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CENSUS OF MANUFACTURES

PURPOSE

To provide periodic and comprehensive statistics about manufacturing establishments, activities, and production. The United States Code, Title 13, requires this census and provides for mandatory responses.

COVERAGE

All domestic establishments that are classified in SIC Division D, Manufacturing, and have at least one employee. Coverage is virtually unchanged since 1947.

CONTENT

Basic data obtained for all establishments include kind of business, geographic location, type of ownership, total revenue, annual and first quarter payroll, and employees in the pay period including March 12. Establishments receiving a long form provide added detail and added data (including inventories, capital expenditures, identification of some 1,000 materials consumed, cost of materials, energy consumed, and quantity and value of shipments for some 11,000 products). Short forms request much less data detail and no identification of materials consumed.

FREQUENCY

Every 5 years since 1967, for years ending in "2" and "7." Previous censuses were conducted for years 1963, 1958, 1954, and 1947; and questions on manufactures were first included in population censuses in 1810. Data are requested for activities taking place during the previous calendar year.

METHODS

A mail-out/mail-back census of 237,000 establishments of all multi-unit firms and single-unit firms with payrolls above cutoff size; plus administrative data for all 143,000 non-mail single establishments. Firms and establishments selected for the annual survey of manufactures (ASM) receive a long form, with the ASM as pages 1-4. Other establishments with payrolls larger than a cutoff size that varies by industry (generally equivalent to 5 employees) receive either a long or short form; most above cutoff establishments receive a long form, and some small single-unit firms in about 80 industries that have a large number of selected small firms (with 5 to 20 employees) receive a short form. For single-unit firms below cutoff size (those not receiving a census form), basic data are obtained from Federal income tax records and additional data items are estimated using industry averages.

PRODUCTS

Most data are available from the Internet and on CD-ROM. The principal publications are:

Final Industry Series reports supersede the preliminary reports beginning about 20 months after the census year and provide considerable additional detail. These 83 reports include selected operating ratios, industry-product analysis, book value of assets, capital expenditures, retirements, and depreciation.

Final Geographic Area Series reports consist of 51 publications available beginning about 24 months after the census year. Reports provide 2-, 3-, and 4-digit SIC industry statistics for each state, the District of Columbia, metropolitan area, and selected counties and places.

Subject Series reports supplement other products about 30 months after the census year and include a General Summary (replacing the preliminary summary), Concentration Ratios in Manufacturing, and Manufacturers' Shipments to the Federal Government. Similar Analytic Series reports include Selected Characteristics of Manufacturing Establishments that Export, and Exports from Manufacturing Establishments.

USES

The Bureau of Economic Analysis uses the data to benchmark GDP estimates and prepare input-output tables. The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses the data to benchmark producer price indexes and prepare productivity statistics. The Federal Reserve Board uses the data to prepare indexes of industrial production.

State and local agencies use the data to forecast economic conditions and plan policies. Trade associations, companies, and researchers use the data for economic planning, market analysis and investment and production decisions. National and local news media use the data in general and special business coverage.

RELATED PROGRAMS

Annual Survey of Manufactures

Current Industrial Reports (Industrial Products)

Business Register  

You are here: Economic Programs Overview Manufacturing Census of Manufacturers

Last revised: October 24, 2005