Census Bureau Starts Fieldwork for Business Survey

The U.S. Census Bureau has commenced fieldwork for its new AIES (Annual Integrated Economic Survey), which integrates and replaces seven existing business surveys into one.

The AIES, first announced eighteen months ago, provides key measures of economic activity, including the only comprehensive national and subnational data on business revenues, expenses and assets on an annual basis. Users can track economic trends, assess industry performance, support policy development, and inform economic planning, resource allocation and market research.

The survey replaces the Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS); Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS); Service Annual Survey (SAS); Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM); Annual Capital Expenditures Survey (ACES); Manufacturers' Unfilled Orders Survey (M3UFO); and Report of Organization (COS). According to the Bureau this research provides 'a bridge between the comprehensive coverage provided by the 5-year economic census and its monthly indicator surveys' - it also helps to maintain the bureau's Business Register framework of US companies.

About 298,000 businesses will receive the survey, with the first data scheduled to be released from this summer.

Web site: www.census.gov .