The Economic Census is the U.S. Government’s official five-year measure of businesses in the United States. It provides the most comprehensive data available at the national, state, and local level, representing most industries and geographic areas of the United States and Island Areas. The Economic Census serves as the statistical benchmark for current economic activity by informing the Gross Domestic Product and the Producer Price Index. It provides information on business locations, the workforce, and trillions of dollars of sales by product and service type.

Data collection for the 2022 Economic Census will start on October 24, 2022 with selected small companies receiving requests for industry classification information. The main mailing of the 2022 Economic Census will begin on January 31, 2023 with responses due on March 15, 2023. Businesses that receive notification are required by law under Title 13, Section 224, to respond. Respondents will use an online portal, making filing easier, while also improving data quality and reducing costs.

The Economic Census helps every American. Businesses use Economic Census data to make decisions about where to locate, how much to produce, and to compare their performance to other businesses in their industry or community. Local communities use Economic Census results to attract new businesses, assess the economic health of their localities, understand the characteristics of their business base, and compare their community to other areas. Individuals can use census results to identify emerging job markets and growing industries. Click on the following link (Census Business Builder: Small Business Edition) to see how Census economic data can profile businesses and their customers for various localities.

See Uses of Data.

Yes, the 2022 Economic Census (EC) is a legitimate survey of the U.S. Census Bureau and response is required by law. Below are a few common items you can use to verify the legitimacy of this survey:

• Ensure the Web address provided in the letter or email is a "census.gov" domain.
• Correspondence sent in the form of a letter or email will contain reporting instructions and a phone number for survey assistance. Any email correspondence related to this survey will come from a census.gov address.
• On the Sign In screen, a warning message should be present stating the respondent is accessing a U.S. Government computer.
• After clicking on the “Report Now” button in the Respondent Portal, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number for the Economic Census is 0607-0998 and OMB Approval Expires 06/30/2025; and the OMB Control Number for the Report of Organization is 0607-0444 and Approval Expires 12/31/2023, will appear in the upper right on all screens of the electronic reporting instrument. Note: The Classification instrument only has the EC OMB number and expiration date. The bottom of the screen should have a link for the “Burden Statement” which also contains the OMB eight-digit number. 

Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), (sections 131, 224, and 225) authorizes the survey and requires businesses and other organizations that receive this questionnaire to answer the questions and return the report to the U.S. Census Bureau. The law also specifies penalties for firms that fail to report.

The U.S. Census Bureau will NEVER ask for bank account, routing number, banking, or credit card information. Questions of that nature are not part of the Economic Census, or any Census Bureau survey.  Any concerns about credit or bank fraud should be directed to your bank.

To see information in regard to the Economic Census, please see About the Economic Census,  Information for Respondents  or our FAQs.

Congress commissioned the first measure of economic activity during the Census of 1810, which was called, the “Census of Manufactures”. Over time, as the nation’s economy grew more diverse, additional questions were added to form the current Economic Census in 1930.  Read more about the Economic Census in our history section on census.gov.

The Economic Census collects information from individual business establishments on physical location, primary business activity using North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, employment, payroll, revenue by type of service or product using the North American Product Classification System (NAPCS), and industry specific information. See Uses of Economic Census Data for examples of the kinds of statistics available and Understanding Economic Census Data Series Publications for an explanation of the different data series produced.

For information on how to complete your survey, see Information for Respondents and review the section, "Ready to Report or Need Assistance?" or proceed directly to How Do I Get Started. 

Economic census surveys and instructions are tailored to a particular industry or group of industries. Use the online reporting instrument to start reporting for the Economic Census.

Please see How to use the online instrument.

The 2022 Economic Census requests data for calendar year 2022. If your fiscal year covers at least 10 months of calendar year 2022, a business location may report all data items EXCEPT payroll on a fiscal year basis, but include the exact dates covered by the survey in the submission certification. Payroll must be reported on a calendar year basis and should be available from the businesses’ IRS Form 941 (Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return), or on IRS Form 944 (Employer’s Annual Federal Tax Return). 

An accurate Economic Census is important for several reasons. The Economic Census provides comprehensive details about the United States economy, from National down to the local level. Surveys, like Monthly Retail Sales, provide timely information, but only for specific industries or sectors. Since surveys conducted more frequently are based on samples that include only a small fraction of all businesses, they cannot supply the geographic and industry details that are unique to the Economic Census. 

Economic Census statistics about industries, their inputs and outputs, and how they relate to each other, are unavailable elsewhere. Census totals also serve as benchmarks to keep our other surveys accurate. 

The Economic Census is also used to update the Census Bureau’s Business Register (i.e., master list of businesses). Without the Economic Census, the Census Bureau would miss vital information about changes in the ownership and organizational structure of American businesses and industries. 

Your company was selected for multiple surveys at the same time. Census Bureau Economic Surveys are a key source for official statistics and provide important measures of the American economy.

• Monthly and Quarterly surveys are small sample surveys that provide the TIMELIEST data available. 
• Annual surveys have larger samples and provide the most up-to-date TREND data available. 
• The Economic Census occurs every 5 years and measures all businesses and provides the most COMPREHENSIVE data available. 

In 2023, the Economic Census is being conducted concurrently with the Annual Business Survey (ABS). The ABS provides information on selected economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners by sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. Further, the survey measures research and development (for microbusinesses), new business topics such as innovation and technology, as well as other business characteristics. This differs from the questions on the Economic Census. The data collected in the Economic Census are used along with results from the ABS to provide a complete view of the nation’s businesses. 

In non-Census years, the Report of Organization identifies establishments of multi-unit (MU) firms that are not sampled in the Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM). It is used to update the Census Bureau's list of businesses and provides key source data for County Business Patterns (CBP) and other statistical series. This survey is taken primarily to assure full coverage and high quality of other statistical programs and does not routinely provide data products for public use. The Report of Organization provides the only direct source of information on changes in multi-establishment company organization and industry classification at the establishment level.

During an economic census year, years ending in 2 and 7, individual surveys are collected for all locations with activities in scope to the Economic Census, leaving only those locations not in scope on the Report of Organization. See About the Report of Organization for more information.

To verify the correct contact information before mailing out the Economic Census, a brief information request is made of select companies asking for the contact’s name, phone, email, and address. The information gathered assures a correct point of contact for the company during mailings.

Yes. Businesses will report directly through an online survey portal. Businesses with more than one location have the option to download spreadsheets, upload the spreadsheet files, and submit data to the Census Bureau. 

Online filing makes responding to the 2022 Economic Census secure and easier, while at the same time improving data quality and reducing costs. Filing online also puts assistance just a click away, permits businesses to delegate reporting to either their accountant or someone else within the company, and permits the Census Bureau to process the reported data faster and more efficiently. 

Relatively few small businesses are sampled in the Economic Census. However, those small businesses that are sampled represent other similar size businesses. Obtaining complete responses from sampled small businesses ensures results are representative and reflect the variety and dynamic nature of small businesses.

There are about 25 million nonemployer businesses in the U.S., accounting for more than 76.2 percent of all businesses. However, these firms average less than 4 percent of all sales and receipts nationally. Due to their relatively small economic impact, these firms are excluded from the Economic Census. 

See nonemployer statistics for more information.

To reduce the burden on businesses, the Census Bureau does not send economic census surveys to most very small firms. For companies with more than one location, surveys are sent to the company headquarters or other company appointed contact(s), so individual locations may not receive a census survey. Some industries are not covered by the Economic Census so those types of businesses would not receive surveys either. See codes not covered.

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

The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in any way that could identify your business, organization, or institution. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2016, your data are protected from cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data.

No. The Congress has deemed the Economic Census so important that any business contacted to be included in the Economic Census is required by law (Title 13, United States Code, Section 224) to complete and file their appropriate online survey or surveys.

The census law (Title 13, United States Code, Section 224), coupled with the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 (Title 18, Sections 3551, 3559, and 3571), allow for possible prosecution of responsible officials and provides for penalties of up to $5,000 for failure to report (and a response is still required), and $10,000 for intentionally providing false information.

The Census Bureau found ways to be more efficient and responsive, including:

• Developed a “smart” electronic instrument to allow single unit businesses to correctly identify their primary business or activity to ensure they complete the correct industry survey. 
• Improved functionality of the online collection instrument.
• Simplified filing with an enhanced respondent portal. 
• Assigned Account Managers to assist large companies.
• Used administrative records data in lieu of direct reporting for many small businesses.
• Structured a collection strategy to better target and prioritize nonresponse follow-ups, including increased use of electronic communication.
• Tested and updated survey content for reportability to reflect the changing economy.

• Electronic Reporting improvements: Smarter/dynamic electronic instrument allows respondents to search for information on industry and products using artificial intelligence/machine learning/natural language processing to reduce burden and promote accurate classification of businesses. Instrument updates also ensure businesses receive the appropriate industry questions.
• New statistics: Industry coverage expanded to include support activities for crop and animal production not included in the Census of Agriculture conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Content updated: Modifications to industry categories, product categories, and industry-specific content, including new questions, have been updated/added to better reflect the changing economy. Obsolete questions have been removed.

See What’s New for 2022 Economic Census for more information.

The first 2022 Economic Census data are scheduled to be published in January 2024 when the “First Look” statistics will provide preliminary totals for all economic sectors. Geographic area statistics are scheduled for release in March 2025, and the remainder of the releases by March 2026. See Planned Releases for a brief description of each statistics set and the planned release date or date range.

For a full list of data releases produced from the 2022 Economic Census, see Latest Releases. Data produced from the Economic Census are available via the Census Bureau’s interactive application data.census.gov or on the web via Economic Census by Year. For more information, see How 2022 Data is Disseminated.

There are two ways to access the Economic Census data, viewing online through data.census.gov or downloading datasets via FTP. Instructions for finding definitions from both approaches are included below.

When viewing the data tables online at data.census.gov, hover over the column header, click the 3 bars that appear next to the column header, then click Column Notes to see the definition.

If using a dataset (.dat file) from the FTP download using Winzip, open the .dat file using Excel, delimited, next, Other |, next, Finish. You may want to add filters and apply as desired.

These same column header definitions may be found in the Glossary of Fields and Variables.

To find definitions of symbols within the tables, right click on the 3 dots, and then click on Cell Notes, or see the Data Dictionary if using the datasets.

Starting with the 2017 Economic Census, data releases were standardized across trade Sectors to make the data releases that reflect the full economy. The published data from the 2017 and 2022 Economic Censuses reflect many structural and content changes from the data that was published in the 2012 Economic Census and prior Economic Censuses. 

Firm and Size Reports: These data tables which provide detailed breakouts based on the employment and sales/revenue size of establishments or firms as well as concentration ratios were published in separate and disparate tables by sector prior to 2017. Beginning in 2017, these reports were consolidated and standardized across sectors.

Products Reports: The Products by State tables have been consolidated and standardized across sectors as well beginning with 2017. For Geographic series changes, please see: Geographies.

Privacy protection requirements: In prior Economic Censuses, the number of establishments was published even when the other statistics for an industry and geography were withheld due to disclosure. Due to additional protection requirements from recently updated Census Bureau and IRS data confidentiality agreements the data will no longer be available. For 2017, new privacy rules resulted in the establishment count being suppressed when less than 3 or when the other statistics are suppressed. 

See: What's New for 2017 Economic Census and What’s New for 2022 Economic Census for more information.

The HHI is published in the Concentration Ratios table as part of the Establishment and Firm Size data statistics.

All FTP files for the 2022 Economic Census can be found in the FTP Directory.

To download complete data tables and/or datasets in zip format (.dat file), use Winzip.

• Click on either "Yes, unzip the files to Downloads" or "Yes, unzip the files to Documents folder" or "Yes, unzip the files to a file I choose."
• Open the .dat file using Excel, delimited, next, Other |, next, Finish. [You may have to change "All Excel Files" to "All Files" to see the .dat file.]
• You may want to add filters and apply as desired.