Congressional Districts/Counties - World Export Data
CDxports reflect the exports from the counties that comprise a congressional district based on county and state data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This year’s edition of the CDxports follows previous issues’ methodology used to estimate these data, but is based now on the Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns survey, which provides more extensive reporting of county-based data by sector. This survey enables us to avoid artificial declines in exports at the sector level that would stem from data suppression to preserve confidentiality. Data suppression had become a particularly difficult issue for the five-year Economic Census, upon which previous estimates had been based. We do not apportion that share of the county that is in a given congressional district; therefore the sum of a state’s congressional district estimates may exceed the state totals. Figures expressed in dollars.
Sector Breakdown - World Export Data
The spreadsheets report exports using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The sum of the sub-sectors may not add to the total because the U.S. Census Bureau suppresses some data for detailed sectors on the county level to protect individual businesses’ confidentiality. If Census does not report data for a specific sector in a county, it provides a range in which the data falls. In these cases, the lowest value in the given range is used for county estimates. While information may be understated for a specific sector (e.g., steel manufacturing) in that county, it would be reflected in the broader totals (e.g., total manufacturing).
Overcounting/Undercounting
Because the exports reported are for counties and counties shared by more than one congressional district are not apportioned, the exports reported may overstate actual exports from the congressional district.
Similarly, the reported exports may understate each district's total exports to any country or region because county- or sector-specific information for some products (e.g. waste and scrap) is not available.
Congressional Districts/Counties - Jobs Supported
CDxjobs reflect the jobs directly related to estimated exports from the counties that comprise a congressional district based on county data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and industry data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This year’s edition of the CDxjobs follows previous issues’ methodology used to estimate these data, but is based now on the Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns survey, which provides more extensive reporting of county-based data by sector. This survey enables us to avoid artificial declines in jobs related to exports that would stem from data suppression to preserve confidentiality. Data suppression had become a particularly difficult issue for the five-year Economic Census, upon which previous estimates had been based. We do not apportion that share of the county that is in a given congressional district; therefore the sum of a state’s congressional district estimates may exceed the state totals. Figures expressed in number of jobs.
Sector Breakdown - Jobs Supported
The spreadsheets report jobs related to exports using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The sum of the sub-sectors may not add to the total because the U.S. Census Bureau suppresses some data for detailed sectors on the county level to protect individual businesses’ confidentiality. Specifically, to meet confidentiality standards, at least three firms in the same sector must report production data for Census to issue a total for that sector. That said, if less than three firms exist in a given county for a specific sector, while their information may not be released for that specific sector (e.g., steel manufacturing) in that county, it would be included in the broader totals (e.g., total manufacturing).
Source of the Data
The information depicted in the graphs on this website is from “CDxports” and “CDxjobs” from The Trade Partnership. It is based on data made available by the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The “export companies” and “export detail” information was compiled by PIERS from customs forms filed by exporters, acquired through Freedom of Information Act requests.