Census Invites Gripes on Yearly Business Data Drag
Published Date: 3/31/2025
Notice
Summary
The Census Bureau is updating its Annual Business Survey for 2025, asking about business activities like innovation, technology, and owner demographics. Around 230,000 businesses with $1,000+ in receipts will spend about 29 minutes each to help improve data that shapes the economy. This survey helps track business trends and supports important economic measures like GDP, with a chance for the public to comment before final approval.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Smaller ABS Sample Lowers Selection
If your business files IRS tax forms and has receipts of $1,000 or more, the Census Bureau reduced the 2025 Annual Business Survey sample to about 230,000 (222,000 employer businesses plus 8,000 nonprofits). The reduction and new sampling changes are designed to decrease the chance your business is picked year after year, which should cut how often you may be asked to respond.
Selected Firms Must Respond (29 Minutes)
If your firm is selected for the 2025 ABS, response is mandatory and the average time per response is 29 minutes. The ABS initial mailing is scheduled for July 2025 and responses will be due about 30 days after that.
Nonprofits Only Asked R&D Questions
About 8,000 nonprofit organizations will be sampled in 2025 and will only be asked questions about research activities (R&D); they will not be asked owner demographic questions. Nonprofit R&D data will be used for national R&D estimates and publications.
Telephone Follow-Up Removed; Web Collection
The 2025 ABS will be collected electronically via a web questionnaire and the Census Bureau removed Telephone Follow-Up to reduce types of contacts and increase cost savings. The bureau plans two follow-up mailings (and an optional third) and may do email follow-up for select nonrespondents.
Large Firms Kept in Sample With Certainty
The Census Bureau will select some companies with certainty based on volume of sales, payroll, and number of paid employees or NAICS; these certainty cases are always selected and represent only themselves. This means large firms meeting those criteria will be required survey respondents every cycle.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-20249, Notice of Data Sharing Activity
Starting October 2, 2026, the Census Bureau will share some business survey data with the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to help make U.S. economic stats more accurate and efficient. This affects businesses that voluntarily provide info in Census surveys, with no legal pressure to share. Only trusted BEA staff sworn to keep data secret will see the info, and there’s no cost impact for businesses.
2026-20155, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD)
The Census Bureau wants to keep collecting data for the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program, which helps track jobs and workers over time. They’re asking the public to comment by November 30, 2026, before they get final approval from the Office of Management and Budget. This keeps the data flowing without adding extra hassle or cost to businesses and workers.
2026-20153, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Quarterly Services Survey (QSS)
The U.S. Census Bureau wants to keep running the Quarterly Services Survey for three more years without changes. This survey asks certain U.S. service businesses for info to help track the economy. If you’re involved, you can comment by November 30, 2026, but there’s no new cost or extra paperwork planned.
2026-20167, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; DOC-Census Workforce Development Collection
The Census Bureau is asking for approval to collect info from 230 workforce training groups linked to Manufacturing USA and two grant programs. This new data will help track how well these training programs work by connecting participant info with Census data. The goal? To make smarter decisions about future workforce investments without adding too much extra work—each group spends just 1-2 hours a year on this.
2026-19301, Proposed Data Sharing Activity
The Census Bureau wants to share some business data with the Bureau of Economic Analysis to help improve economic reports. This change affects businesses whose data is collected and aims to make government info more useful without extra costs. People have until November 23, 2026, to share their thoughts on this plan.
2026-18481, Decennial Census of the Population of Americans; Proposed Residence Criteria and Proposed Regulations for Demographic Questions
The Census Bureau is proposing to add two new parts to the Code of Federal Regulations governing the decennial census of population and housing. First, the Census Bureau is proposing to add a part outlining the residence criteria used for identifying each person's "usual residence," as needed to determine whether and where to count them in the census of the population throughout the United States. Second, the Census Bureau is proposing to add a part establishing standards and restrictions for the inclusion of certain demographic questions on the decennial census short-form questionnaire and any other questionnaire used for the enumeration of the population. The Census Bureau is considering these two additions to better prioritize and fulfill its Constitutional mandate to count for apportionment the "whole number of persons in each State" based on the concept of "usual residence"--a process that factors in an element of allegiance but otherwise should be colorblind and should not be distorted in any way by questions about immaterial personal characteristics, such as race. Although these two parts are somewhat related and complementary, each is being proposed independently based on its own merits. These proposals are intended to ensure fidelity to the Constitution, improve and protect the core decennial census data, and promote efficiency.
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