March 19, 2009
Headline News
First Data from the 2007 Economic Census Released. (Released March 17, 2009)
Northern Mariana Islands Economy Tops $1.3 Billion in Sales in 2007. (Released March 17, 2009)
Privately-Owned Housing Starts in February 2009 Were at a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of 583,000. This Is 22.2 Percent Above the Revised January 2009 Estimate of 477,000. (Released March 17, 2009)
The Nation's International Deficit in Goods and Services Decreased to $36.0 Billion in January 2009 From $39.9 Billion in December, as Imports Decreased More Than Exports. (Released March 13, 2009)
U.S. Total Business Sales for January Were $1,004.0 Billion, Down 1.0 Percent From Last Month. Month-End Inventories Were $1,440.1 Billion, Down 1.1 Percent From Last Month. (Released March 12, 2009)
U.S. Retail and Food Service Sales for February Reached $346.8 Billion, a Decrease of 0.1 Percent From the Previous Month. (Released March 12, 2009)
U.S. Information Sector Revenue for the Fourth Quarter of 2008, Adjusted for Seasonal Variation but Not for Price Changes, Was $278.9 Billion, a Decrease of 1.2 Percent (+/- 0.5) From the Third Quarter of 2008. (Released March 11, 2009)
January 2009 Sales of Merchant Wholesalers Were $326.1 Billion, Down 2.9 Percent From Last Month. End-of-Month Inventories Were $424.2 Billion, Down 0.7 Percent From Last Month. (Released March 10, 2009)
Facts for Features: Mother's Day: May 10, 2009. (Released March 10, 2009)
Facts for Features: Cinco de Mayo. (Released March 5, 2009)
Fact of the Day
First Data Released From the 2007 Economic Census
Preliminary data from the 2007 Economic Census is now available! The advance report is the first in a series of industry and geographic area data, including information for more than 1,000 communities not available from previous censuses. The report is made up of two data sets, Advance Summary Statistics for the United States: 2007 and Advance Comparative Statistics for the United States: 2007. These show the number of establishments, revenue (sales), payroll and number of employees at the national level for 101 industry groups based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
Among the findings in this report:
- Wholesale trade, manufacturing, and retail trade remained the largest sectors in the U.S. economy.
- Manufacturers reported shipments of more than $5.3 trillion in 2007, an increase of more than $1.4 trillion from the $3.9 trillion reported in 2002.
- Food, petroleum and chemicals accounted for more than 56 percent of the growth in the manufacturing sector ($812 billion of the $1.4 trillion increase) from 2002 to 2007.
- The health care and social assistance sector continued to have the most employees with nearly 17 million in 2007, an increase of more than 12 percent from 2002.
- Among the service-related sectors, employees in the information sector earned the highest average payroll per employee in 2007 ($64,871). The accommodation and food services sector reported the lowest payroll per employee in 2007 ($14,649).
Hot Tip
New "Did You Know?" Feature in LED
The Local Employment Dynamics (LED) website has a new dynamic "Did You Know?" feature that shows the change in total employment by state and select industries for workers in private sector jobs (ie, excluding public service, federal goverment, military, etc) over a one-year period.
This feature allows comparison of employment data between quarters, males or females, and shows percent change. It can be refreshed to provide randomly selected states and industry sectors.
Recently Released
Population
A Child's Day: 2006. Examines the well-being of children, providing a look into living arrangements, family characteristics, time spent in child care, academic experience, and extracurricular activities. These national-level estimates from the Survey of Income and Program Participation allow observation of trends over time of selected characteristics of the household, such as composition, income, labor force participation, and government assistance.
Foreign-Born Characteristics: 2007. Detailed tables and data charts (PDF - 87 KB) providing information on the Foreign-Born population. New data profiles show educational attainment, income, year of entry, occupations, and more based on a group's country of birth. For example, Chinese-born residents in one part of the country are much more likely to graduate high school than others.
School Enrollment in the United States: 2007. Annual update at the national level on the demographics of Americans age 3 and older enrolled in classes - from nursery school through graduate studies - as well as those in vocational training.
Economic Indicators
Monthly Wholesale Trade: January 2009. 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 Services Survey: Fourth Quarter 2008. Press release showing quarterly estimates of total operating revenue and the percentage of revenue by class of customer for the services industries.
Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services: February 2009. 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: January 2009. Press release showing sales, inventories, and inventories-to-sales ratios for the combined domestic activities of retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers.
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: January 2009. Press release showing monthly exports, general imports (including data by country), and limited data on imports for consumption.
Housing Starts and Building Permits: February 2009. Press release showing data for housing starts, completions, and building permits.
Economic Census and Surveys
2007 Economic Census Advance Report. This is the first look at the business activity of the more than 4 million businesses that took part in the 2007 Economic Census and highlights national-level data for 101 industry groups, including number of establishments, revenue, payroll and number of employees. The report is made up of two data sets, Advance Summary Statistics for the United States: 2007 and Advance Comparative Statistics for the United States: 2007. The economic census dates back to 1810, and has been conducted at five-year intervals since the 1950s.
2007 Economic Census of Island Areas: Northern Mariana Islands. The first data to be released for the U.S. Island Areas, these data come from the 2007 Economic Census and include number of establishments, sales, payroll, number of employees and other data items. Data for Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico will follow between May 2009 and September 2010.
2007 Annual Capital Expenditures Survey. These data provide statistics on business spending for new and used structures and equipment, including all domestic, private, nonfarm businesses. These figures are critical to evaluate productivity growth, the ability of U.S. business to compete with foreign business, changes in industrial capacity, and measures of overall economic performance.
Older Worker Profiles. Reports (released for each of over 30 states) providing a detailed picture of workers 55 and older at the county and metropolitan area levels for 2004. Based on data from the Local Employment Dynamics program, the reports highlight the age of the states' work force, job gains and losses, industries in which older workers are concentrated, job stability, and earnings.
Reference and Compendia
St. Patrick's Day (March 17, 2009) and Irish-American Heritage Month (March)
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month: May 2009
Older Americans Month: May 2009
Upcoming Releases
2010 Census
Address Canvassing Begins. With just one year until Census Day (April 1, 2010), 140,000 census workers are walking every street in the nation to make sure all living quarters are in the Census Bureau address database.
Population
County, Puerto Rico Municipio, Metropolitan and Micropolitan Area Population Estimates: July 1, 2008. Northeast Florida's Palm Coast was the fastest-growing metro area in 2007. St. Bernard Parish, near New Orleans, was the fastest-growing county. Did they repeat this distinction in 2008? Internet tables showing population estimates, rankings and components of change for the nation's counties, county equivalents, metro and micro areas since Census 2000 and up to July 1, 2008, will reveal the answer.
Educational Attainment in the United States: 2008. Internet tables from the Current Population Survey's Annual Social and Economic Supplement detail education levels by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, nativity, occupation and other demographic characteristics at the national level.
Foreign-Born Characteristics: 2007. In 2007, there were an estimated 38 million people living in the United States who were born outside of the country. Tabulations from 2007 data include such topics as educational attainment, income, year of entry, occupations and more based on a group's country of birth.
America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2008. These tables provide national-level demographic characteristics for families and households, such as race, education and marital status. They also contain data on the composition of the American household, such as single-parent families, fathers as child care providers, grandparents as caregivers, stay-at-home parents, age at first marriage, and number of children.
Population Change in Central and Outlying Counties of Metropolitan Statistical Areas: 2000 to 2007. Analysis of population change and demographic components of change in both core and outlying portions of metro areas. This change is examined by region and division, and metro area population size category, as well as for 12 of the most populous metro areas.
Economic Indicators
Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: February 2009. Press release showing advance information on key business indicators. Scheduled for release March 25, 2009.
New Residential Sales: February 2009. 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 March 25, 2009.
Quarterly Financial Report for Retail Trade: Fourth Quarter, 2008. Press release shows second quarter sales of large retail trade corporations. Includes large U.S. retailers' after-tax profits. Scheduled for release March 30, 2009.
Construction Spending (Put-in-Place): February 2009. 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 April 1, 2009.
Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: February 2009. 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 April 2, 2009.
Economic Census and Surveys
2007 Information and Communication Technology Survey. A supplement to the Annual Capital Expenditures Survey, this survey covers infrastructure investment for computers and peripherals; telephones and telephone apparatus, facsimile equipment, and routers, etc.; electromedical and electrotherapeutic apparatus; and computer software.
Government
2008 4th Quarter Summary of State and Local Government Tax Revenue. Quarterly tax revenue data on property, sales, license, income and other taxes. Data are shown for individual state governments as well as national-level estimates of total state and local taxes, including 12-month calculations. This quarterly survey has been conducted continuously since 1962.
Reference and Compendia
Facts for Features: Indianapolis Motor Speedway 100th Anniversary. The world's largest sports venue, with the ability to seat about 400,000 spectators, turns 100 this year. The 93rd Indy 500 on May 24, 2009, is being billed as the first race in the track's "Centennial Era" of 2009-2011. To commemorate this automotive milestone, the Census Bureau has compiled a collection of facts and figures relating to our nation, Indiana and Indianapolis during the past 100 years.
March 06, 2009
Headline News
Facts for Features: Cinco de Mayo. (Released March 5, 2009)
New Orders for Manufactured Goods in January Decreased $6.9 Billion or 1.9 Percent to $351.9 Billion. (Released March 5, 2009)
Total Construction Activity for January 2009 ($986.2 Billion) Was 3.3 Percent Below the Revised December 2008 ($1,020.0 Billion) Figure. (Released March 2, 2009)
Asian and Hispanic Children More Likely to Dine With Their Parents. (Released March 4, 2009)
Hispanics Become More Prevalent on College Campuses. (Released March 4, 2009)
Facts for Features: Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month: May 2009. (Released March 3, 2009)
Facts for Features: Older Americans Month: May 2009. (Released March 3, 2009)
Business Spending on Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure Reaches $264 Billion in 2007. (Released February 26, 2009)
Sales of New One-Family Houses in January 2009 Were at a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of 309,000. This Is 10.2 Percent Below the Revised December 2008 Estimate of 344,000. (Released February 26, 2009)
As Baby Boomers Age, Fewer Families Have Children Under 18 at Home. (Released February 25, 2009)
Fact of the Day
School Enrollment in the United States
School Enrollment in the United States: 2007 contains eight detailed tables based on statistics collected in the October School Enrollment Supplement to the Current Population Survey. The national-level data are shown by characteristics such as age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, family income, type of college, employment status, and vocational course enrollment. Highlights include:
- Hispanic students comprised 12 percent of full-time college students (both undergraduate and graduate students) in 2007, up from 10 percent in 2006.
- In 2007, 53 percent of Hispanic 4-year-olds were enrolled in nursery school, up from 43 percent in 1997, and 21 percent in 1987.
- In 2007, 27 percent of the population 3 or older were enrolled in classes - from nursery school to graduate studies.
- More than half (59 percent) of all 4-year-olds and 39 percent of 3-year-olds were enrolled in nursery school.
- Students in grades one through 12 made up 64 percent of people 3 and older enrolled in school.
- Students 35 or older comprised 15 percent of people enrolled in college. They made up 7 percent of the full-time college students and 36 percent of those attending part time.
- Women continue their majority status, comprising 55 percent of undergraduates and 60 percent of graduate students.
Hot Tip
Speak With a Census Specialist
Don't miss the opportunity to speak with a Census Bureau employee who specializes in your area of interest. For a list of Census specialists, click "About the Bureau" on the left side of the Census Bureau's home page, then click "Telephone Contacts by Subject Area." Next, click on any subject area to find select names and contact phone numbers.
If you already know a Census employee's name but not his/her phone number, at the "About the Bureau" page, click "Staff Search." From there, type in the employee's last name, or, for a list of names of an entire Census office, type in the acronym of the office.
As always, remember that the Census Bureau's Customer Liaison and Marketing Services Office, Customer Services Center, can be reached during business hours on (800) 923-8282 and is available to answer any questions you may have.
Recently Released
Population
A Child's Day: 2006. Examines the well-being of children, providing a look into living arrangements, family characteristics, time spent in child care, academic experience, and extracurricular activities. These national-level estimates from the Survey of Income and Program Participation allow observation of trends over time of selected characteristics of the household, such as composition, income, labor force participation, and government assistance.
America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2008. These tables provide national-level demographic characteristics for families and households, such as race, education and marital status. They also contain data on the composition of the American household, such as single-parent families, fathers as child care providers, grandparents as caregivers, stay-at-home parents, age at first marriage, and number of children.
Foreign-Born Characteristics: 2007. Detailed tables and data charts (PDF - 87 KB) provide information on the foreign-born population. New data profiles show educational attainment, income, year of entry, occupations, and more based on a group's country of birth. For example, Chinese-born residents in one part of the country are much more likely to graduate high school than others.
School Enrollment in the United States: 2007. Annual update at the national level on the demographics of Americans age 3 and older enrolled in classes - from nursery school through graduate studies - as well as those in vocational training.
Economic Indicators
Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: January 2009. Press release showing advance information on key business indicators.
Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: January 2009. Press release showing information on key business indicators. Shows revised durable goods totals, in addition to nondurable goods manufacturers' shipments, inventories, and orders.
New Residential Sales: January 2009. 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): January 2009. 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).
Economic Census and Surveys
2007 Annual Capital Expenditures Survey. These data provide statistics on business spending for new and used structures and equipment, including all domestic, private, nonfarm businesses. These figures are critical to evaluate productivity growth, the ability of U.S. business to compete with foreign business, changes in industrial capacity, and measures of overall economic performance.
2007 Information and Communication Technology Survey. A supplement to the Annual Capital Expenditures Survey, this survey covers infrastructure investment for computers and peripherals; telephones and telephone apparatus, facsimile equipment, and routers, etc.; electromedical and electrotherapeutic apparatus; and computer software.
Older Worker Profiles. Reports (released for each of over 30 states) providing a detailed picture of workers 55 and older at the county and metropolitan area levels for 2004. Based on data from the Local Employment Dynamics program, the reports highlight the age of the states' work force, job gains and losses, industries in which older workers are concentrated, job stability, and earnings.
Reference and Compendia
St. Patrick's Day (March 17, 2009) and Irish-American Heritage Month (March)
African-American History Month (February). To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, the Census Bureau presents a collection of demographic and economic statistics about the black community.
Facts for Features: Valentine's Day 2009 (February 14)
Upcoming Releases
Population
Population Change in Central and Outlying Counties of Metropolitan Statistical Areas: 2000 to 2007. Analysis of population change and demographic components of change in both core and outlying portions of metro areas. This change is examined by region and division, and metro area population size category, as well as for 12 of the most populous metro areas.
County, Puerto Rico Municipio, Metropolitan and Micropolitan Area Population Estimates: July 1, 2008. Internet tables showing population estimates, rankings, and components of change for the nation’s counties, county equivalents, metro and micro areas since Census 2000 and up to July 1, 2008.
Economic Indicators
Monthly Wholesale Trade: January 2009. 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 March 10, 2009.
Quarterly Services Survey: Fourth Quarter 2008. Press release showing quarterly estimates of total operating revenue and the percentage of revenue by class of customer for the services industries. Scheduled for release March 11, 2009.
Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services: February 2009. 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 March 12, 2009.
Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales: January 2009. Press release showing sales, inventories, and inventories-to-sales ratios for the combined domestic activities of retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Scheduled for release March 12, 2009.
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: January 2009. Press release showing monthly exports, general imports (including data by country), and limited data on imports for consumption. Scheduled for release March 13, 2009.
Housing Starts and Building Permits: February 2009. Press release showing data for housing starts, completions, and building permits. Scheduled for release March 17, 2009.
Economic Census and Surveys
2007 Economic Census Advance Report. This is the first look at the business activity of the more than 4 million businesses that took part in the 2007 Economic Census and highlights national-level data for 101 industry groups, including number of establishments, revenue, payroll and number of employees. The economic census dates back to 1810, and has been conducted at five-year intervals since the 1950s. The Census Bureau will hold an audio news conference March 17 at 10 a.m. (News conference details will be available March 10.)
2007 Economic Census of Island Areas: Northern Mariana Islands. The first data to be released for the island areas, these data come from the 2007 Economic Census and include number of establishments, sales, payroll, number of employees and other data items. Data for Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico will follow between May 2009 and September 2010.
