Title Slide Breaking Local Stories with Economic Data

U.S. Census Bureau

Overberg Paul

Paul Overberg, a database editor at USA TODAY, !nds news in all kinds of data. He focuses on who the American people are and how they live -- their demographics. "at includes income in all of its many forms; their lack of income, or poverty; and their jobs, the primary source of income for most people. "rough IRE/NICAR, he often helps local reporters learn about this kind of data. He also has worked as a science and health editor and as a local reporter and business editor.

poverberg@usatoday.com @poverberg

Where we’re headed Real news stories using Census data on: •  Establishments •  Number of employees •  Size of payroll •  Breakdowns by industry, size and age of establishment •  Worker demographics •  How to !nd each type of data •  How to turn data → stories!

Photo by Flickr user Rosipaw

Firms with no employees “!ere are more than 21 million businesses ...with no employees, according to the U.S. Census Bureau drawing on IRS data. In Orange County, the number is around 250,000. ...” -- Jan Norman, Orange County Register, March 12, 2012

Firms with no employees

census.gov/econ/nonemployer

•  Use highlighted metro dropdown menu to choose "Louisville/Jefferson County."  

Start here: census.gov/econ/nonemployer

Firms with no employees Drill for detail or compare to other areas. •  Data from IRS (tax returns) •  Counting difficulties!

Firms with no employees •  Best used for trends •  Note trend in metro Louisville through and after Great Recession

Change  in  small  firms  in  metro  Louisville,  2006-­‐10

Construction

Mining

UtilitiesFinance  and  insurance

RetailingManufacturing Hotels/food  servicesFarming

Real  estate

Wholesaling Administration

Arts/recreationHealth  care

Education

-­‐30%

-­‐20%

-­‐10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

-­‐40% -­‐30% -­‐20% -­‐10% 0% 10% 20% 30%

Change  in  number  of  firms

Change  in  sa

les  (receipts)

Video: Finding Economic Census data How to $nd detailed Economic Census data in American FactFinder •  Look up data from 2002 and 2007. •  !ink about 2012 data coming later this year and next.

Economic Census •  2012 Economic Census under way •  Most local data coming in 2014

•  Good for long trends •  Good for small areas

Economic Census “... Somerville’s stores dominated Somerset County retailing before slipping badly in the 1974-75 recession. ... Bellomo said ... stores cannot match burgeoning commercial strips in Hillsborough, Green Brook and North Plain$eld.” -- !e (Bridgewater, N.J.) Courier-News, March 12, 1981

Economic Census Basics: •  Number of establishments •  Sales •  Annual payroll, Q1 payroll •  Paid employees

Keep in mind: •  Where people work, not where they live •  Establishments, not $rms

Photo by Flickr user rutlo

County Business Patterns “... "ere were 198 funeral homes in Maryland in 2010 ... 18 fewer homes than ... in 2002.” -- Jack Lambert, Aug. 3, 2012, Baltimore Business Journal

County Business Patterns •  Start here: census.gov/econ/cbp •  Use highlighted dropdown to get metro Louisville

Video: Gauging local industrial diversity How County Business Patterns data can help you gauge the diversity -- and the health -- of local industries

Quarterly Workforce Indicators “A study released this week by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation found ... the job creation and hiring rate in !rms less than 2 years old has outpaced that of more established !rms since 2008. ...” -- Diane Stafford, Nov. 30, 2012, Kansas City Star

Quarterly Workforce Indicators •  Start here: lehd.did.census.gov • Click here: lehd.ces.census.gov/ datatools/qwiapp.html •  Choose Kentucky •  Choose Jefferson County

Quarterly Workforce Indicators •  Is Jefferson County doing as well as Kentucky at this point in the recovery?

Local building permits “... "e Elkhart housing market hit a trough in building permits at the end of April 2009, and the South Bend housing market hit that trough at the end of November 2011. ...”      -- Feb. 8, 2013, Justin Leighty, "e Elkhart Truth

Local building permits Start here: census.gov/construction/bps •  Click either highlighted link. •  Make dropdown selections.

Local building permits “Browse” option opens new window with data for that row from every county/city in that state.

Local building permits • "Metro" option opens text !le to use in spreadsheet. •  Note link structure for December 2012: census.gov/ construction/bps/txt/ tb3u201212.txt

census.gov/construction/bps/txt/tb3u201212.txt

Questions? "anks for coming!

Paul Overberg USA Today poverberg@usatoday Twitter: @poverberg Photo by Flickr user Xurble