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Economic Census of Guam
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Every five years, the U.S. Census Bureau collects extensive statistics about businesses that are essential to understanding the American economy. This official count, better known as the Economic Census, serves as the foundation for the measurement of U.S. businesses and their economic impact. As part of the Census Bureau’s mission to provide timely information on the health of the U.S. economy, this “business†census serves as the most extensive collection of data related to business activity. Nearly 4 million businesses, large, medium, and small, covering most industries and all geographic areas of the United States will receive surveys tailored to their primary business activity.
This collection is specifically for establishments in Guam. All establishments are required to provide data on total sales, receipts or revenue, kind of business, legal form of organization, employment, annual and first quarter payroll, and class of customer. Hotels, and other lodging places report additional data on sources of receipts and number of accommodations. Data are published for island, planning regions (applicable to wholesale trade, retail trade, and services sectors), metropolitan areas (applicable to manufacturing and construction), and municipal (applicable to all sectors (county equivalent).
Detailed Methodology
The frame for the Economic Census of Island Areas comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Register. The Business Register contains information on the physical location of establishments, as well as payroll, employment, receipts (value of shipments), and industry classification data obtained from prior censuses and surveys or obtained from the administrative records of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) under special arrangements which safeguard the confidentiality of both tax and census records. Information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on industry classifications is also used to supplement the classification information from the IRS and SSA. The Economic Census of Island Areas is a complete enumeration of establishments located in the Island Areas. Therefore, the accuracy of tabulations is not affected by sampling error. A new frame is created every five years for each iteration of the Economic Census of Island Areas.
The 2017 Economic Census of Island Areas utilized a collection strategy offering both electronic and paper reporting options, depending on the type of respondent. Single-unit businesses were initially mailed a letter with instructions on how to report electronically, along with a paper copy of the questionnaire. Follow-up mailings consisted only of letters with electronic reporting instructions, although paper forms were available on demand throughout the collection period. Multiunit businesses received only letters with electronic reporting instructions, in both the initial and follow-up mailings.
Approximately 48,000 establishments were contacted in the initial mailing. The collection strategy included three mail follow-ups and an outgoing telephone follow-up.
The range of industries covered in the economic census for American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico was broadened in 2002. Sectors added for the first time in 2002 include information, finance and insurance, real estate, health care, and other service industries.