The U.S. Census Bureau today announced the beginning of data collection for Phase 5 of the Small Business Pulse Survey (SBPS). This experimental survey was designed to measure temporal economic trends in the nation’s small businesses and provide insight into the scope of impact of the pandemic response in the United States.
No significant changes were made to Phase 5 of the SBPS. The SBPS includes questions on topics such as location closings, changes in employment, supply chain disruptions, the use of federal assistance initiatives (e.g., Restaurant Revitalization Fund, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant), vaccine requirements, planned capital expenditures, and expectations concerning future operations. The survey takes only minutes to complete. Each week, the survey will be sent to approximately 100,000 small businesses. Over the course of nine weeks, nearly 1 million small businesses will receive an invitation to participate. This survey defines small businesses as having a single location with one to 499 employees.
Results of the SBPS inform the public, businesses and policymakers about how changes in business operations, employment, hours, and the availability of consumer goods and services are impacting American life. The data, which will be posted weekly May 27 to July 22, include estimates for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the nation’s 50 most populated metropolitan statistical areas.