Simonson Says: Time for the Industry to Come to its Census

Did you miss the appointment for your check-up? I’m not getting nosy about any medical or dental visits—I’m referring to the Economic Census. The Census Bureau sent notices to virtually every business in all industries between October and December 2012. Responses were due online or by mail on February 12, although businesses can still make use of a 30-day grace period. While writing down all your vital statistics in a checkup may not be fun, this time the Census Bureau has made it pretty painless. All businesses with a single establishment (permanent location)—which includes about 99 percent of construction firms—can report directly online. Multi-site businesses can download a reporting form. And there is no waiting in Dr. Census’s office, even though 4 million patients—, businesses—including nearly all contractors, received notices in December. Why bother (aside from the fact that reporting is required by federal law, subject to penalties of up to $5,000 for failure to report, and $10,000 for intentionally providing false information)?  Because, as the Census Bureau puts it: “Good public policy depends on accurate information. The Economic Census provides official measures of output for industries and geographic areas, and serves as the cornerstone of the nation's economic statistics, providing key source data for the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and other indicators of economic performance. Statistics from the Economic Census are also used by trade associations, business organizations, economic development agencies, and individual businesses to assess and improve business performance.” AGC, along with academics and consultants that many chapters and contractors utilize for studies of the importance of construction to the national and local economy, are among the many users of the industry profile that the Census Bureau “constructs” from your collective data. The more detail the agency gets, the more complete a picture it can draw. But have no fear that any information about your specific business will be revealed. The Census Bureau has a stellar reputation for keeping information confidential. All published information is aggregated, and the agency is scrupulous about not presenting totals if there are too few firms to avoid identifying one. So don’t delay. If you didn’t receive (or put aside) your notice, or if you have questions about how to fill out the information, go to http://www.census.gov/econ/census/ to get started.