For those of you who have taken advantage of our Profile of U.S. Exporting Companies, you may have wondered if a Profile of U.S. Importing Companies is available. The answer to that is no, a Profile of U.S. Importing Companies is not available. More precisely, it is not available as of yet.

The heart and soul of the Profile of U.S. Exporting Companies is commonly referred to as the Exporter Database (EDB). So, as can be expected, if a profile of importing companies is to be created then we will first need the Importer Database(IDB). The first necessary steps to create the IDB are currently being taken here in our Special Projects Branch.

For the most part, the structure of the IDB will parallel the EDB. As a result, the IDB will give us the potential to create profile exhibits for importers such as Imports by Company Employment Size from World Areas and Selected Countries, among others. Here is an example of this exhibit as we currently produce it for exporters:

//www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/edb/2008/edb-5a.pdf

In addition to the standard exhibits showing specifically import data we will also be able to produce exhibits which will contrast import data with export data.

Our goal is to release a profile that will contain our importer and our exporter information sometime next year. When exactly? Well, we can’t say for sure just yet – but stay tuned – it’s coming!