Random Samplings

Asian-Owned Businesses Bring in Half a Trillion in Revenues

Written by: Tom Mesenbourg, Deputy Director, U.S. Census Bureau

In a week our nation will celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage month, the time of the year when we celebrate the culture, traditions, and history of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

This is also a fitting time to celebrate their contributions as business owners to our nation’s economy.

Two weeks ago we released data from the 2007 Survey of Business Owners (SBO) highlighting the growing contributions of Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-owned businesses; today we are releasing data on Asian-owned businesses.

The 2007 SBO data show that Asian-owned businesses continued to be one of the strongest segments of our nation’s economy, growing 40 percent to 1.5 million businesses (more than twice the national rate) between 2002 and 2007 and in 2007 generating $507.6 billion in receipts, employing more than 2.8 million people and supporting payrolls totaling $79.6 billion.

Businesses owned by people of Asian Indian origin accounted for 19.9 percent of Asian-owned businesses, Chinese, 27.3 percent; Filipino, 10.5 percent; Japanese, 7.0 percent; Korean, 12.4 percent; Vietnamese, 14.8 percent; and other Asian, 9.9 percent.

The SBO also provides us with a detailed look at Asian-owned businesses by geographic areas, including states, cities, counties and metropolitan areas.

The Census Bureau website offers more information on Asian-owned businesses and Asian business owners.

View Maps:

http://www2.census.gov/econ/sbo/07/final/maps/asian_map1.pdf
http://www2.census.gov/econ/sbo/07/final/maps/asian_map2.pdf

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State Pensions Suffer Huge Loss

With 3.8 million Americans employed by state governments, the welfare of the state retirement systems is a valid concern, especially given the systems’ dependence on market strength. Because of these concerns, many state governments are asking hard questions about the conditions of their state pensions or making difficult decisions to ensure longevity.

According to new data released today, state retirement systems’ assets fell $641.3 billion in 2009, a big drop even by 2008 standards when retirement systems saw losses of $152 billion.

Most of the losses in 2009 were because of a $485 billion decrease in earnings on investments, following a loss of $440 million the previous year.

Total contributions to retirement systems were $65 billion. Employee contributions increased 5 percent to $33 billion.

In these times when state and local governments are facing severe budgetary hardships, having good data year to year to understand the changes taking place is more important than ever. The 2009 Annual Survey of Public-Employee Retirement Systems provides this valuable information. It reports annual financial activity for the nation’s 222 state administered public employee retirement systems, including cash and security investments holdings, securities, receipts and payments.

For the first time the Census Bureau is releasing actuarial liability data, which projects the total obligation to cover costs for providing pensions to former and present employees.

Visit our website for more information on state retirement systems.

View detailed tables.

Read the press release.

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Finishing What We Start?

Written by: Kurt Bauman, Chief, Education and Social Stratification Branch, U.S. Census Bureau

Ideally, in life, people hope to finish what they start. But when it comes to an education, for a variety of reasons, things don’t always work out that way. Data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey bears this out.

More than one in three adults 25 and older in 2010 left school before being awarded the degree they were presumably aiming for. This includes 15 percent of the population who did not earn a regular high school diploma, the group sometimes labeled “dropouts.” (About 2 percent earned a GED and roughly 1 percent were close, even reaching the 12th grade.) An even greater share of the 25-and-older population, 17 percent, attended some college but left before receiving a degree. Rounding out the list were 4 percent who spent some time in graduate school without getting an advanced degree to show for their efforts.

On the other hand, most adults 25 and older (64 percent) did finish their schooling with a diploma or degree. The most common of these is a high school diploma, which was the highest level attained by 30 percent of those 25 and older. Another 9 percent left school with an associate’s degree, and 15 percent finished with a bachelor’s degree, which did not differ statistically from those who did not earn a high school diploma. Finally, 11 percent completed an advanced degree.

Included in those who did not earn a high school diploma are those who never attended school at all. This group makes up less than 1 percent of the population.

These data come from tabulations on Educational Attainment in the United States: 2010 and not only examine gender differences in attainment but also provide the most detailed information on years of school completed ever presented by the Census Bureau, showing for each level of attainment exactly how many years of education adults have. The Current Population Survey’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement is conducted in February, March and April at about 100,000 addresses nationwide.

 

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Green Stats

Earth Day is Friday, April 22. To help you celebrate, we offer a sampling of green data collected and published by the US Census Bureau.

According to the American Community Survey (5-year estimates):

• 0.5% of Americans bike to and from work. More men bike to work than women (0.7% vs. 0.3%).
• 10.5% of U.S. residents carpool to work. Men are more likely to carpool than women (11% vs. 10%).
• 5% of U.S. residents take public transportation to work. Women are more likely to take public transportation (5.4% vs. 4.6%).
• About 36,000 households in the United States rely on solar energy to heat their homes.

In 2009, according to data from the American Community Survey, the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island metropolitan area lead the nation in percent of workers who commuted by public transportation at 30.5%, followed by the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro area, with 14.6%.

The Census Bureau’s 2011 Statistical Abstract is an excellent source for additional green stats, including on Energy & Utilities: Solar and Renewable Energy, Emissions.

Did you know?

• In 2008, Washington state led the nation in hydro-electric energy generation and Texas was the top U.S. source of wind power.
• Additional states leading renewable energy generation in the U.S. included: California, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New York and Oregon.

The Statistical Abstract also includes data on:

• Geography & Environment: Air Quality
• Threatened and Endangered Wildlife and Plant Species
• Emissions Of Greenhouse Gases by Type and Source

The US Census Bureau is doing more than collecting data on the environment. Our green initiatives include:

• 2010 Census forms were printed on paper with 30 percent recycled content.
• The Census Bureau cafeteria uses biodegradable plates, green drinking cups, and recycled soup containers and napkins. Our cooking oil is recycled to make gasoline.
• Approximately 40% of the Census Bureau’s printers are set for duplex printing – printing on two sides of the paper – saving hundreds of thousands sheets of paper.
• Recycled paper at the Census Bureau is processed at the Arlington Resource and Recovery Facility where it is converted to help generate over 23 megawatts of renewable energy used for heating homes, schools and businesses.

How are you celebrating Earth Day this year? Did we miss any “green stats?” Share them here!

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U.S. Trade with Japan in 2010

By: Terri, US Census Bureau Foreign Trade Division

Japan suffered a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami. While it's too soon to know what repercussions this may have on U.S. trade, I decided to look at how Japan played a role in the trade figures in 2010.

Interesting Facts

• In 2010, Japan was the 4th largest trading partner (exports and imports) by dollar value.
• Japan was the largest importer of U.S. wheat (non-durum) and corn (non-seed) by dollar value in 2010.
• Over the last five years (2006-2010), Japan has the third largest growth rate at over 31% for U.S. soybeans.
• Japan was the 2nd largest supplier of television and video cameras to the U.S. in 2010.
• While the 2nd largest supplier of new passenger cars and vehicles, Japan was the largest supplier of mid-size cars to the U.S. in 2010.

Source: US Trade Online

Visit Global Reach, the Official Blog of the US Census Bureau's Foreign Trade Division

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Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders Continue to Pursue Entrepreneurial Dreams

New Census Bureau data show that Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders are continuing to become a growing part of our nation’s economy. Between 2002 and 2007, Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-owned businesses saw a growth of 31 percent in number, while U.S. businesses overall only increased 18 percent between 2002 and 2007. Native Hawaiian-and Other Pacific Islander-owned businesses also saw a 52 percent increase in revenue, while total business receipts for U.S. businesses increased only 33 percent.

This glimpse into the economic activity of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders comes from the Survey of Businesses Owners, which is conducted every five years. This survey is the only regularly collected, comprehensive economic data on Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders and provides an important look at them as entrepreneurs.

Collected for the business year 2007, the data tell how much these businesses earned, how many people they employed, and the kinds of businesses they are in. For example, construction and retail trade accounted for 44 percent of Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-owned business receipts.

Data show that about 56 percent of all Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander businesses were owned by people of Native Hawaiian origin in 2007. Guamanian- or Chamorro-owned businesses accounted for 10 percent, Samoan-owned businesses for 8.0 percent, and businesses owned by people of Other Pacific Islander descent for 25 percent.

Future data from the survey, to be released in June, will allow you to dig deeper into the characteristics of the owners and their businesses—their age and education, sources of start up capital and more.

More information on Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific Islander-owned firms for your geographic area is available on the Census Bureau website.

Read the press release.

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Census History: Civil War Sesquicentennial

Written by: Census Bureau History Staff

This month begins the sesquicentennial – the 150th anniversary – of the Civil War. The war began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate troops opened fire on Fort Sumter, near Charleston, SC.

Data collected by the US Census Bureau help paint a portrait of our nation during 1861. For example:

• The censuses of 1850 and 1860 asked questions about freed and escaped slaves, and revealed that more slaves were freed in 1860 than in 1850. In addition, the number of slaves who escaped from Mississippi, Missouri, and Virginia increased in 1860, compared to 1850.

• The 1860 Census, taken before the start of the Civil War, recorded nearly 4 million slaves in the nation.

• The 1890 Census counted over 1 million surviving Union soldiers, sailors, and marines, and 432,000 surviving Confederate soldiers and sailors.

Based on data from the 1860 census, this map was the Census Bureau's first attempt to map population density. It is a precursor to population density maps that have been produced since the 1870 census and in the Statistical Atlas, first published in 1874.

This Month in Census History

The U.S. Census Bureau conducted the 1930 Census on April 1, 1930. Until 1830, Census Day was in August. In 1920, the Census Bureau conducted the census on January 1 to more efficiently collect agricultural data. However, the 1929 Act authorizing the fifteenth census moved Census Day to April 1, where it remains today.

Did You Know?

Public Law 94-171, signed into law by President Ford in 1975, requires the U.S. Census Bureau to provide redistricting data to the states by April 1 of the year following the decennial census. The Census Bureau provides population counts for racial and ethnic groups and individuals of voting age. These data help states realign legislative districts to achieve equal representation in compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

2010 Census redistricting data for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico were released before April 1 this year.

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