The Annual Business Survey (ABS) stands as one of the most comprehensive resources for understanding business demographics, innovation patterns, and economic characteristics across the United States. Available through Social Explorer's data library, this dataset provides researchers, analysts, and policymakers with critical insights into who owns businesses and how they operate in today's economy.
What Is the Annual Business Survey?
The Annual Business Survey is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation. This joint initiative replaced several previous surveys, consolidating the five-year Survey of Business Owners (SBO) for employer businesses, the Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs (ASE), the Business R&D and Innovation for Microbusinesses survey (BRDI-M), and the innovation section of the Business R&D and Innovation Survey (BRDI-S). By combining these data collection efforts, the annual business survey provides a more streamlined and comprehensive view of America's business landscape.
Key Data and Insights from the Annual Business Survey
Designed for researchers, policy analysts, economic developers, and anyone interested in understanding the evolving landscape of American business ownership and innovation, the Annual Business Survey covers an extensive range of business characteristics and owner demographics. Users can access detailed information on economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners, broken down by sex, ethnicity, race, and veteran status. This granular demographic data helps illuminate patterns of business ownership across different communities and identifies potential gaps in entrepreneurial opportunities.
Beyond demographics, the survey captures critical information about innovation and technology adoption. Researchers can analyze how businesses integrate new technologies, their innovation practices, and research and development expenditures, particularly for microbusinesses. These metrics provide valuable insights into how American businesses remain competitive and adapt to changing market conditions.
Accessing the Data Through Social Explorer
Social Explorer makes the annual business survey data accessible via its community analysis software, offering powerful mapping and analysis tools to visualize business trends across geographic areas. Whether you're studying regional entrepreneurship patterns, analyzing technology adoption rates, or researching business ownership demographics, Social Explorer's platform transforms raw census data into actionable insights. Sign up for a free trial of Social Explorer today to access Annual Business Survey data and other important community datasets.