[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 164 (Friday, August 27, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48119-48122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18528]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; 2022 Economic Census

AGENCY: Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the 
proposed reinstatement, with change, of the Economic Census prior to 
the

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submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for 
approval.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before October 26, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference 2022 Economic 
Census in the subject line of your comments. You may also submit 
comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2021-0020, to the Federal e-
Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. All comments received 
are part of the public record. No comments will be posted to http://www.regulations.gov for public viewing until after the comment period 
has closed. Comments will generally be posted without change. All 
Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address) 
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do 
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information. You may submit attachments to electronic 
comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Kimberly Moore, Chief, Economy-Wide Statistics Division, U.S. Census 
Bureau by phone (301) 763-7643, or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau is the preeminent collector and provider of 
timely, relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the 
United States. The Economic Census, conducted under authority of Title 
13 United States Code, is the U.S. Government's most comprehensive 
five-year measure of American business and the economy. It features the 
primary source of facts about the structure and functioning of the 
Nation's economy, comprised of the 50 states, offshore areas, and the 
District of Columbia (collectively referred to as Stateside) as well as 
Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa, (collectively referred to 
as Island Areas) and features unique industry and geographic detail. 
Economic Census statistics serve as part of the framework for the 
national accounts and provide essential information for government, 
business, and the public.
    The 2022 Economic Census, both Stateside and Island Areas, covering 
the Agriculture; Mining; Utilities; Construction; Manufacturing; 
Wholesale Trade; Retail Trade; Transportation and Warehousing; 
Information; Finance and Insurance; Real Estate and Rental and Leasing; 
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; Management of 
Companies and Enterprises; Administrative and Support and Waste 
Management and Remediation Services; Educational Services; Health Care 
and Social Assistance; Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation; 
Accommodation and Food Services; Other Services (except Public 
Administration) Sectors (as defined by the North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS)) will measure the economic activity of 
nearly 8 million employer establishments. The inclusion of the 
Agriculture sector is new for the 2022 Economic Census and will account 
for Agriculture Support Activities, NAICS Industry Groups 1151 and 1152 
only. The information collected from establishments in these sectors of 
the economic census will produce basic statistics by industry for 
number of establishments, value of shipments/receipts/revenue/sales, 
payroll, and employment. It will also yield a variety of industry-
specific statistics, including materials consumed, detailed supplies 
and fuels consumed, electric energy consumed, depreciable assets, 
selected purchased services, inventories, capital expenditures, value 
of shipments/receipts/revenue/sales by product line as defined by the 
North American Product Classification System (NAPCS), type of 
operation, size of establishments, and other industry-specific 
measures.
    The scope of the Island Areas component of the Economic Census is 
roughly equivalent to that of the Stateside component and is the only 
source of economic data collected for the Island Areas. While the 
Island Areas component collects the same sector level data as the 
Stateside portion, the data published are at a less detailed NAICS 
level with some additional exclusions.

II. Method of Collection

    Establishments in the Economic Census will be selected from the 
Census Bureau's Business Register. The Census Bureau's Business 
Register provides a current and comprehensive database of U.S. business 
establishments and companies for statistical program use. To be 
eligible for selection, an establishment will be required to satisfy 
the following conditions: (i) It must be classified in one of the 
sectors listed above; (ii) it must be an active operating establishment 
of a multi-establishment firm (i.e., a firm that operates at more than 
one physical location), or it must be a single-establishment firm 
(i.e., a firm operating at only one physical location) with payroll; 
and (iii) it must be located in one of the 50 states, offshore areas, 
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or American Samoa. 
Initial contact with respondents will be a mailed letter directing them 
to report online. No form will be mailed except for establishments 
located in the Island Areas where single-establishment firms will be 
eligible to request a paper questionnaire. Establishments will respond 
using a response-driven electronic reporting instrument that includes 
skip patterns and will display survey paths specific to the 
establishment's primary business activity. The sampling procedure will 
distinguish the following groups of establishments for collection:

1. Establishments of Multi-Establishment Firms

    Selection procedures will assign all active establishments of 
multi-establishment firms to the mail component of the universe, except 
for those in industries classified as consolidated reporters. In these 
selected industries, where activities are not easily attributable to 
individual locations or establishments, firms will be asked to report 
their basic data for several establishments at a nation-wide level on 
an electronic consolidated report path(s).

2. Single-Establishment Firms With Payroll

    For the Stateside component, all single-establishment firms having 
2022 payroll (from Federal administrative records) will be included in 
the sampling frame. We will use a NAICS-by-state stratified sample 
design for selecting a sample of single-establishment firms. The 
largest single-establishment firms (based on 2022 payroll) will be 
selected with certainty. Those single-establishment firms that are not 
selected with certainty are selected using a probability sample. Using 
a NAICS-by-state stratified sample should produce reliable estimates 
for various characteristics at detailed NAICS-by-state levels.
    The remaining single-establishment firms with payroll that are not 
selected into the sample will be represented in the Economic Census by 
data from Federal administrative records, or by weighting the responses 
of the sampled

[[Page 48121]]

establishments. Additionally, some of these single-establishment firms 
not selected into the sample may be requested to respond to a short 
questionnaire to verify or confirm that the establishments are 
classified in the correct NAICS industry.
    For the Island Areas component, all single-establishment firms with 
payroll will be included in the Economic Census.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0998.
    Stateside Electronic Path ID(s): The paths in the electronic 
instrument used to collect information are tailored to specific 
industries or groups of industries. The Electronic Path ID's are too 
numerous to list individually in this notice.
    Island Areas Questionnaire Number(s)/Electronic Path ID(s): The 
questionnaires and paths in the electronic instrument used to collect 
information in the Islands Areas are tailored to specific industries or 
groups of industries. Electronic instruments are available in English. 
Puerto Rico paper questionnaires are available in English as well as 
Spanish.
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN27AU21.010

    Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for a Reinstatement, 
with Change, of a Previously Approved Collection.
    Affected Public: State or local governments, businesses, or other 
for profit or non-profit institutions or organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents, time per response and total annual 
burden:

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN27AU21.011

    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. (This is not the cost of 
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for 
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to 
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services 
required specifically by the collection.)
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. Section 131.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our 
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, 
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information 
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly 
available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2021-18528 Filed 8-26-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-C