When the Census Bureau proposes a significant new program or a modification of a program or a major public meeting, we frequently post a notice in the Federal Register asking for public comment. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) posts these notices on their web site and in some cases allows comment online. Now the Census Bureau's online "Question & Answer Center" allows you to sign up for notifications about new notices on the OMB site. Go to the "Question & Answer Center" by clicking on "Search" at the top of the home page. Once you go to the list of FAQs, search on "OMB" and select FAQ 1005. This FAQ links to the regulations web site and allows you sign up to receive emails every time we post a new notice on this site. Click on the link "Contact Me If This Question Changes" to sign up.
Recently Released
Help Us Improve the Census Bureau Web Site! Take 10 minutes to fill out the 2006 Survey of Census Bureau Web Site Visitors and Associated Programs. The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting a study to evaluate its online presence, products, and services to you. Your opinions and ideas are important to us. Your responses are voluntary and will remain confidential. This survey is being conducted under OMB Clearance Number 0607-0760 expiring September 30, 2007.
Population
Detailed Tables Provide Data on Educational Attainment and School Enrollment. Online tables in spreadsheet format (about 1,200 tables) provide data in greater detail than other Census 2000 products. Tables for 15 race groups and each of the states cover subjects that include the education of native- and foreign-born residents by age, education by labor force status, earnings by education level, school enrollment by age and characteristics of adults enrolled in school.
More Than 39 Million Americans Changed Addresses Last Year. Read more in Geographical Mobility: 2005. Internet files containing national and regional information on how often and how far people move, along with characteristics of the movers and their reasons for moving.
Census Bureau Releases Third Wave of 2005 American Community Survey Data (Housing Characteristics). The latest release shows housing characteristics for nearly 7,000 areas, including all congressional districts and counties, cities, and American Indian/Alaska Native areas of 65,000 population or more. Data include types of homes, median value, heating fuel used, and plumbing facilities.
Latest Economic Indicators
Monthly Wholesale Trade: August 2006. 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.
Quarterly Financial Report for Retail Trade: 2nd Quarter 2006. Press release shows second quarter sales of large retail trade corporations. Includes large U.S. retailers' after-tax profits.
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: August 2006. Press release showing monthly exports, general imports (including data by country), and limited data on imports for consumption.
Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services: September 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.
Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales: August 2006. Press release showing sales, inventories, and inventories-to-sales ratios for the combined domestic activities of retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers.
New Residential Construction: September 2006. Press release showing data for housing starts, completions, and building permits.
Economic Census and Surveys
2002 Survey of Business Owners, Characteristics of Businesses. Internet tables and report in PDF (PDF - 7.56mb) showing data for respondent firms by Hispanic or Latino origin, race, and gender and presented by industry classifications at the U.S. level and by size of firm (employment and receipts). Data include additional demographic and economic business characteristics for home-based, family-owned, and franchised businesses; types of customers and workers; sources of financing for expansion, capital improvements, or start-up; the year the owner(s) in 2002 established, purchased, or acquired the business; and the sole proprietor's self-employment or business activities.
2002 Survey of Business Owners, Characteristics of Business Owners. Internet tables and report in PDF (PDF - 512kb) showing data for the owners of respondent firms presented by employment status and business interest. Data include additional demographic and economic owner characteristics, such as: Hispanic or Latino origin, race, gender, age, education level, and veteran status; average number of hours spent managing or working in the business; primary function in the business; and whether the business provided the primary source of personal income.
Zip Code Business Patterns 2003-2004 Released on DVD. Files on DVD presenting business establishment counts summarized for nine employment-size classes by hundreds of NAICS codes and about 40,000 ZIP codes nationwide. A second data set includes summary data by ZIP code (no NAICS or employment-size class breakdown) for number of employees, first-quarter payroll, annual payroll, and total number of establishments. (Product ID: V1-E04-ZCBP-09-US1, $70)
Governments
2005 State and Local Government Employee-Retirement Systems. Annual data on revenues, expenditures, financial assets, and membership for public employee-retirement systems. Data are shown for individual retirement systems as well as overall at the national, state, and local levels.
Reference and Compendia
Facts for Features. Collections of statistics from the Census Bureau's demographic and economic subject areas commemorate anniversaries or observances or provide background information for topics in the news:
Special Edition: 300 Million People
Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - Oct. 15)
Veteran's Day (November 11, 2006)
American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month (November)
Upcoming Releases
Population
2006 State and Metropolitan Area Data Book. Publication features more than 1,500 data items for the United States and individual states, counties, and metropolitan areas from a variety of sources. Topics include age, agriculture, births, business establishments, communications, construction, cost of living, crime, deaths, education, elections, employment, energy, finance, government, health and households. Also refer to the State and Metropolitan Area Data Book web site at http://www.census.gov/compendia/smadb/.
America Speaks: A Demographic Profile of Foreign-Language Speakers for the United States: 2000. Internet files show national- and state-level data on who speaks English and does not, broken down by type of household, age of householder, education attainment, and income.
County Population Estimates by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005. CD-ROM containing a single file (CSV format) showing county population estimates for the years 2000 to 2005. County estimates are available by state online.
Current Population Survey Design and Methodology (Technical Paper No. 66). This document describes changes made to the Current Population Survey (CPS) since 2000. The CPS is the country's primary source of labor force statistics.
Educational Attainment and School Enrollment: 2000. About 1,200 detailed tables providing data in greater detail than other Census 2000 products. Tables for 15 race groups and each of the states cover subjects that include the education of native- and foreign-born residents by age, education by labor force status, earnings by education level, school enrollment by age and characteristics of adults enrolled in school.
International Data Base Update: 2006. Internet files showing demographic indicators such as infant mortality, life expectancy, fertility rates, net migration and population growth for 228 countries and areas of the world include current estimates and moving population pyramids that project age and sex distribution to 2050.
Economic Indicators
Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: September 2006. Press release showing advance information on key business indicators. Scheduled for release October 26, 2006.
New Residential Sales: September 2006. Press release reporting new one-family houses sold and for sale. Includes sales prices, months on the market, and stage of construction. Scheduled for release October 26, 2006.
Housing Vacancies: 3rd Quarter 2006. Press release showing rental and homeowner vacancy rates and characteristics of units available for occupancy. Scheduled for release October 27, 2006.
Construction Spending (Put-in-Place): September 2006. Press release showing estimates of the value of total new construction put-in-place by type of construction (residential and non-residential), annual value, and by type of owner (private and public). Scheduled for release November 1, 2006.
Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: September 2006. Press release showing information on key business indicators. Shows revised durable goods totals, in addition to nondurable goods manufacturers' shipments, inventories, and orders. Scheduled for Release November 2, 2006.
Reference and Compendia
Facts for Features:
Thanksgiving Day (November 23rd). Economic and demographic statistics pertaining to the menu of culinary delights consumed on Turkey Day.
October 06, 2006
Headline News
Help Us Improve the Census Bureau Web Site!
Census Bureau Releases Third Wave of 2005 American Community Survey Data (Housing Characteristics). (Released October 3, 2006)
New Orders for Manufactured Goods in August Decreased Slightly to $403.6 Billion. (PDF - 136kb) (Released October 4, 2006)
Total Construction Activity for August 2006 ($1,200.7 Billion) Was 0.3 Percent Above the Revised July 2006 Figure ($1,196.8 Billion). (Released October 2, 2006)
Census Bureau Updating Information About Our Nation's Spending Habits. (Released September 29, 2006)
2005 State and Local Government Employee-Retirement Systems. (Released September 28, 2006)
Half of U.S. Businesses Are Home-Based, Majority of Firms Self-Financed, Census Bureau Reports. (Released September 27, 2006)
More Than 39 Million Americans Changed Addresses Last Year. (Released September 27, 2006)
New Orders for Manufactured Durable Goods in August Decreased $1.0 Billion or 0.5 Percent to $209.7 Billion. (PDF - 88kb) (Released September 27, 2006)
Sales of New One-Family Houses in August 2006 Were at a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of 1,050,000. (Released September 27, 2006)
Commerce Department Announces Information From Reviews of Missing Department Laptops and Potential Breaches of Personal Identity Data. (Released September 21, 2006)
Fact of the Day
Why People Move
When people move outside their county or from abroad, quite often a new job or a job transfer is the motivation. In 2005, of the 15.3 million people over the age of one-year-old who moved to a new county, 3.1 million (20 percent) did so because of a new employment opportunity, the leading cause movers cite. Of the 1.9 million who moved here from abroad, 568,000 (30 percent) cited a new job or a transfer, again the leading cause.
When people move within their county, the motivation changes: a new job or a transfer is one of the least important reasons. Of the 22.7 million people who moved but stayed within their county, 2.8 million (12 percent) said they wanted to own their own home and not rent, the leading cause for such moves.
The statistics come from the Census Bureau's annual release of data on geographic mobility based on the Current Population Survey. The data profile movers by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin according to various characteristics: educational attainment, household type, children present, income, occupational group, owner/renter status, and more. The 2005 data are the latest; our mobility webpage also has historical data.
Hot Tip
Exactly Which Geographic Areas Are Identified in the 2005 American Community Survey Tabulations?
The 2005 American Community Survey publishes a wealth of data for areas of 65,000 or more people. On October 3, we published the latest installment of data from this survey. This release gives you access to data on the number of housing units (occupied and vacant), total population in housing units by owner/renter status, heating fuel, owner costs, plumbing and kitchen facilities, bedrooms, vehicles available, and telephone, as well as additional place-of-work data.
Wondering which geographic areas make the cut? That is, which have 65,000 or more people and therefore are published in the survey results? Our online ACS Users Guide includes a spreadsheet listing all the areas in each state that are identified in ACS tabulations. In addition, you can view a map showing counties with over and under 65,000 people and a series of state maps showing counties and cities that meet the threshold.
If you want to see all the areas of a particular kind (e.g., places or school districts), come to the ACS Users Guide, and go to the tool in the left-hand top corner labeled "Geographic Areas in 2005." Then select "United States." The resulting page lets you download a spreadsheet showing all areas covered or select a kind of area and see all such areas in the US.
To find the users guide, check on the "American Community Survey" on the Census Bureau home page and then on "Guide to the ACS data products" under the "Using the Data" tab.
Recently Released
Help Us Improve the Census Bureau Web Site! Take 10 minutes to fill out the 2006 Survey of Census Bureau Web Site Visitors and Associated Programs. The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting a study to evaluate its online presence (http://www.census.gov), products, and services to you. Your opinions and ideas are important to us. Your responses are voluntary and will remain confidential. This survey is being conducted under OMB Clearance Number 0607-0760 expiring September 30, 2007.
2010 Census
Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA): Overview. Internet site explaining the plans for LUCA prior to Census 2010.
Population
More Than 39 Million Americans Changed Addresses Last Year. Read More in Geographical Mobility: 2005. Internet files containing national and regional information on how often and how far people move, along with characteristics of the movers and their reasons for moving.
Census Bureau Releases Third Wave of 2005 American Community Survey Data (Housing Characteristics). The latest release shows housing characteristics for nearly 7,000 areas, including all congressional districts and counties, cities, and American Indian/Alaska Native areas of 65,000 population or more. Data include types of homes, median value, heating fuel used, and plumbing facilities.
Latest Economic Indicators
Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: August 2006. (PDF - 88kb) Press release showing advance information on key business indicators.
New Residential Sales: August 2006. Press release reporting new one-family houses sold and for sale. Includes sales prices, months on the market, and stage of construction.
Construction Spending (Put-in-Place): August 2006. Press release showing estimates of the value of total new construction put-in-place by type of construction (residential and non-residential), annual value, and by type of owner (private and public).
Full Report on Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: August 2006. (PDF - 136 kb) Press release showing information on key business indicators. Shows revised durable goods totals, in addition to nondurable goods manufacturers' shipments, inventories, and orders.
Economic Census and Surveys
2002 Economic Census Disc 1D Now Available! Contains all data from Disc 1C and more. DVD available only with the purchase of the 2002 Economic Census subscription series. Subscription series may be found at the Census catalog -- click "Business," then click "Economic Census CD-ROMs & DVDs."
2002 Survey of Business Owners, Company Summary. Internet tables and report in PDF showing statistics on owners by sex, Hispanic or Latino origin, and race. Data for the US, states, metro areas, counties, and places.
2002 Survey of Business Owners, Characteristics of Businesses and Characteristics of Business Owners. Internet tables and report in PDF showing statistics on owner's age, education level, veteran status, and primary function in the business; family- and home-based businesses; types of customers and workers; and sources of financing for expansion, capital improvements, or start-up. Data for the US and states.
2005 State and Local Government Employee-Retirement Systems. Annual data on revenues, expenditures, financial assets, and membership for public employee-retirement systems. Data are shown for individual retirement systems as well as aggregately at the national, state, and local levels. Internet address:
Geography
2005-2006 School District Review Program. Internet site explaining the background of the program allowing state officials to review the Census Bureau's school district information and provide updates in boundaries, names, etc.
Reference and Compendia
Facts for Features. Collections of statistics from the Census Bureau's demographic and economic subject areas commemorate anniversaries or observances or provide background information for topics in the news:
Special Edition: 300 Million People
Special Edition: Unmarried and Single Americans Week (September 17-23)
Grandparents Day (September 10)
Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - Oct. 15)
American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month (November)
Upcoming Releases
Population
Thirty-Five Years of Tracking Hispanic Ethnicity: Analysis of Current Population Survey Data Quality for the Question on Hispanic Origin, 1969 to 2004 (Working Paper No. 80). This research examines the quality of Hispanic data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) and the consistency of CPS results with external administrative information. The paper concludes with a recommendation concerning which Hispanic groups the Census Bureau should show in future data products.
Current Population Survey Design and Methodology (Technical Paper No. 66). This document describes changes made to the Current Population Survey (CPS) since 2000. The CPS is the country's primary source of labor force statistics.
Educational Attainment in the United States: 2005. Annual Internet files from the Current Population Survey, with national and state data on educational attainment. Also included are earnings data by level of education and statistics by race and Hispanic origin.
International Data Base Update: 2006. Internet files showing demographic indicators such as infant mortality, life expectancy, fertility rates, net migration and population growth for 228 countries and areas of the world include current estimates and moving population pyramids that project age and sex distribution to 2050.
Economic Indicators
Monthly Wholesale Trade: August 2006. 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. Scheduled for release October 10, 2006.
Quarterly Financial Report for Retail Trade: 2nd Quarter 2006. Press release shows second quarter sales of large retail trade corporations. Includes large U.S. retailers' after-tax profits. Scheduled for release October 11, 2006.
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: August 2006. Press release showing monthly exports, general imports (including data by country), and limited data on imports for consumption. Scheduled for release October 12, 2006.
Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services: September 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 October 13, 2006.
Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales: August 2006. Press release showing sales, inventories, and inventories-to-sales ratios for the combined domestic activities of retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Scheduled for release October 13, 2006.
New Residential Construction: September 2006. Press release showing data for housing starts, completions, and building permits. Scheduled for release October 18, 2006.
Reference and Compendia
Facts for Features: Veteran's Day (November 11th) . Statistics from the Census Bureau's demographic subject area relating to the national holiday honoring our military veterans. Parades and speeches occur across the country, highlighted by a national ceremony taking place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.
Facts for Features: Thanksgiving Day (November 23rd) . Economic and demographic statistics pertaining to the menu of culinary delights consumed on Turkey Day.
