BDS Business Dynamics Statistics from the Census Bureau

There is a 'new' data series available for researchers interested in job creation and job loss in the U.S. -- the "BDS Business Dynamics Statistics" from the Census Bureau.

"BDS are created from the Longitudinal Business Database (LBD), a confidential database available to researchers throughout the network of Census Research Data Centers.... A unique feature of the BDS is its longitudinal source data that permit tracking establishments and firms over time. The public use BDS tabulations are an effort to make information from the confidential LBD accessible to a broad range of data users. "

The BDS series provides annual data for 1976-2005, down to the state level, for the number of establishments, job creation and job loss by establishment age and size, and other statistics on business dynamics. Data can be downloaded in SAS, Excel, CSV formats.

Statistical briefings on the data will also be produced. The first briefing, entitled "Jobs Created from Business Startups in the United States, is available here.