RIMS II Online Order and Delivery System

Frequently Asked Questions

1.    What are RIMS II multipliers?

2.    What are Type I and Type II multipliers?

3.    What is the difference between the annual and benchmark series?

4.    Do I need to specify the region and the industry?

5.    Will I receive multipliers for each county in my region?

6.    How long will it take to receive my multipliers?

7.    How long will I have access to my multipliers?

8.    Will my payment information be saved?

9.    How do I view the counties in my region?

10.  How do I view and download my multipliers?

11.  What are locking stubs?

12.  How can I convert purchaser prices to producer prices?

13.  How do I display the National Distribution Costs tables?

14.  How do I change my e-mail address or password?

15.  Where can I find the security and privacy policy?

16.  How can I contact the RIMS staff?

1.   What are RIMS II multipliers?

RIMS II multipliers quantify the cumulative effects on total industry output, earnings, employment, and value added that result from a change in final demand. The multipliers are derived from two sources:  A national input-output table—an accounting framework that shows the distribution of the inputs purchased and outputs sold—and regional data, which are used to adjust the national input-output table to reflect the a region’s industrial structure and trading patterns.

Each set of multipliers includes six types of multipliers—four final-demand multipliers and two direct-effect multipliers. The final-demand multipliers are all “per-output” multipliers. To use these multipliers, you will need an estimate of the value of the output purchased by the final user (also known as the final-demand change.) The final-demand multipliers times the final-demand change valued in “producer prices” will provide you with an estimate of total gross output, total earnings, total jobs, and total value added, depending on the final-demand multiplier that you use.

The direct-effect earnings multiplier is an “earnings-per-earnings” multiplier, and the direct-effect employment multiplier is a “jobs-per-jobs” multiplier. To use the direct-effect earnings multiplier, you will need an estimate of the initial change in earnings. Similarly, to use the direct-effect employment multiplier, you will need an estimate of the initial change in jobs. The initial changes in earnings and employment should factor in only those full-time and part-time employees residing in the region who work in the industry producing the final-demand output. This is an important consideration when defining the study region.

Jobs impacts estimated using the final-demand and direct-effect employment multipliers include both part-time and full-time employees. The RIMS II multipliers do not provide estimates of jobs in terms of full-time equivalences.

To see the layout of the multiplier tables, click on the Sample Tables link on the left menu. 

  Description of RIMS II Multipliers

  RIMS II Multiplier Tables for Regions

        1.  Each row contains multipliers for an industry in the detailed industry series.

        2.  Each row contains multipliers for an industry in the aggregated industry series.

  State-level RIMS II Multipliers for Industries

        3.  Each row contains multipliers for a state or the District of Columbia.

2.   What are Type I and Type II multipliers?

As of May 2011, tables are provided for both Type I and Type II multipliers for each region or industry that you order. The Type I multipliers account for the direct and indirect impacts based on the supply of goods and services in the region. The Type II multipliers account for these same direct and indirect impacts, and for induced impacts, which are associated with the purchases made by employees. Regardless of the multiplier that you use, the impact will always include the initial change.

If you are using Type II multipliers, it is important that your final-demand change excludes any output that is purchased by household consumers residing in the region.

3.   What is the difference between the annual and benchmark series?

The difference between the two series is the national input-output data that was used to calculate the multipliers. The annual series is more current but contains less industry detail than the benchmark series.

If you purchase the annual series, you will only receive multipliers for 62 aggregate industries. If you purchase the benchmark series, you will receive multipliers for both 406 detailed and 62 aggregate industries.

4.   Do I need to specify the region and the industry?

You only have to specify the region—not the industry—when you order multipliers for a region. You will receive Type I and Type II multipliers for all the industries. 

You only have to specify the industry when you order multipliers for an industry at the state level. When you use this option you will receive multipliers for all states and the District of Columbia.

5.   Will I receive multipliers for each county in my region?

You will receive multipliers for the region as a whole. If you would like to receive multipliers for each county in your multi-county region, you can order them separately. 

6.   How long will it take to receive my multipliers?

You will receive your multipliers within 1 to 3 business days if you pay with a credit card or within 5 to 10 business days if you pay with an E-check. You will receive e-mail notifications when your payment has been approved and when your order is ready for download and viewing.

7.   How long will I have access to my multipliers?

You will be able to access your multipliers from the Online Order and Delivery System for up to 3 years. You can also download your multipliers to your own machine for permanent storage. You will receive e-mail notices before your multipliers are removed from the system so that you can download them before their removal.

8.   Will my payment information be saved?

We do not store your payment information. Your payment information will only be used during the payment transaction. You will have to reenter this information each time that you order multipliers.

9.   How do I view the counties in my region?

You can view the counties in your region by placing your mouse pointer over the region name that appears on the Shopping Cart and the Order Details pages. You will need to have pop-ups enabled on your browser.

10. How do I view and download my multipliers?

Click on the View Multipliers link on the left menu and then click the order number to display the Order Details page.

You can view your multiplier tables online by using the Multiplier Viewer. On the Order Details page, click the magnifying glass icon in the View Multipliers column. Then use the drop-down list next to the Table heading at the top of the Multiplier Viewer page to display a multiplier table. From here, you can click the CSV Download button in the blue Tools Options box to export your table in CSV (comma-separated value) format. You can open these tables in Microsoft Excel. Tables 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4 will be transposed when they are exported.

You can view PDF versions of your summary tables (Tables 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5) by clicking on the PDF icons on the Order Details page.

You can click the disk icon in the Download Multipliers column on the Order Details page to download a ZIP file containing CSV files and PDFs for all your multiplier tables. Follow the instructions on the page that appears. Use the Download Multiplier Data Files button to begin the download.

11. What are locking stubs?

Locking stubs is a Java application that locks the column and row headers of the table you are viewing. Java must be enabled to use locking stubs.

12. How can I convert purchaser prices to producer prices?

Your final-demand changes must be valued in producer prices instead of purchaser prices. Producer prices exclude wholesale and retail margins and transportation costs.

In the absence of regional distribution costs, national distribution costs are an alternative data source for converting purchaser prices to producer prices. If your final-demand change is valued in purchaser prices, you will need to separate the final-demand change into components for production costs, transportation costs, and wholesale and retail trade margins before applying the multipliers.  RIMS II provides four tables (Table C, Table D, Table E, and Table F) containing national distribution costs for intermediate and final-demand purchases. The examples below use data from the 2002 benchmark national distribution costs tables.

Table C.―The Input-Output Commodity Composition of NIPA Final Demand

Table C contains the commodity composition of National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) final demand from the national input-output accounts. This table can be used to calculate transportation costs and trade margins associated with all types of final-demand changes (Personal Consumption Expenditures, Private Fixed Investment, Changes in Private Fixed Investment, Exports, Imports, and Government Consumption and Gross Investment).

Example: By using shares derived from the data in Table C, $1 million of automobile exports (336111, Automobile manufacturing) can be expressed as: an $864,429 final-demand change (86.4% of $1 million) for automobile manufacturing output; a $27,403 final-demand change (2.7% of $1 million) for transportation services; and a $108,347 final-demand change (10.8% of $1 million) for wholesale services (wholesale margin). The resulting final-demand changes for automobiles, transportation services, and wholesale services can be applied to the multipliers for these industries if these goods and services are provided by firms in the study region.

To display the information used in this example, use the icon on the Sample Tables page to go to the Distribution Costs Viewer for a Benchmark Series order. Select Table C from the Distribution Costs Table drop-down menu in Step 1. Then select “Detailed Commodities” in Step 2, and “Final-Use Category” in Step 3. Highlight “Export of goods and services” as the final-use category and click “Display Table.” The information used in this example will be found under commodity code 336111 and title “Automobile manufacturing.”

Table D.―The Input-Output Commodity Composition of NIPA Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE)

Table D contains the commodity composition of NIPA Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) from the national input-output accounts. This table can be used to calculate transportation costs and trade margins associated with a PCE final-demand change.

Example: By using shares derived from the data in Table D, a $1 million purchase of new automobiles (336111, Automobile manufacturing) by households that is in purchasers’ values can be expressed as: a $687,874 final-demand change (68.8% of $1 million) for automobile manufacturing output; a $21,742 final-demand change (2.2% of $1 million) for transportation services; an $86,299 final-demand change (8.6% of $1 million) for wholesale services (wholesale margin); and a $204,084 final-demand change (20.4% of $1 million) for retail services (retail margin). The resulting final-demand changes for automobiles, transportation services, wholesale services, and retail services can be applied to the multipliers for these industries if these goods and services are provided by firms in the study region.

To display the information used in this example, use the icon on the Sample Tables page to go to the Distribution Costs Viewer for a Benchmark Series order. Select Table D from the Distribution Costs Table drop-down menu. Then select “Detailed Commodities” in Step 2, and “Final-Use Category” in Step 3. Highlight “New domestic autos” as the Final-Use category and click “Display Table.” The information used in this example will be found under commodity code 336111 and title “Automobile manufacturing.”

Table E.―The Input-Output Commodity Composition of NIPA Private Fixed Investment in Equipment and Software (PES)

Table E contains the commodity composition of NIPA Private Fixed Investment in Equipment and Software (PES) from the national input-output accounts. This table can be used to calculate transportation costs and trade margins associated with a PES final-demand change.

Example: By using shares derived from the data in Table E, a $1 million purchase of new automobiles (336111, Automobile manufacturing) as a fixed investment that is in purchasers’ values can be expressed as: an $817,204 final-demand change (81.7% of $1 million) for automobile manufacturing output; a $25,843 final-demand change (2.6% of $1 million) for transportation services; a $102,516 final-demand change (10.3% of $1 million) for wholesale services (wholesale margin); and a $54,438 final-demand change (5.4% of $1 million) for retail services (retail margin). The resulting final-demand changes for automobiles, transportation services, wholesale services, and retail services can be applied to the multipliers for these industries if these goods and services are provided by firms in the study region.

To display the information used in this example, use the icon on the Sample Tables page to go to the Distribution Costs Viewer for a Benchmark Series order. Select Table E from the Distribution Costs Table drop-down menu. Then select “Detailed Commodities” in Step 2, and “Final-Use Category” in Step 3. Highlight “Autos” as the Final-Use category and click “Display Table.” The information used in this example will be found under commodity code 336111 and title “Automobile manufacturing.”

Table F.―The Input-Output Commodity Composition of Intermediate Purchases

Table F contains the commodity composition of intermediate purchases from the national input-output accounts. This information can be used in a bill-of-goods approach when estimating the impacts of an industry’s purchases on a region. For the automobile industry (336111, Automobile manufacturing), Table F will show purchases of intermediate inputs required to produce an automobile.

Example: By using shares derived from the data in Table F, a $1 million purchase of automobile parts (336300, Motor vehicle parts manufacturing) by the automobile manufacturing industry (336111, Automobile manufacturing) that is in purchasers’ values can be expressed as: a $922,391 final-demand change (92.2% of $1 million) for motor vehicle parts manufacturing output; a $14,774 final-demand change (1.5% of $1 million) for transportation services; and a $62,835 final-demand change (6.3% of $1 million) for wholesale services (wholesale margin). The resulting final-demand changes for automobile parts, transportation services, and wholesale services can be applied to the multipliers for these industries if these goods and services are provided by fims in the study region.

To display the information used in this example, use the icon on the Sample Tables page to go to the Distribution Costs Viewer for a Benchmark Series order. Select Table F from the Distribution Costs Table drop-down menu. Then select “Detailed industries and commodities” in Step 2, and “Industry” in Step 3. Highlight “336111 Automobile manufacturing” as the industry and click “Display Table.” The information used in this example will be found under commodity code 336300 and title “Motor vehicle parts manufacturing.”

13. How do I display the National Distribution Costs tables?

Click the magnifying glass in the Distribution Column on your Order Details page.  This will open the Distribution Cost Viewer.  Follow the directions in each step to choose the table you would like to view.  After all of the steps have been completed, you can display the table by clicking the Display Table button at the bottom of the page.

You can view the Distribution Costs tables in either HTML or locking stubs. Clicking the CSV Download button will allow you to export the tables.

14. How do I change my e-mail address or password?

Click the Update My Account link on the left menu.  Click the Edit e-mail and password link and then enter a new e-mail address or password. Your password is case sensitive, must be between 6 and 15 characters, and must contain at least one number and one letter, with no special characters.

15. Where can I find the security and privacy policy?

The BEA Web Privacy Policy Statement is in the footer of all the RIMS II Online Order and Delivery System pages.

A link to the RIMS II Online Order and Delivery System Privacy and Security Policy Statement is on the Shopping Cart page.

16. How can I contact the RIMS staff?

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact the RIMS staff by phone at 202-606-5343 or by e-mail at RIMS@bea.gov.