Annual Business Survey (ABS)

Summary

The Annual Business Survey (ABS) measures business owner demographics, research and development (R&D), innovation, and other topics of interest among businesses in the United States. The Business Enterprise Research and Development (BERD) Survey was integrated into the ABS in 2025. The ABS is a joint statistical project between the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Agency	DOC, CENSUS
Related Agency	NSF, NCSES
Data Checkup

Historical Data Availability

No Known Issue

Future Data Availability

No Known Issue

Data Quality

No Known Issue

The Business Enterprise Research and Development (BERD) Survey and ABS are being combined to increase data quality, reduce respondent burden, and to allow the Census Bureau to operate more efficiently.

Statutory Context

Moderate Risk

Statutory authorization is vague, but information is required to support a principal federal economic indicator.

Staffing and Funding

Moderate Risk

From FY2024 to FY2026, the Census Bureau has lost more than 2,500 staff (~20%). While the FY27 President's Budget requests an approximately 30% increase for the Census Bureau, the proposal recommends reductions to many programs and surveys. In May 2026, the House Appropriations Committee advanced its version of the budget, proposing level funding at FY26 levels.

Policy

No Known Issue

Last updated: 2026-06-22

Details

Related ICRs
OMB Control Number	0607-1004
Authorizing Statutes	Pub.L. 111 - 358 505, 13 USC 8(b), 131, and 182, 42 USC 1861-76

Reference Number	Title	Agency	Status	Request Type
202406-0607-003	Annual Business Survey	DOC/CENSUS	Active	No material or nonsubstantive change to a currently approved collection
202503-0607-003	Annual Business Survey	DOC/CENSUS	Active	Revision of a currently approved collection
202602-0607-001	Annual Business Survey	DOC/CENSUS	Active	Revision of a currently approved collection