Name: Jason McCarty
Phone: 405-815-5320

Limited Seating Expected

July 8, 2010 -- Workshops are scheduled in Edmond and Tulsa next month to explore Oklahoma-specific data from the U.S. Economic Census conducted in 2007. Steve Barker, Oklahoma Data Center program manager, said the U.S. Census Bureau has scheduled two hands-on workshops to take place to help guide data users through the best ways to find and use this data.

The workshops will be held August 17th  in Edmond at the UCO Campus and at the Tulsa Community College Conference Center on August 18th.  Barker said the workshops are free to the public, but pre-registration is required.  These are the only workshops scheduled in Oklahoma, and seating is limited.

"The Census Bureau provides a detailed economic portrait of the American economy every five years, from the national to the local level," Barker said. "This data is used to measure market expectations, evaluate performance against peer groups, identify developing trends, design sales territories, evaluate policy decisions, and much more."

To register, go to http://www.census.gov/econ/census07/www/conferences/ and select the appropriate conference location.

Conference participants will learn about several aspects of the 2007 Economic Census data release, including:

• Data to be released – What information can be found inside the Survey of Business Owners? The Commodity Flow Survey? The Business Expenses Survey? What else is available?
• Geographic coverage – The Census Bureau will report some data only to the metro level, while some data will go to the zip code level.  What data will be available for your community?
• Changes in publication formats – PDF documents, CD-ROMs, and DVD-ROMs used to be available but not any more.  How is the Census Bureau releasing data to the public? 
• Employer vs. nonemployer data – Employer data shows information for businesses with payroll, but what information is available to cover the self employed?  
• Service sector product classification – Codes are now consistent with the North American Product Classification System, covering the US, Canada and Mexico.  Can that help identify international business opportunities for local businesses? 
• Expanded data on franchising, pensions, and fringe benefits – New data brings answers to many questions.  Will your questions be among those answered? 
• Expanded data on small business owners – Are the internet and e-commerce being used?  When and how was the business acquired?  What percentage of sales occurs outside the US?  What languages are used for business transactions?  

More information on the 2007 Economic Census can be found by going to http://www.census.gov/econ/census07/.

"Nothing beats the guidance and input of an expert and Census Bureau staff will be leading both workshops, and participants will also have the opportunity to network with others in attendance," Barker said.

For more information on either of these workshops, contact Barker at 405-815-5182 or steven_barker@okcommerce.gov.