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Annual Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States (Form BE-15)
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This survey collects information on the activities of U.S. affiliates of foreign multinational enterprises, which offer details on the finances and operations of these affiliates, including their employment and compensation, sales, value added, capital expenditures, trade in goods, and expenditures for research and development. This survey is conducted on a sample of U.S. affiliates. In order to reduce the reporting burden, the sample does not include small affiliates. Instead, BEA imputes data for these affiliates by extrapolating forward their data from the most recent benchmark survey on the basis of the movement of the sample data. Thus, coverage of the survey universe is complete in nonbenchmark, as well as benchmark, periods.
Detailed Methodology
Firm level cutoff sample surveys with above size-exemption levels. However, restricted access data includes BEA imputations for affiliates below the cutoff by extrapolating forward their data from the most recent benchmark survey on the basis of the movement of the sample data.
Microdata are almost entirely based on responses to enterprise level surveys administered by BEA, although other information is used to adjust some observations and variables. Annual surveys are not administered in years that the benchmark BE-12 survey is administered, but similar variables are available in the benchmark survey. Only a limited number of variables are available at the state level.
These linkage capabilities are for linking specific firms in two different data sets. Additional linkages of more general firm characteristics of (ex. location or industry specific information) can also be made to the extent the information is available in the survey. See "Crosswalks involving BEA microdata" ( https://www.bea.gov/system/files/2023-01/ssrp-bea-crosswalks-microdata.pdf ) for a description of crosswalks available between different BEA data sets and the Census Business Register. Data may also be matched to firm level data with name, EIN, and other identification fields as part of research proposal to extent possible for approved data sources. The primary EIN for the enterprise and EINs for each U.S. business consolidated in the survey response are available. EINs are also available for each U.S. businesses in which the U.S. affiliate has a direct ownership interest, but are not consolidated included in their survey response because a different foreign owner has a direct or indirect ownership interest in the business.