130 thousand Michigan businesses are getting something special in the mail this week. Not a Christmas present, it’s a U.S. Census form.
The twice a decade Economic Census takes a snapshot of the state of American business.
Mark Wallace is the chief of the service sector statistics division for the U.S. Census Bureau. He says employers are being asked to give detailed information on their annual sales, payroll, the products they make or merchandise or commodities they sell or services they provide.
Wallace says it’s a lot of data.
“These statistics can then be used by trade associations, chambers of commerce and businesses for economic development…business decisions and strategic planning," says Wallace.
The last Economic Census was conducted at the end of 2007, just as the recession was beginning.
Wallace expects the 2012 numbers will show some improvement for businesses.
