EMBARGOED UNTIL: 12:01 A.M. EST, JANUARY 12, 2000 (WEDNESDAY) Public Information Office CB00-07 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-457-1037 (TDD) e-mail: pio@census.gov Steve Roman 301-457-2786 Nation's Utilities Generate More Than $400 Billion in Revenues, Census Bureau Reports The nation's utilities reported revenues of $412 billion and employed nearly 703,000 workers at more than 15,000 locations in 1997, according to economic census reports released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. Texas, with revenues of $74 billion, and California, with revenues of $27 billion, led all states. Nationwide, the electric power industry generated $269 billion in revenues, while the natural gas industry accounted for $137 billion. The 52 reports -- one for each state, the District of Columbia and the United States -- comprise the series titled 1997 Economic Census, Geographic Area Series, Utilities. Released on the Internet, they present summary data by industry for the United States, states and metropolitan areas. The 1997 Economic Census marks the premiere of the North American Industry Classification System, a new business classification system that replaces the Standard Industrial Classification system begun 60 years ago. "The United States developed the new system jointly with Canada and Mexico, making it much easier to compare data with our North American Free Trade Agreement partners," said Frederick Knickerbocker, the Census Bureau's associate director for economic programs. "It is also much easier to update, so that economic data can keep pace with the nation's changing economy." Data compiled for the utilities sector 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 the interpretation of questions; errors in recording or coding the data obtained; and other errors of collection, response, coverage, processing and estimation for missing or misreported data.-X-