I recently posted about the availability of non-employer statistics from the Census Bureau. Non-employer statistics
are an annual series that provides economic data for businesses that have no
paid employees and are subject to federal income tax. The data consist of the
number of businesses and total receipts by industry. Receipts includes gross
receipts, sales, commissions, and income from trades and businesses, as
reported on annual business income tax returns. Business income consists of all
payments received for services rendered by nonemployer businesses, such as
payments received as independent agents and contractors. The data are
accessible through the U.S. Census Bureau’s American FactFinder and the Nonemployer Statistics website. Below are some of the numbers as they apply to the
region (Herkimer and Oneida Counties combined) from the Nonemployer statistics.
One of the things that interesting to do is take those receipts and divide them by the number of non-employer businesses to get an average annual receipt. This number begins to shed light on what it is to own these small businesses with no other employees than the owner or family. Below is a chart from 1997 through 2013 where I've done just that (divided the total receipts by the number of non-employer businesses) for both our region, and New York State.
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