1992 CENSUS OF RETAIL TRADE Introduction =>GENERAL The 1992 Census of Retail Trade, part of the 1992 Economic Census, covered retail trade as defined in the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual (Standard Industrial Classification: 1987. For sale by Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Stock No. 041-001-00314-2). It included all establishments primarily engaged in selling merchandise for personal or household consumption and rendering services incidental to the sale of the goods. The census excluded governmental organizations classified in the covered industries except for liquor stores operated by State and local governments. Data for direct sellers (SIC 5963) with no paid employees and post exchanges, ship stores, and similar establishments operated on military posts by agencies of the Federal Government are not included. The basic tabulations in this report do not include data for establishments which are auxiliary (primary function is providing a service, such as warehouses) to retail establishments within the same organization. Data for auxiliaries are presented in a subsequent report issued as part of the 1992 Enterprise Statistics reports. For the 1992 Census of Retail Trade, large- and medium-size firms, plus all firms known to operate more than one establishment, were sent questionnaires to be completed and returned to the Census Bureau by mail. For most very small firms, including those with no paid employees, data from existing administrative records of other Federal agencies were used instead. These records provided basic information on location, kind of business, sales, payroll, number of employees, and legal form of organization. In addition, more detailed information for selected kinds of business was obtained on the various questionnaires. The "Coverage and Methodology" menu choice provides a more detailed explanation of census coverage and methodology. =>MERCHANDISE LINE SALES This report represents a recompilation of establishment and sales data collected in the 1992 Census of Retail Trade according to various categories of merchandise lines sold by retail establishments. Tables in this report present data only for establishments with payroll. An individual establishment (i.e., business location) is the unit to which a single kind-of-business classification is assigned and for which data are summarized in most retail census tabulations. Sales are presented in this report by broad merchandise line category. In planning the merchandise line inquiries for the 1992 Census of Retail Trade, the Bureau of the Census consulted extensively with trade associations and businesses. The amount of detail requested in the census primarily reflected considerations for reportability. Forty-three broad merchandise lines were devised to account for all the sales and receipts of retail establishments regardless of kind-of-business classification. These lines are identified in the tables by merchandise line codes ending in "0." In addition to the 43 broad merchandise lines, detail within some of these broad lines was requested on many of the report forms. These detail lines are identified in the tables by merchandise line codes ending with a digit other than "0." Unlike the broad lines, the detail lines were adapted to the merchandise line characteristics of an individual kind of business or a group of closely related kinds of businesses. Thus, while it is possible to compute a total for each of the broad merchandise lines to cover all kinds of business, no such totals can be calculated for the detail lines. The "Merchandise Lines, Codes, and Reporting-Form Numbers" menu choice gives merchandise line descriptions, codes, and the reporting-form number on which each line appears. The "Coverage and Methodology," "Data Item Definitions," and "Kind of Business Descriptions," menu choices present more detailed information about the statistics contained in this report. =>CENSUS DISCLOSURE RULES In accordance with Federal law governing census reports, no data are published that would disclose the operations of an individual establishment or business. However, the number of establishments in a kind-of-business classification is not considered a disclosure; therefore, this information may be released even though other information is withheld. =>GEOGRAPHIC AREAS COVERED This report series presents data for the following areas: The United States as a whole. Each State and the District of Columbia. Each consolidated metropolitan statistical area (CMSA) and primary metropolitan statistical area (PMSA) defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as of June 30, 1993. A CMSA is an area used to facilitate the presentation and analysis of data for large concentrations of metropolitan populations. It includes two or more contiguous PMSA's which have a population of at least 1,000,000 (according to the 1990 Census of Population or subsequent special census) and which meet specific criteria of urban character and of social and economic integration. Each metropolitan statistical area (MSA) defined by the OMB as of June 30, 1993. An MSA is an integrated economic and social unit with a population nucleus of at least 50,000 inhabitants (according to the 1990 Census of Population or subsequent special census). Each MSA consists of one or more counties meeting standards of metropolitan character; in New England, cities and towns rather than counties are the component geographic units. The area within the State outside metropolitan areas (MA's). =>DOLLAR VALUES All dollar values presented in this report are expressed in current dollars; i.e., 1992 data are expressed in 1992 dollars and 1987 data in 1987 dollars. Consequently, when making comparisons to prior years, users of the data should consider the inflation that has occurred. =>RELIABILITY OF DATA The merchandise line sales data presented in this report are based, in part, upon a sample and, therefore, are subject to both sampling errors and nonsampling errors. Specifically, these data are estimated based on information obtained from census questionnaires mailed to all large employers and to a sample of small employers in the retail universe. Sampling errors affect these estimates insofar as they may differ from a complete enumeration. Nonsampling errors can be attributed to many sources: inability to identify all cases in the actual universe; definition and classification difficulties; differences in the interpretation of questions; errors in recording or coding the data obtained; and other errors of collection, response, coverage, processing, and estimation for missing or misreported data. The reliability of the merchandise line sales estimates in this report is determined by the joint effects of sampling and nonsampling errors. No direct measurement of nonsampling errors has been obtained except for estimation for missing or misreported data; however, precautionary steps were taken in all phases of the collection, processing, and tabulation of the data in an effort to minimize these effects. For more detailed information on the sampling procedure, estimation procedure, and sampling error that apply to these data, see the "Coverage and Methodology" menu choice. File 1 of the Merchandise Line Sales Series, "RC92L1.dbf Merchandise Lines by Kind of Business," presents information on merchandise line sales coverage for the published estimates, and the "Coverage and Methodology" menu choice describes the derivation and significance of these coverage data. File 2 of the Geographic Area Series, "RC92A2.dbf Ratios and Comparative Statistics," provides information on the extent that data for kind-of-business totals included in this report were obtained from the administrative records of other Federal agencies and from estimation, rather than reports directly from respondents. Finally, it should be noted that selected data in File 1 are not subject to sampling errors, but may be affected by nonsampling errors. These data are the figures presented for retail trade and for each kind-of-business category on total number of establishments with payroll and total sales for establishments with payroll. These figures are based on data obtained either from census questionnaires or from the administrative records of other Federal agencies and are not estimates derived from a sample. =>SPECIAL TABULATIONS Special tabulations of data collected in the 1992 Census of Retail Trade may be obtained, depending on availability of time and personnel, on diskette, computer tape, or in tabular form. The data will be in summary form and subject to the same rules prohibiting disclosure of confidential information (including name, address, kind of business, or other data for individual business establishments or companies) as are the regular publications. Special tabulations are prepared on a cost basis. A request for a cost estimate, as well as exact specifications on the type and format of the data to be provided, should be directed to the Chief, Business Division, Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC 20233. To discuss a special tabulation before submitting specifications, call 1-800-541-8345.