Business Register Microdata
CSB, ILBD, LBD, OCD, SSELRestricted-Use Business Register Microdata
Compustat-SSEL Bridge (CSB)
Survey Unit: Establishment
Frequency: Annually
Time Periods: 1981-2005
Number of Observations: 115,000
Sponsor: Census Bureau
The SSEL is a register of active employer business establishments in the United States. It includes the name, address, legal form of organization, and tax filing requirements for each business, quarterly payroll information, business receipts, revenues, assets, inventories, industry classifications, and other critical data items. Compustat is a database compiled by Standard and Poor’s that tracks pricing data, earnings results, corporate actions, and ratings. In the Compustat-SSEL Bridge, the March 2005 Compustat file is linked to the 1981-2005 SSEL, providing firm level linkage.
Form 5500 Bridge File
Survey Unit: Establishment
Frequency: Annually
Time Periods: 1992-2006
Number of Observations: TBD
Sponsor: Census Bureau
The Form 5500 Bridge File allows linkage of information from Form 5500 public filings to Census data on businesses. Form 5500 is filed to satisfy annual reporting requirements for certain employee benefits plans.
Integrated Longitudinal Business Database (ILBD)
Survey Unit: Establishment
Frequency: Various
Time Periods: 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1994-2010
Number of Observations: 18,400,000 in 2010
Sponsor: Census Bureau
The Integrated Longitudinal Business Database (ILBD) is a research dataset constructed at the Center for Economic Studies. Currently, the ILBD contains the universe of all U.S. business establishments without paid employees for 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992 and 1994-2005. The ILBD is an invaluable tool for researchers investigating the dynamics of the roughly 20 million nonemployer businesses in the U.S. economy. Researchers armed with the ILBD can investigate nonemployer business entry and exit, gross revenue flows, and when used in conjunction with the ILBD, transitions between nonemployer and employer status over time. The ILBD can be used alone or in conjunction with several other Census Bureau datasets on firms and individuals.
Additional Information
Longitudinal Business Database (LBD)
Survey Unit: Establishment
Frequency: Annually
Time Periods: 1976-2011
Number of Observations: 8,000,000 in 2011
Sponsor: Census Bureau
The Longitudinal Business Database (LBD) is a research dataset constructed at the Center for Economic Studies. The LBD contains longitudinally linked data for all employer establishments in the Standard Statistical Establishment List. The register records the name, address, legal form of organization, tax filing requirements, quarterly payroll information, business receipts, revenues, assets, inventories, industry classifications, and other critical data items for each business. Thus the dataset is able to track changes to these business statistics over time. The LBD will be invaluable to researchers examining entry and exit, gross job flows and changes in the structure of the U.S. economy.
Additional Information
Ownership change Database (OCD)
Survey Unit: Establishment
Frequency: Every 5 years (Discontinued)
Time Periods: 1963, 1967-2002
Number of Observations: 7,200-21,000 depending on year
Sponsor: Census Bureau
The Center for Economic Studies has constructed the Manufacturing Plant Ownership Change Database (OCD) using plant-level data taken from the Census Bureau’s Longitudinal Business Database (LBD). The OCD contains data on all manufacturing establishments that have experienced ownership change at least once during the period 1963-1992. Data includes information on the establishment, the buying and selling firms, employment, and production. Because each plant in the OCD and LBD is assigned a unique permanent plant number (PPN), researchers can use this number to merge the OCD with the LRD. In this way, data on many other variables available in the LBD—describing economic activities of the plants that changed owners as well as those that did not experience any ownership change (the control group) –may be obtained for research.
Standard Statistical Establishment List/Business Register (SSEL)
Survey Unit: Establishment
Frequency: Annually
Time Periods: 1974-2011
Number of Observations: TBD
Sponsor: Census Bureau
The SSL (also known as the Business Register) was created to provide a current and comprehensive database of U.S. business establishments and companies for statistical program use. Establishments of all domestic employer and non-employer businesses (except private households and governments) and organizational units of multi-establishment businesses are included. The register records the name, address, legal form of organization, and tax filing requirements for each business, quarterly payroll information, business receipts, revenues, assets, inventories, industry classifications, and other critical data items. The system also includes unique Census- assigned identification numbers and incorporates’ EINs issued for Federal tax purposes so that the register can be linked to other Census datasets.