County Business Patterns

County Business Patterns

County Business Patterns (CBP) is an annual series of economic data produced by the U.S. Census Bureau. It provides detailed, subnational economic information on businesses with paid employees. This data is widely used to analyze local economies, track economic changes over time, and serve as a benchmark for other statistical series.
 
What the Data Includes
CBP data is collected from administrative records, such as business tax returns, making it a comprehensive source of information. The program provides the following key statistics for various industries and geographic areas:
Number of Establishments: A count of the number of business locations.
Employment: The number of employees during the pay period that includes March 12.
Payroll: Total annual payroll and payroll for the first quarter.
Establishments by Employment-Size Class: A breakdown of businesses by the number of employees they have (e.g., 1-4 employees, 5-9 employees, etc.).
 
Geographic and Industry Detail
One of the main strengths of CBP is its granular detail. The data is available for a wide range of geographic levels, including:
The U.S. as a whole
States and counties
Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas
Congressional Districts
ZIP Codes
The data is also classified by industry using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), from broad 2-digit codes to more specific 6-digit codes. This allows users to analyze the economic landscape of a particular industry within a specific geographic area.
 
How the Data are Used
CBP data is used by a variety of groups for different purposes:
Government Agencies: For economic development analysis, policy planning, and fiscal policy development.
Businesses: To analyze market potential, measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and set sales quotas.
Researchers: To study economic activity in specific areas and track long-term economic changes.