County Business Patterns (CBP) API - Complete Variable Reference

County Business Patterns (CBP) API - Complete Variable Reference

API Overview

Endpoint: https://api.census.gov/data/{year}/cbp

Description: Provides annual data on business establishments, employment, and payroll by industry and geography. Covers all NAICS industries and all geographic areas down to the county level.

Update Frequency: Annual

Use Cases for Business Initiative:

  • Market size analysis (how many businesses in an industry/area)
  • Competitor research (business counts by location)
  • Industry benchmarking (employment and payroll by industry)
  • Geographic market analysis (business density by county/state)
  • Employment size distribution (small vs. large businesses)

Core Variables

Establishment Variables

ESTAB

  • Description: Number of establishments (business locations)
  • Data Type: Integer
  • Use Case: Count of businesses in an industry/geography
  • Example: 125,456 (establishments in professional services, California, 2022)

Employment Variables

EMP

  • Description: Number of employees (mid-March employment)
  • Data Type: Integer
  • Use Case: Total employment in industry/geography
  • Example: 2,345,678 (employees in professional services, California, 2022)

EMP_N

  • Description: Number of employees (noise flag)
  • Data Type: String
  • Values:
    • Empty: No noise
    • N: Noise (data may be unreliable)
  • Use Case: Data quality indicator

Payroll Variables

PAYANN

  • Description: Annual payroll (in thousands of dollars)
  • Data Type: Integer (in thousands)
  • Use Case: Total annual payroll, wage analysis
  • Example: 125000 = $125,000,000 (annual payroll in thousands)

PAYANN_N

  • Description: Annual payroll (noise flag)
  • Data Type: String
  • Values:
    • Empty: No noise
    • N: Noise (data may be unreliable)

Employment Size Classes

EMPSZ

  • Description: Employment size class code
  • Data Type: Categorical code
  • Values:
    • 001 - 1-4 employees
    • 002 - 5-9 employees
    • 003 - 10-19 employees
    • 004 - 20-49 employees
    • 005 - 50-99 employees
    • 006 - 100-249 employees
    • 007 - 250-499 employees
    • 008 - 500-999 employees
    • 009 - 1000+ employees
  • Use Case: Analyze businesses by size category

Industry Variables

NAICS Codes

NAICS2017

  • Description: 2017 North American Industry Classification System code
  • Data Type: String (2-6 digits)
  • Format:
    • 2-digit: Sector (e.g., 54 - Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services)
    • 3-digit: Subsector
    • 4-digit: Industry group
    • 5-digit: Industry
    • 6-digit: National industry
  • Use Case: Industry-specific analysis

NAICS2017_LABEL

  • Description: Descriptive label for NAICS code
  • Data Type: String
  • Use Case: Human-readable industry name

Note: CBP may also use NAICS2012 for older years. Check the year-specific API documentation.

Geography Options

National Level

  • us:* - United States total

State Level

  • state:* - All states
  • state:06 - California (2-digit FIPS code)
  • Multiple: state:06,36,48

County Level

  • county:* - All counties (within state)
  • state:06&county:* - All counties in California
  • state:06&county:037 - Los Angeles County, CA
  • Note: County codes are 3-digit FIPS codes within state context

Metropolitan Areas

  • metropolitan statistical area/micropolitan statistical area:* - All MSAs
  • metropolitan statistical area/micropolitan statistical area:31080 - Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim MSA

Place Level

  • place:* - All places (cities, towns)
  • state:06&place:* - All places in California

ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP)

  • Separate Dataset: ZIP Code Business Patterns uses similar variables
  • Endpoint: https://api.census.gov/data/{year}/zbp
  • Use Case: Business data by ZIP code

Year Parameters

  • Required: Yes
  • Format: 4-digit year
  • Range: 1998 to present
  • Note: NAICS version may vary by year (NAICS2012, NAICS2017, NAICS2022)

Data Suppression and Flags

Suppression Codes

  • S: Suppressed (too few establishments to report)
  • N: Noise (data may be unreliable)
  • D: Data withheld for disclosure avoidance

Important: When suppression codes are present, numeric values may be 0 or null.

Noise Flags

  • EMP_N: Employment noise flag
  • PAYANN_N: Payroll noise flag

Example API Calls

Example 1: Business Counts by State (2022)

GET https://api.census.gov/data/2022/cbp
Parameters:
  get: ESTAB,EMP,PAYANN
  for: state:*
  key: YOUR_API_KEY

Example 2: Professional Services in California (2022)

GET https://api.census.gov/data/2022/cbp
Parameters:
  get: ESTAB,EMP,PAYANN,NAICS2017,NAICS2017_LABEL
  for: state:06
  NAICS2017: 54
  key: YOUR_API_KEY

Example 3: Small Businesses (1-4 employees) by County (2022)

GET https://api.census.gov/data/2022/cbp
Parameters:
  get: ESTAB,EMP,PAYANN
  for: county:*
  in: state:06
  EMPSZ: 001
  key: YOUR_API_KEY

Example 4: All Industries in Los Angeles County (2022)

GET https://api.census.gov/data/2022/cbp
Parameters:
  get: ESTAB,EMP,PAYANN,NAICS2017
  for: county:037
  in: state:06
  key: YOUR_API_KEY

Example 5: Multiple Industries Across States (2022)

GET https://api.census.gov/data/2022/cbp
Parameters:
  get: ESTAB,EMP,PAYANN,NAICS2017
  for: state:06,36,48
  NAICS2017: 54,62,72
  key: YOUR_API_KEY
  • NAICS 54: Professional Services
  • NAICS 62: Health Care
  • NAICS 72: Accommodation and Food Services

Common Variable Combinations for Business Initiative

Market Size Analysis

Variables: ESTAB, EMP, PAYANN
Geography: state:* or county:*
Filter: NAICS2017 (specific industry)
Use: How many businesses in my industry/area?

Competitor Research

Variables: ESTAB, EMP
Geography: county:* or metropolitan statistical area/micropolitan statistical area:*
Filter: NAICS2017, EMPSZ
Use: Business density, competitor count

Industry Benchmarking

Variables: ESTAB, EMP, PAYANN
Geography: us:* or state:*
Filter: NAICS2017 (compare industries)
Use: Industry size comparison, market share

Small Business Analysis

Variables: ESTAB, EMP, PAYANN
Geography: state:* or county:*
Filter: EMPSZ (001-003 for small businesses)
Use: Small business market analysis

Geographic Market Analysis

Variables: ESTAB, EMP, PAYANN
Geography: county:* (within state)
Filter: NAICS2017
Use: Business distribution across regions

Data Limitations & Notes

  1. Coverage: Covers establishments with paid employees (excludes nonemployer businesses)
  2. Time Lag: Data typically available 1-2 years after reference year
  3. Suppression: Small cell counts are suppressed for confidentiality
  4. Employment: Mid-March employment (snapshot, not annual average)
  5. Payroll: Annual payroll in thousands of dollars
  6. NAICS Versions: Check which NAICS version applies to your year
  7. Geographic Detail: County-level data may have more suppression than state-level

ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP)

  • Endpoint: https://api.census.gov/data/{year}/zbp
  • Similar Variables: ESTAB, EMP, PAYANN
  • Use Case: Business data by ZIP code (more granular than county)

Nonemployer Statistics (NES)

  • Note: NES data not available via API (download only)
  • Use Case: Businesses without paid employees (sole proprietorships)

MCP Tool Usage

Tool Name: fetch_census_cbp_data

Example Call:

{
  "year": 2022,
  "variables": ["ESTAB", "EMP", "PAYANN"],
  "geography": "state:06",
  "filters": {
    "NAICS2017": "54"
  }
}

References

  • Official Documentation: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/cbp-nonemp.html
  • CBP Data: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp.html
  • API User Guide: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/guidance/api-user-guide.html
  • Variable Definitions: https://api.census.gov/data/2022/cbp/variables.html