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Statistics of U.S. Businesses

2012  annual or static data include number of firms, number of establishments, employment, annual payroll, and estimated receipts for most U.S. business establishments. The data are tabulated by geographic area, industry, and enterprise size. Industry classification is based on 2012 North American Industry Classification System  (NAICS)  codes. An establishment with 0 employment is an establishment with no paid employees in the mid-March pay period but with paid employees at some time during the year. Receipts data are available only for economic census years (years ending in 2 and 7). View the latest receipts data below. Employment and Payroll Summary Report: 2012  [PDF, 1.1 MB] Data Tables by Enterprise Employment Size        The following links are subsets of SUSB data in spreadsheet format.        For more detailed industry and employment size classes, download additional data in  c...

What is the Business Expenses Program from the US Census?

The Business Expenses Survey (BES) was created originally to compile statistics on business operating expenses for Retail Trade, Wholesale Trade, and Service Industries. Expense data are key components of the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) input-output (I-O) accounts, which are a critical element in the calculation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  Starting in 2003, the Service Annual Survey (SAS) began collecting selected expense items on their annual form. In 2004, Census and BEA formed a joint team, called the Core Expenses Group (CEG) to evaluate the collection of expense items across the many Census programs. The result of this team effort was a core set of expenses that have been collected on an annual basis since 2005 by the SAS and the Annual Survey of Manufacturers (ASM), and on a quinquennial basis by the Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS), Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS), and the Economic Census for Manufacturing, Construction, and Mining. What data is availa...

Startup in a Day

The Startup in a Day initiative aims to make it easier for entrepreneurs to start a business by reducing the amount of time it takes to register and apply for permits and licenses on the local level. Cities and Native American communities across the United States are encouraged to get involved. The SBA is conducting two prize competitions for U.S. cities and Native American communities. Both competitions will award prizes to support the development, implementation, and improvement of online tools that will let entrepreneurs learn about the business startup process in their area, including how to register and apply for all required local licenses and permits, in one day or less. Startup in a Day Competition – Start Small Model: The first competition will award up to 25 prizes of up to $50,000 each for cities. Up to two (2) prizes of $50,000 each are available specifically for Native American communities. Startup in a Day Competition – Dream Big Model: The second competition chal...

How Do You Protect Your Creations?

If you created something original, you may have a certain degree of protection against someone else using, claiming, modifying, or selling it. In other words, you may have intellectual property. Knowing how to legally protect your creations is essential to retaining ownership of them. In the simplest terms, intellectual property (IP) pertains to things you create with your mind; not the ideas themselves, but the expression of the ideas in some form. A thought or notion that’s been floating around your head may be a great idea for a future product or service, but it isn’t yet intellectual property. There are four common types of IP: Copyrights Patents Trademarks (including design rights) Trade secrets Read more from BPlans.com

Oswego SBDC's Larry Perras Honored Posthumously with Economic Development Award

Larry Perras, director of the Oswego SBDC until his death in 2014, was honored posthumously with the 2015 Martin Rose Economic Developer Merit Award by Operation Oswego County.   Jim King, NY SBDC State Director, writes, "Many of us remember Larry as a soft-spoken but extremely dedicated and effective member of the SBDC family who spoke several times at SBDC Advisory Board meetings, presented at Staff Training and collaborated with many of us on projects across the State where he shared his expertise and talents. Larry was dedicated to helping others and often said he found his ideal position with the SBDC. All of us who knew Larry are much better off for the experience and having worked with him." Read about this award here: Operation Oswego County Recognizes Larry Perras’ ‘Exceptionalism’

10 Ways to Find out What Your Competitors Are Doing

Competitive analysis has become an essential part of business marketing activity and has made it possible to perform qualitative strategic planning. While analyzing your competitors, you should know what you are looking for and how it can help your business. It is not about stealing your competitor’s ideas; it’s about revealing their strengths and weaknesses, and finding your own company’s competitive advantages. Only unique brand positioning will eventually bring your company customer loyalty and business success. If you’ve wondered what your competitors are up to, that shows you’re thinking strategically and want to have confidence in your own company’s approach. There are plenty of ways to check on your competition that are totally above-board. Read more BPlans

Payroll Concerns for Remote Employees

Generally, the employer must withhold income tax in the state where work is performed (there is an exception that is explained later). If an employee who resides in another state works exclusively in that state (different from the employer’s state), then taxes are usually withheld only in the employee’s state. (The employer is in State A and the employee lives in State B and does all the work for the employer in home State B, so the employer should withhold State B tax for the employee, assuming State B has an income tax.) I say “usually” because there are exceptions that permit the employer not to withhold state income taxes in the employees’ state. If the employee resides in the employer’s state, tax for that state must be withheld even though the employee works exclusively in another state. And there may be additional withholding obligations in the state in which the employee works. Already confused? If an employee works a few days in each location, things become even more compl...