Census Bureau Announces 2025 Mandatory Business Surveys
Published Date: 4/4/2025
Notice
Summary
In 2025, the Census Bureau will run four important business surveys to gather data that helps the government and industries work better. These surveys, sent out at different times during the year, are mandatory for selected businesses and provide info you can't get anywhere else. If you're part of these surveys, expect to get your forms starting as early as February, with no new fees or changes in costs.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 5 costs, 0 mixed.
Four mandatory Census business surveys in 2025
The Census Bureau will conduct four mandatory business surveys in 2025: the Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES), Annual Business Survey (ABS), Business and Professional Classification Report, and Business Enterprise Research and Development Survey (BERD). Notices with reporting requirements will be mailed or emailed only to those required to complete these surveys.
ABS applies to businesses with $1,000+ receipts
The Annual Business Survey (ABS) includes all nonfarm employer businesses filing IRS tax forms (individual proprietorships, partnerships, corporations) with receipts of $1,000 or more; it collects business and owner demographics, innovation, R&D measures, customers, employees, and sales and revenues. The ABS is typically mailed starting in July each year.
AIES samples ~5.4 million businesses, mailed in February
The Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES) draws its sample from a Business Register frame of approximately 5.4 million businesses and collects detailed data on employment, revenue, e-commerce, operating expenses, capital expenditures, inventories, depreciable assets, and robotics. The AIES is typically mailed starting in February each year.
BERD collects annual R&D and IP data
The Business Enterprise Research and Development Survey (BERD) collects annual data from U.S. businesses on spending for research and development, including foreign and domestic R&D spending, detailed R&D workforce information, and information on intellectual property. The BERD is typically mailed starting in February each year.
New firms get quarterly classification report
The Business and Professional Classification Report is a one-time request for firms recently assigned Federal Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) or recently added to the Census Bureau's survey scope; it is typically mailed at the beginning of each calendar quarter and is used to update sampling frames.
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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.
2026-20167, 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.
2026-20153, 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.
2026-19301, 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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