The Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs (ASE) provides information on selected economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners by sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status.

The ASE collects data across most industries and covers nearly all U.S. nonfarm employer businesses that file Internal Revenue Service tax forms as individual proprietorships, partnerships, or any type of corporation. The ASE is conducted on an annual basis for three reference years starting with reference year 2014. Reporting has ended for the 2014 and 2015 reference years. Collection for the 2016 reference year began in June 2017. Responses are due August 3, 2017.

To see previously published ASE statistics, please visit our Data page.

The Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs is not currently in data collection.

To help you prepare for online reporting, click on the appropriate forms and instructions below.
(All forms are in Adobe PDF file format and are for informational purposes only)

Title 13 United States Code (U.S.C.), Sections 8(b), 131, and 182, authorizes this collection. Sections 224 and 225 require your response. On behalf of the Secretary of Commerce, pursuant to Section 1(a)(3) of Executive Order 11625, the MBDA may enter into this agreement with the Census Bureau to establish a means for the development, collection, summation, and dissemination of information that will be helpful to persons and organizations throughout the nation in undertaking or promoting the establishment and successful operation of minority business enterprises.

Title 13, United States Code, Section 9, requires the Census Bureau to keep your information CONFIDENTIAL and can use your responses only to produce statistics.  

The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify your business, organization, or institution.  Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data. 

Below are a few common items you can use to verify the legitimacy of this survey:

1.       Ensure the Web address provided in the letter is a "census.gov" domain.

2.       Reporting information is provided in the letter.

3.       On the log-in screen, a warning message should be present stating the respondent is accessing a U.S. Government computer.

4.       Additionally, the upper right corner of the page should display the OMB eight-digit number and expiration date. This  number indicates that the OMB has approved the survey and has confirmed there is a need to collect the information.

5.       The bottom of the log-in screen should have a link for the “Burden Statement” which also contains the OMB eight-digit number.