The Longitudinal Business Database

In order to increase the reliability of economicresearch, the Center for Economic Studies at the U.S. Census Bureau has createdthe Longitudinal Business Database (LBD).The purpose of the LBD is toallow researchers to measure more accurately firm entry and exit, total jobflow, and variations in the structure of the U.S. economy. The characteristics of the LBD, especially the longitudinal aspects, aredescribed.The significance and concerns of past Census data sets, such asthe Standard Statistical Establishment List (SSEL), are examined.Thecreation of the LBD linkages, the use of the SSEL files, and the data gatheredfor the LBD are explained. The data include information regarding the firm ageand tenure, industry and geographic classifications, basic economic variables,and firm affiliation. The significance and uniqueness of the LBD is that it contains data from allindustrial sectors, from all employer establishments, from a variety ofbusiness locations and structures, and from numerous business cycles over thepast 25 years.The LBD data can easily be linked to other Census data toenhance our further understanding of participating firms. (AKP)