New York SBDC Research Network

The Census of Governments identifies the scope and nature of the nation's state and local government sector; provides authoritative benchmark figures of public finance and public employment; classifies local government organizations, powers, and activities; and measures federal, state, and local fiscal relationships. The data are available by: * level of government (state, local, or state and local combined), * type of government (state, county, city, township, special district, school district), and * category of governmental activity (more about governmental activities).

From SmartData Collective With over 30 years in retail site location strategy, I used Census data every day to analyze business critical issues. Where do our customers live? How has that changed in the past decade, and what’s likely to happen in the next 10 years? What is the projected return on this investment? How skilled is the labor force? Can we predict sales behavior? How do customer demographics align with shopping preferences? How does community economic vitality impact company growth? Shopping centers, hospitals, housing developments, and infrastructure are built for the long-term and require careful location analysis and insights. Our Economy Runs on Fact-Based Decisions Businesses match goods and services to consumer demand. Being in the right place at the right time with the right product is critical to business success. It’s not about luck... Why is This Issue Important? This is very important now because the public data that business uses for analytics and

Startup Rates Where are the jobs created? New or existing businesses? What is the level of availability and coverage of health insurance in small firms? Do economic or industry factors affect business survival? What is the difference between self-employment nonemployer businesses and sole proprietors? Credit Card Financing and Small Business Read all about these topics HERE .

The IRS office of Federal, State and Local Governments (FSLG) will address the requirements for submitting Form 1099-G electronically in a FREE one-hour phone forum on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. ET. No Continuing Education [CE] credits are available for this session. This Phone Forum offers an overview of the requirements to assist you in maintaining compliance with reporting standards. You will learn how to: Comply with requirements for reporting unemployment compensation , tax refunds, taxable grants, agricultural and certain other payments Comply with electronic payee affirmative consent requirements Assist recipients in receiving their information documents electronically Following these procedures will satisfy the affirmative consent reporting requirements, save valuable time and resources, and improve customer service. You can pre-register electronically at the FSLG Phone Forum Registration site . Please register as soon as possible because sp

How much do you know about American small businesses? Did you know, for example, that there are 27.9 million small firms, and that about half of all new establishments survive at least five years? In keeping with its mission to examine the contributions of small businesses to the U.S. economy, the Office of Advocacy has expanded and redesigned its most requested publication, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business (FAQ). The new edition includes twice as much data as previous versions, as well as charts and tables showing key small business statistics and trends. “Advocacy’s team of economists is constantly on the lookout for new and robust sources of statistics, while continuing to follow the trends evident in the government’s ongoing databases,” said Chief Counsel for Advocacy Winslow Sargeant. “We’re pleased to provide timely and actionable data on the key questions asked by small business people, policymakers, and the media.” Many key small business statistics remain vir

From CBS News MoneyWatch Like many entrepreneurs I know -- especially chronically right-brained types -- I struggle with a short attention span. Where was I? Oh, yes, attention span... . My noisy business owner's head and ever-wandering imagination often make it difficult for me to focus (much less "laser-focus") on specific tasks or issues, especially if they're analytical, operational, or otherwise boring and soul-sapping to me. But running a business requires paying attention to things we love and things we hate, and I know I can't just do the fun stuff.

From CBS News MoneyWatch Unless you've been sleeping in a cave for the past few decades, you're probably aware that Social Security has some funding challenges due to the aging of the baby boomers and the slowing of the economy. Now you can learn how to shore up Social Security by using AARP's online tool, Strengthen Social Security . This easy-to-use program allows you to "play lawmaker" and make various adjustments to benefits and contributions. It then shows you how much of the Social Security deficit could be reduced by making your various changes.