• General FAQs
• Sample Revision FAQs
  

The Service Annual Survey provided data that helped to measure America's current economic performance. The Service Annual Survey used a sample of approximately 78,000 selected service businesses. The Service Annual Survey collected revenue; expenses; e-commerce sales; and, for some industries, exports, inventories, class of customer, and detail product lines based on the North American Product Classification System (NAPCS).

The government used the data to determine economic policy; private industry relied on these data for planning and research.

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Yes. Your response was required by law. Title 13 of the U.S. Code required businesses and other organizations that received the survey to answer the questions and return the report(s) to the Census Bureau. The law also provided that copies retained in your files were confidential and immune from legal process.

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The Bureau of Economic Analysis used these data for the Nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates and in developing the national accounts' input-output tables. The Bureau of Labor Statistics used these data as input to its producer price indices and in developing productivity measurements. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services used health services data to estimate expenditures for the National Health Accounts. Trade and professional organizations used these data to analyze industry trends and benchmark their own statistical programs, develop forecasts, and evaluate regulatory requirements. The media used these data for news reports and background information. Private businesses used these data to measure market share, analyze business potential, and plan investments.

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Currently, the Service Annual Survey covered the following NAICS sectors:

Utilities (Sector 22) Transportation & Warehousing (Sectors 48 and 49) Information (Sector 51) Finance and Insurance (Sector 52) Real Estate and Rental and Leasing (Sector 53) Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (Sector 54) Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (Sector 56) Educational Services (Sector 61) Health Care and Social Assistance (Sector 62) Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (Sector 71) Accommodation and Food Services (Sector 72) Other Services (except Public Administration) (Sector 81)

These sectors were designated by NAICS.

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NAICS is used to classify a business’ primary activity.  For further information regarding NAICS, you can access the following website: NAICS

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NAPCS provides a comprehensive demand/market-oriented classification framework for services and goods. For further information regarding NAPCS, you can access the following website: NAPCS

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Because estimates were based on a sample rather than the entire population, the published estimates might differ from the actual, but unknown, population values. In principle, many random samples could be drawn, and each would give a different result. This was because each sample was made up of different businesses who would give different answers to the questions asked. The spread of these results was the sampling variability.

Common measures of the variability among these estimates were the sampling variance, the standard error, and the coefficient of variation (CV). The sampling variance was defined as the squared difference, averaged over all possible samples of the same size and design, between the estimator and its average value. The standard error was the square root of the sampling variance. The CV expressed the standard error as a percentage of the estimate to which it referred. For example, an estimate of 200 units that had an estimated standard error of 10 units had an estimated CV of 5 percent. The CV had the advantage of being a relative, rather than an absolute, measure and could be used to compare the reliability of one estimate to another.

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The Census Bureau took its commitment to confidentiality very seriously. It constantly pursued new procedures, technologies, and methodologies to safeguard individual data. Every person with access to person or business data – from the Director on down – was sworn by Title 13 to protect confidentiality and was subject to criminal penalties if they did not. Tight computer security and strict access and handling procedures were followed.

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A sample revision was the process used to re-design and re-select the samples for many of the Census Bureau’s surveys of the retail, wholesale, and service industries. This process was performed to ensure each sample was representative of its target population Improve the efficiency of each sample Incorporate updates to the industry classification structure Expand industry coverage of the survey Update questions and instructions to obtain more accurate data and Redistribute burden for small and medium-size businesses The current Service Annual Survey sample was introduced in 2017 with the release of estimates for the reference year 2016.

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Sample revisions were performed approximately every 5 to 7 years. During the period for which the samples were used, updates were made on a quarterly basis to reflect changes in the business universe. These updates were designed to account for new businesses (births) and businesses which discontinue operations (deaths). The samples were also updated to reflect mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, splits, and other changes to the business universe.

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The size of both the new and the current Service Annual Survey sample was approximately 78,000 employer firms.

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In most cases, yes. Whenever possible, estimates from different samples had been put on a comparable basis. For a detailed description of the process used to link the estimates from different samples and for specific information on which industry estimates were not comparable, please refer to the methodology section.

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NAICS was scheduled to be reviewed every 5 years for potential revisions, so that the classification system could keep pace with the changing economy. Service Annual Survey estimates were currently published on a 2007 NAICS basis. Effective with the release of 2016 estimates in the first quarter of 2013, Service Annual Survey estimates would be published on a 2012 NAICS basis.

The changes between 2007 NAICS and 2012 NAICS that affected industries within the scope of the Service Annual Survey are summarized below.

• Sector 22, Utilities- 2007 NAICS code Other Electric Power Generation was broken out into five new 6-digit industries: Solar Electric Power Generation, Wind Electric Power Generation, Geothermal Electric Power Generation, Biomass Electric Power Generation, and Other Electric Power Generation.
• Sector 72, Accommodation and Food Services - Full-Service Restaurants and Limited-Service Eating Places were restructured. For a more detailed comparison between the 2007 and 2012 NAICS, please follow the NAICS Concordance Tables.

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