The Commerce Department’s Census Bureau has sent questionnaires to more than 5 million businesses launching the 2002 Economic Census, which Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan says is "indispensable to understanding America’s economy."
The economic census, taken every five years, "ensures the
accuracy of the statistics we rely on for sound economic policy and for successful
business planning," said Mr. Greenspan.
Businesses that receive the form are required by law to respond.
Completed forms are due at the Census Bureau by Feb. 12, 2003.
"The Economic Census produces our most widely used business
statistics," said Kathleen Cooper, the undersecretary of commerce for economic
affairs." It is the primary benchmark for measurement of 96 percent of our Gross
Domestic Product and the foundation for most of our economic indicators."
The Commerce Department said businesses, communities and governments
use economic census data for planning and market development. Reports and statistics
are published on the census bureau’s Web site at www.census.gov.
The bureau said the 2002 census features many firsts, including:
- The first official measure of e-commerce for all industries.
- New information on changing business supply-chain functions.
- The first information on leased employees in businesses.
- Initial use of the North American Product Classification System for products
in about 85 service industries. - Expanded information on purchased services and classes of customers.
The Department of Commerce said the economic census would yield over 16,000
data products with information on more than 1,000 industries in more than 50,000
geographic areas.
For more information, call the Census Bureau at 1-800-233-6136. The Web
site is www.census.gov/econ2002.