Census Bureau Tweaks Its Annual Business Survey Again
Published Date: 10/22/2026
Notice
Summary
The Census Bureau is updating its Annual Business Survey to make it easier and better for businesses to share info about their research and development. This change affects U.S. businesses and aims to reduce paperwork while improving data quality. Comments on the update are open until December 21, 2026, so businesses and the public can weigh in before it’s finalized.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Large Mandatory Survey with Noted Time Burden
The ABS will sample 230,000 entities (222,000 employer businesses and 8,000 nonprofit organizations). Response is mandatory under Title 13, and estimated respondents are 174,500 employer businesses without BERD content (45 minutes each), 47,500 employer businesses with BERD content (3 hours 22 minutes each), and 8,000 nonprofit organizations. Responses are due approximately 30 days from initial mailing and the estimated total annual burden is 295,858 hours.
Owner Demographic Questions Removed
The 2026 Annual Business Survey (collected during 2027) will remove business owner demographic questions on Race, Ethnicity, Sex, Place of Birth, U.S. Citizenship, and Age. The Census Bureau says estimates for these items will instead be produced using administrative data and other data sources.
Nonprofits Only Answer Research Questions
Approximately 8,000 nonprofit organizations will be sampled and will only be asked questions relating to research activities; they will not be asked owner demographic questions. Estimated time per response for nonprofits is 38 minutes.
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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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