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2012 Economic Census



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Sector 23
Construction



This section of the Help Site provides information about census coverage and reporting for establishments in the Construction Sector. It includes answers to frequently asked questions about this Sector and its census forms.

 Establishment Covered

Construction sector establishments develop and construct buildings, construct heavy engineering and industrial facilities (except buildings), and provide specialized work for building and heavy construction projects. Building and heavy construction establishments typically are general contractors, maintain a central administrative office, and may also have several separate work site locations. Specialty trade contractors typically are subcontractors for a general contractor or project owner. NAICS classifies establishments in the Construction Sector using numbers that start with 23. NAICS provides separate sub-classifications for building construction establishments, heavy construction establishments, and specialty trade contractor establishments.


The economic census covers all construction establishments that operated during all or part of calendar year 2012. Examples of establishments covered in this sector include:
  • Building construction establishments are those that are responsible for an entire residential or nonresidential building project, including site preparation and development, new building construction, related additions or improvements, needed repairs, and installation of prefabricated materials and equipment.

  • Heavy construction establishments are those that are responsible for entire heavy engineering or industrial projects (except buildings), such as highways, tunnels, power plants, and pipelines. Also included are specialty trade contractors that do primarily heavy construction work.

  • Specialty trade contractor establishments are those that provide specialized construction services for building or heavy construction contractors. Examples of specialized construction services include excavation, well drilling, plumbing, electrical, painting, and demolition services.

 Census Mail Package

All construction establishments that had paid employees will receive a census mail package with several types of materials. The material are similar in content but customized to make reporting easier for different groups of construction establishments. Each establishment will receive a census form. In addition, establishments that receive a census form will also receive an Information Sheet.


Information Sheets provide general information about the census and instructions for reporting selected items on the census form.

Census Forms describe each data item for census accommodation and food services establishments, and provide instructions and formats for reporting each item. Construction forms are numbered CC-23xxx. Forms are tailored to industry groups and four separate forms are available for use by different kinds of construction establishments.

Questions and Forms in this Sector

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau | EC2012 BHS Team |   Last Revised: March 10, 2016 10:47:42