Learn More About the Economic Census of Each Island Area:
Economic Programs are the Census Bureau's primary program commitment during non-decennial census years. These programs cover virtually every sector of the economy, feature unique industry and geographic statistics, and provide information that is critical for understanding the changing economic structure and performance of the United States and its territories. They yield data products from the economic census covering years ending in "2" and "7." For the United States, a variety of current surveys are also conducted on a more frequent basis (monthly, quarterly, and annually). Economic Programs statistics are widely used by policy officials, economic analysts, business decision-makers, and the news media.
The Economic Census of Island Areas is the major source of facts about the structure and functioning of the economy of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. It provides essential information for government, business, industry, and the general public. Title 13 of the United States Code (Sections 131, 191, and 224) directs the Census Bureau to take the economic census every 5 years (covering years ending in "2" and "7") and this same law protects the privacy of businesses that respond to the economic census.
The Economic Census of Island Areas furnishes an important part of the framework for such composite measures, such as gross domestic product/gross island product estimates, input/output measures, and other statistical series that measure short-term changes in economic conditions. Specific uses of economic census data include the following:
The 2012, 2007 and 2002 Economic Censuses present data based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The changes between 2012 and 2007 NAICS have had a much smaller impact on the comparability of data than the change from SIC to NAICS had between the 1997 and 2002 censuses. Additional information about NAICS is available from the NAICS website.
For American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 2012 fringe benefits are not comparable with 2007 data due to changes introduced in the employer’s cost for benefits question. The fringe benefits question is introduced for Puerto Rico in 2012.
The 2012 economic census questionnaire requested the respondents to provide the cost for payroll taxes and any other legally required employee benefits, as well as the cost for voluntarily provided benefits. Whereas, in 2007 the survey question requested the total cost for fringe benefits for American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Capital expenditures and depreciation charges have also been added to American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and extended to all questionnaires for Puerto Rico. The 2012 economic census requested the respondents to provide the dollar value of capital expenditures for buildings and structures, machinery and equipment, and depreciation charges.
For Puerto Rico, the nine commercial regions will be replaced with eleven planning regions. This change will improve the comparability between demographic and economic data.
The inclusion of government-operated business data in the 2012 Economic Census limits the comparability of several sectors within the island areas. See below a list of the sectors that are affected for each island area:
The economic census has been taken at 5-year intervals for the following areas, except where noted below:
The range of industries covered in the economic census for American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico was broadened in 2002. Sectors added for the first time in 2002 include information, finance and insurance, real estate, health care, and other service industries.
Printed statistical reports from the 2002 and earlier censuses provide historical data for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and are available in some libraries. For American Samoa only the 2002 printed report provides historical data. Printed reports from 1997 and earlier censuses provide historical data for Puerto Rico. Reports for 1992, 1997, and 2002 are also available in portable document format (PDF) on the Internet.
Accurate and complete information on the physical location of each establishment is required to tabulate the census data for municipalities, districts, towns, villages, counties, municipios, or islands. Respondents are required to report their physical location (street address or location description and municipality, district, town, village, county, municipio, or island) if it differs from their mailing address. For those establishments that do not provide acceptable information on physical location, location information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax forms or from the previous census is used as a basis for coding.
The level of geographic detail covered varies by island. Data may be presented for:
Census data are available on the American FactFinder system. The system allows selective retrieval and downloading of the data.
Special tabulations of data collected in the 2012 Economic Census of Island Areas may be obtained, depending on availability of time and personnel, in electronic or tabular form. The data will be summaries subject to the same rules prohibiting disclosure of confidential information (including name, address, kind of business, or other data for individual business establishments or companies) that govern the regular data files.
Special tabulations are prepared on a cost basis. A request for a cost estimate, as well as exact specifications on the type and format of the data to be provided should be directed to the Chief of the Economic Census Branch, Company Statistics Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington DC 20233-6400.
