United States Business and Jobs: Structure and Changes by Sector and County, 1976-1988

Résumé 0

The purpose of this study was to provide a description of both the current status and the changes in businesses and jobs in all United States counties, by 75 two-digit industry sectors. The study was designed to inquire to what extent new firm formation and small firm expansion reflect or cause economic growth. The data, originally assembled by Dun and Bradstreet, was edited and processed to adjust for errors and omissions to create a complete census of all business firms (single-site and multiple-site) and associated employment in six two-year periods: 1976-1978, 1978-1980, 1980-1982, 1982-1984, 1984-1986, and 1986-1988. The datasets contain detailed data for the years 1976-1988 on establishment births (new units entering the file), establishment deaths (existing units disappearing), expansion and contraction of all private-sector business establishments, and on the number of business jobs affected by these changes. Each record consists of a number of variables that (1) identify the county and industry, (2) describe the firms and jobs at the beginning of the two-year period, (3) provide descriptions at the end of the two-year period, and (4) that provide data on sources of changes during the two-year period. As the data are designed to be a complete census of all business units and all jobs, it can be aggregated to provide complete counts for any industry, region, or state or for the entire country.