Data & Trends

Census Bureau: ABS Release Provides Data on Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses

The U.S. Census Bureau today released new estimates showing 1.1 million employer firms were owned by women and 1.0 million by minorities. According to the 2018 Annual Business Survey (ABS), covering year 2017, 5.6% (322,076) of all U.S. businesses were Hispanic-owned and 6.1% (351,237) were owned by veterans. Additional statistics released include: In 2017, the sector with…

Census Bureau: New Report on Housing Readiness for Aging Population Released

The U.S. Census Bureau has released a new population report on the readiness of housing to meet the needs of the nation’s aging population. The report – Old Housing, New Needs: Is America’s Housing Ready for an Aging Population? – uses data from the 2011 American Housing Survey (AHS) to provide national-level estimates of housing units with aging-accessible features,…

HUD and Census Bureau: Residential Construction Activity Report for April 2020

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for April 2020. Building Permits Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,074,000. This is 20.8 percent (±0.9 percent) below the revised…

Census Bureau: COVID-19 Interactive Data Hub Update Released

The Census Bureau has released an updated version of the interactive data hub on its COVID-19 resource page. The resource page is designed to help federal agencies, businesses and communities make decisions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Version 1.2 of the interactive data hub includes: Improved search and navigation functions for impact reports Additional variables for: Nonemployer Statistics impact report…

Census Bureau: First Results of Experimental Small Business Pulse Survey Released

The Census Bureau today released the first results from its Small Business Pulse Survey. The results represent data collected between April 26 and May 2, 2020 and are available at <www.census.gov/businesspulsedata>. The experimental Small Business Pulse Survey (Business Pulse) measures the changes in business conditions on our nation’s small businesses during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in…

ABA: Report Shows More Consumers Paid Credit Card Balances in Full Amid Rising Card Use in Fourth Quarter 2019

Even as credit card use increased in the fourth quarter of 2019, a record share of consumers paid off their bill in full each month, according to the American Bankers Association’s latest quarterly Credit Card Market Monitor. Seasonally adjusted monthly purchase volumes rose compared to the previous quarter, particularly among super-prime (+4.0%) and prime (+2.9%) accounts,…

Census Bureau: New Experimental Veteran Employment Outcomes Statistics Released

Today, the Census Bureau released new experimental statistics on U.S. Army veterans’ outcomes in the civilian labor market. Veteran Employment Outcomes (VEO) provide annual earnings for veterans by military occupation, civilian industry and veteran characteristics — one, five, and 10 years after leaving service. These data show a broad distribution of labor market outcomes for recent veterans, highlighting…

CFPB: Report Shows Substantial Decline in Credit Applications in March 2020

A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) report examining the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic found that consumer credit applications declined substantially in March. Applications are measured by the number of credit pulls or “hard inquiries” that lenders perform when a consumer applies for new credit. The report found that between the first and last week…

Census Bureau: New Interactive Data Hub in Response to COVID-19 Released

Today the U.S. Census Bureau released a new resource page on census.gov to help federal agencies, businesses and communities make decisions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to the Census Bureau’s resource pages created during natural disasters, this resource page includes information on population demographics, economic indicators and businesses. It features a new interactive data hub that centralizes data previously released…

FHFA: House Price Index Up 0.7 Percent in February; Up 5.7 Percent from 2019

U.S. house prices rose in February, up 0.7 percent from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI).  House prices rose 5.7 percent from February 2019 to February 2020.  The previously reported 0.3 percent increase for January 2020 was revised upward to 0.5 percent.  For the nine census divisions, seasonally adjusted monthly…