Weekly Pulse Newsletter

The U.S. Census Bureau is in a unique position to produce data on the social and economic effects of COVID-19 on American households and small businesses. 

Small Business Pulse Survey Updates

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This section has been updated. An earlier version contained a bullet point from a prior edition of the Weekly Pulse Newsletter.

Based on responses collected June 21 – June 27, 2021, the Small Business Pulse Survey estimates that:

• 53.4% of U.S. small businesses report current operating capacity to be the same as prior to the Coronavirus pandemic. For responses collected 6/14 – 6/20, this statistic was 53.0%.

• 36.1% of U.S. small businesses expect to have business travel expenditures for air, rail, car rental or lodging in the next 6 months. For responses collected 6/14 – 6/20, this statistic was 35.9%.

• 57.5% of U.S. Accommodation and Food Services small businesses expect to identify and hire new employees in the next 6 months.

• 35.2% of U.S. retail trade small businesses experienced delays in shipping to customers in the last week. The national average for this statistic was 22.1%.

• The Overall Sentiment Index, which assesses the overall average effect of the pandemic on businesses, increased to -0.41, indicating a less negative sentiment.

Household Pulse Survey

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Based on responses collected June 9 – June 21, 2021, the Household Pulse Survey estimates that:

• Childcare Disruption: Of adults living in households with children, 9.6% were in homes where children were unable to attend daycare/another childcare arrangement because of the coronavirus pandemic in the last 4 weeks.
• Children’s Telehealth: Of adults living in households with children, 21.3% were in homes where children had an appointment with a doctor, nurse, or other health professional by video or phone in the last 4 weeks.
• Food Assistance from School: Of adults living in households with children enrolled in public/private school, 22.3% were in households where students received food assistance from school in the last 7 days.
• Household Telehealth: 23.8% of American adults had an appointment with a doctor, nurse, or other health professional by video or by phone in the last 4 weeks.
• Planned Trips: 36.2% of adults are planning to take overnight trips or trips to places more than 100 miles away in the next 4 weeks.       
• Expected Loss in Employment Income: 12.3% of American adults expect someone in their household to experience a loss in employment income in the next 4 weeks.
• Telework: 23.7% of adults live in households where at least one adult teleworked because of the coronavirus pandemic in the last 7 days.
• Food Scarcity: 9.7% of American adults lived in households where there was either sometimes or often not enough to eat in the previous 7 days.
• Housing Insecurity: 6.2% of adults are not current on their rent or mortgage payment and have slight or no confidence in making their next payment on time.
• Eviction or Foreclosure: Of adults living in households not current on rent or mortgage, 32.9% report eviction or foreclosure in the next two months is somewhat or very likely.
• Difficulty with Household Expenses: 28.3% of adults live in households where it has been somewhat or very difficult to pay usual household expenses in the last 7 days.

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COVID-19 Data Hub and More Resources

The Census Bureau has launched a new tool — the COVID-19 Data Hub — designed to help guide the nation as it begins recovery efforts from the sweeping COVID-19 pandemic by providing economic and demographic data. Version 2.3 is now available!

Read More

• More Resources and Recent Releases: 

  • Looking for local data on how to reach the most vulnerable populations in your area? Use our Community Resilience Estimates (CRE) and Dashboard!
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Resource Page
  • Taking the Pulse of American Households During COVID-19

  • Providing Perspective During COVID-19 Using Census Data

Business Formation Statistics Updates

The release of the May 2021 BFS data came out in June 2021. See the link below for data, graphs, and more.

Latest Updates

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About the Census Bureau

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