The 1992 Census of Construction Industries covers all employer establishments (establishments with payroll) primarily engaged in contract construction or construction on their own account for sale as defined in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual: 1987 (SIC). This industrial classification system has been developed by experts on classification in government and private industry under the guidance of the Office of Management and Budget and is in general use among government agencies and among organizations outside the government.

Presents data on the number of construction establishments; value of construction work done; employment; payrolls; hours worked; costs for subcontractors; and costs for materials, components, and supplies. Also included are statistics on costs for the rental of machinery, equipment, and buildings; costs for power, fuels, and lubricants; costs for selected purchased services; value added; capital expenditures during the year; and depreciable assets; and inventories.

In addition, more detailed data at the U.S. level are shown on the value of construction work done by type of structure (single-family houses, streets and roads, and so forth), by class of construction (new work; additions, alterations, or reconstruction; or maintenance and repair work) and for secondary activities. Selected data are also provided for establishments classified by their employment size and of dollar value of business done. The U.S. summary contains limited data for establishments without payrolls and summarizes the data given in the 26 individual industry reports for establishments with payrolls. Data for auxiliary establishments are shown for industry groups.