For the first time the Economic Census – done every five years by the U.S. Census Bureau – will use web-based collection instruments. That means all single-establishment businesses will have the option to report online. The last Economic Census was completed in 2007.

There will be other updated revisions this year, including:

1.  The 2012 revisions to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) will add new industries for solar, wind, and geothermal electricity generation.
2. There will be roughly 500 versions of the basic census form, each tailored to a particular industry or group of industries. But most 2012 forms will be similar to the forms and instructions used in the 2007 Economic Census.
3. Businesses with more than one location will continue to have the option to download software with a spreadsheet interface as an option to help prepare responses.
4. Data on manufactured products will be collected in a way so that the North American Product Classification System (NAPCS) categories can be evaluated. But published data will continue to use a traditional presentation where product categories are nested within industries.
5. New statistics will be collected to profile key characteristics of U.S. enterprises and the report will include measures of innovation and globalization, as well as size and diversity.