Weekly Pulse Newsletter

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Weekly Pulse Newsletter

The U.S. Census Bureau is in a unique position to produce data on the social and economic effects of COVID-19 on American households and small businesses. 

Small Business Pulse Survey Updates

A retail worker wearing a face mask holds up a sign to indicate that her clothing store is open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Based on responses collected September 13 through September 19, the Small Business Pulse Survey estimates that:

Comparing now to what was normal before March 13, 2020, how have the following changed? Number of paid employees, hours worked from home, and more.
  • 69.1% of U.S. small businesses experienced a large or moderate increase in prices they pay for goods or services compared to what was normal before March 13, 2020

  • 21.3% of U.S. small businesses experienced a moderate decrease in the number of paid employees compared to what was normal before March 13, 2020

  • 8.5% of U.S. small businesses experienced a moderate increase in the number of hours paid employees worked from home compared to what was normal before March 13, 2020

  • 23.1% of U.S. small businesses experienced a moderate increase in demand for their goods or services compared to what was normal before March 13, 2020

  • 33.3% of U.S. small businesses had difficulties hiring paid employees in the last week. For responses collected 9/6-9/12, this statistic was 34.4%

  • 15.2% of U.S. small businesses think they will need to obtain financial assistance or additional capital in the next 6 months. For responses collected 9/6-9/12, this statistic was 13.9%

  • 10.5% of U.S. small businesses required employees to have proof of COVID-19 vaccination before physically coming to work in the last week. For responses collected 9/6-9/12, this statistic was 10.2%

In the last week, did this business require employees to have proof of COVID-19 vaccination before physically coming to work?
  • 42.3% of U.S. Wholesale Trade Small Businesses experienced a large increase in prices they pay for goods and services compared to what was normal before March 13, 2020. The national average for this statistic is 28.8%
Comparing now to what was normal before March 13, 2020, how have the prices this business pays for goods and services changed?
  • 68.5% of U.S. Manufacturing Small Businesses experienced domestic supplier delays in the last week. The national average for this statistic is 43.3%
https://portal.census.gov/pulse/data/
  • 11.9% of U.S. Accommodation & Food Services Small Businesses required employees to test negative for COVID-19 before physically coming to work in the last week. The national average for this statistic was 9.2%

Household Pulse Survey

A woman wearing a face mask as protection against COVID-19 walks back to her car with a bag of groceries.


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Based on responses collected September 1 through September 13, 2021, the Household Pulse Survey estimates that:

New Content:

  • SOGI: The U.S. Census Bureau now asks about Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) as part of the Household Pulse Survey (HPS). You can find data and information here: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/household-pulse-survey/data.html
  • Childcare Disruptions (for Kids 5 and Under): Of adults living in homes w/ children under 5, 32.8% were in homes where children were unable to attend daycare/other childcare due to safety concerns in the past four weeks
  • Food Assistance for Children: Of adults living in households w/ children, 48.5% were in homes where children received food assistance in the past 7 days
  • Worked Onsite at a Workplace: 58.4% of adults lived in households where someone worked onsite at a workplace in the past 7 days
  • Unable to Pay Energy Bill: 19.1% of adults lived in households that were unable to pay an energy bill in full in the last 12 months
  • Child Tax Credit Spending: Of adults living in households that received a child tax credit payment in the past 4 weeks, 70.8% either mostly spent it or used it to pay down debt
  • Children’s Telehealth: Of adults living in homes w/ children, 16.6% were in homes where children had an appointment with a doctor, nurse, or other health professional by video or phone in the past 4 weeks
  • Household Telehealth: 20.1% of adults had an appointment with a doctor, nurse, or other health professional by video or phone in the past 4 weeks
  • Food Scarcity: 8.8% of adults lived in homes where there was sometimes or often not enough to eat in the past 7 days
  • Housing Insecurity: 6.7% of adults aren’t current on rent or mortgage payment and have slight or no confidence in making the next payment on time
  • Eviction or Foreclosure: Of adults living in households not current on rent/mortgage 32.4% report eviction or foreclosure in next two months is somewhat or very likely
  • Difficulty with Household Expenses: 27.6% of adults live in households where it has been somewhat/very difficult to pay usual household expenses in the past 7 days

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COVID-19 Data Hub and More Resources

New COVID-19 Data Hub Updates

The Census Bureau has launched a new tool — the COVID-19 Data Hub — designed to help guide the nation as it begins recovery efforts from the sweeping COVID-19 pandemic by providing economic and demographic data. Version 2.5 is now available!

Read More

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Business Formation Statistics Updates

The release of the August 2021 BFS data came out earlier this month. See link below for data, graphs, and more.

Latest Updates

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About the Census Bureau

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