Economic Census, 1997: Business Expenses. Merchant Wholesale, Retail Trade, Service Industries, Communications, Trucking and Warehousing, Arrangement of Passenger Transportation, Manufacturing, Mining, Construction. Company Statistics Series

摘要

The economic census is the major source of facts about the structure and functioning of the Nation's economy. 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. The economic census furnishes an important part of the framework for such composite measures as the local gross product, gross domestic product, input/output measures, and other statistical series that measure short-term changes in economic conditions. Specific uses of economic census data include the following: Policy making agencies of the federal government use the data to monitor economic activity and to provide assistance to business. Local governments use the data to assess business activities and tax bases within their jurisdictions and to develop programs to attract business. Trade associations study trends in their own and competing industries, which allows them to keep their members informed of market changes. Individual businesses use the data to locate potential markets and to analyze their own production and sales performance relative to industry or area averages.