Construction Establishments by Payroll Status
The construction industry is complex, comprising both payroll and nonemployer (without payroll) establishments. The U.S. Census Bureau produces the County Business Patterns (CBP), an annual series that provides information on establishments with paid employees (payroll), as well as Nonemployer Statistics (NES), an annual series on establishments with no paid employees (without payroll), including independent contractors. The CBP-NES Combined Report merges both to provide information on construction businesses that can guide informed business decisions by business owners, politicians, and other stakeholders.
This interactive dashboard highlights trends for payroll and nonpayroll establishments by state, year, and major and/or detailed subsectors. The year and major subsector filters update both the charts and the bolded and underlined key findings.
Following the interactive dashboard, you will find more information on the data source, definitions, a downloadable data file, and recommended citation. This interactive data dashboard corresponds to a chapter in the upcoming PDF version of the Construction Chart Book-7th edition, which will be published this summer. Data will be updated annually as available. If you have any questions or comments, please email [email protected].
About the Data
Data come from the U.S. Census Bureau CBP and NES Combined Reports.
U.S. Census Bureau, 2012-2021 CBP and NES Combined Reports. https://www.census.gov/.
- CBP-NES merges data from the County Business Patterns (CBP) and Nonemployer statistics (NES).
- CBP-NES Combined Reports are available approximately 27 months after each reference year. For example, 2021 CBP-NES Combined Reports were not published until March 2024.
Definitions
- Detailed subsector – 4-digit NAICS codes within construction (NAICS 23).
- Establishments (construction) – A single physical location occupied by a relatively permanent main or branch office. When multiple activities occur in one place under one ownership, a single establishment is counted by its major activity. The individual construction sites and projects of such dispersed activities are not considered to be establishments.
- Nonemployer – Establishments with no paid employees, annual business receipt of $1 or more (specific to construction industry), and are subject to federal income taxes. Independent contractors are an example of nonpayroll establishments.
- Payroll – Establishments that have paid employees. Payroll includes all forms of compensation, such as salaries, wages, commissions, dismissal pay, etc.
- Major subsector – 3-digit NAICS code within construction (NAICS 23).
Recommended Citation and Data File
Recommended Citation
CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training. [2024]. Construction Establishments by Payroll Status [dashboard].
Data File
The Data File contains an average of all years includes (2012-2021) and annual data. If interested in additional year combinations, please contact us at: [email protected].