Appendix A. Comparability With the 1993, 1997, 2002, and 2007 Commodity Flow Surveys

The following tables show a comparison of the key characteristics among the 1993, 1997, 2002, and 2007 Commodity Flow Surveys.

Industry Coverage

¹ Under NAICS, publishers were reclassified from Manufacturing (SIC 2711, 2721, 2731, 2741, and part of 2771) to Information (NAICS 5111 and 51223) and were excluded in the 2002 CFS. However, for the 2007 CFS, publishers were restored as an in-scope industry.

² Because of changes in the classification of establishments between SIC and NAICS, logging establishments (NAICS 1133), which were covered as part of Manufacturing in the 1993 and 1997 surveys, were not included in 2002 and 2007. Detailed information about NAICS classification can be found on the Census Bureau's NAICS Web site.

³ While included in all surveys, the procedures for identifying in-scope auxiliary establishments has changed over the years. For the 1997 CFS, a managing office was considered in-scope only if it had sales or end-of-year inventories in the 1992 Census. Research conducted prior to the 2002 CFS showed that not all managing offices with shipping activity in the 1997 CFS indicated sales or inventories in the 1997 Economic Census. Consequently the 1997 Economic Census results were not used to determine scope for managing offices in the 2002 CFS. For 2002, an auxiliary was included if it supported an inscope or retail company. For the 2007 CFS, an advance survey of approximately 40,000 auxiliary establishments was conducted in 2006 to identify auxiliary establishments with shipping activity. Those that indicated that shipping was performed (as well as non-respondents) were included in the CFS sample universe.

The 2007 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) covers business establishments with paid employees that are located in the United States and are classified using the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) in mining, manufacturing, wholesale, and selected retail and services trade industries, namely, electronic shopping and mail-order houses, fuel dealers, and publishers.  Additionally, the survey covers auxiliary establishments (i.e., warehouses and managing offices) of multiestablishments companies. For the 2007 CFS, an advance survey (pre-canvass) including approximately 40,000 auxiliary establishments was conducted to identify auxiliary establishments with shipping activity. Surveyed establishments that indicated undertaking shipping activities and the nonrespondents to the pre-canvass were included in the CFS sample universe.

Establishments classified in transportation, construction, and most retail and services industries are excluded from the survey. Farms, fisheries, foreign establishments, and most government-owned establishments are also excluded.

In-scope industries for the 2007 CFS were selected based on the 2002 version of the NAICS, while the industries included in the 2002 CFS were selected based on the 1997 version of the NAICS.  However, the industries in the 1993 CFS and the 1997 CFS were selected based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification System (SIC) and, although attempts were made to maintain similar coverage among the SIC based surveys (1993 and 1997) and the NAICS based surveys (2002 and 2007), there have been some changes in industry coverage due to the conversion from SIC to NAICS. Most notably, coverage of the logging industry changed from an in-scope Manufacturing (SIC 2411) to the out-of-scope sector of Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting under NAICS 1133. Also, publishers were reclassified from Manufacturing (SIC 2711, 2721, 2731, 2741, and part of 2771) to Information (NAICS 5111 and 51223) and were excluded in the 2002 CFS. The 2007 CFS, however, includes publishers and retail fuel dealers.

The NAICS industries covered in the 2007 CFS are listed in the following table:

¹ Excludes Pre-Press Services (NAICS 323122)

² Includes only captive warehouses that provide storage and shipping support to a single company. Warehouses offering their services to the general public and other businesses are excluded.

³ For tabulation and publication purposes, NAICS 51223 is grouped with NAICS 5111.

⁴ Includes only those establishments in NAICS 551114 with shipping activity.

Other industry areas that are not covered, but may have significant shipping activity, include agriculture and government. For agriculture, specifically, this means that the CFS does not cover shipments of agricultural products from the farm site to the processing centers or terminal elevators (most likely short-distance local movements), but does cover the shipments of these products from the initial processing centers or terminal elevators onward.

Commodity Classification System

Sample Size

Survey Methodology

Reported Mode of Transportation

Data Items Requested for Each Reported Shipment