In a previous post, Importer Database, I wrote about the addition of the Profile of U.S. Importing and Exporting Companies to the Foreign Trade data products. Well, that data release is here. The new Profile of U.S. Importing and Exporting Companies was released on April 12^th.

Let’s talk more specifically about some of the new exhibits included in this new release. The main additions to the 2008/2009 Profile are four new exhibits nearly identical to the current and prior year tables in Exhibits 1 and 5 of the previous profiles. The key difference being that these new tables specifically detail only companies which both imported and exported within the data year. The layout for these new exhibits, Exhibits 1g/1h and 5g/5h, as well as all other exhibits in the 2008/2009 Profile can be seen here: www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/edb/2009/

The text of the Profile got a makeover as well. If you are unfamiliar with the Profile of U.S. Exporting Companies, previous releases are available at www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/edb/2008/. In the text portion is where we highlight trends in the data and make note of major changes from the previous year. As well as pointing to notable differences between importers and exporters, the text now includes new graphics to help visualize data. Here is an example of a potential graphic for this year’s Profile:

The above image is just an example of the type of graphic that will be included in the Profile text. The actual release includes the numbers associated with each section of the graphic.

If you have any questions about the Profile of U.S. Importing and Exporting Companies, feel free to send them to the following email address: ftd.profile.list@census.gov