PRESS RELEASE
RED STATE DATA CENTER OF PUERTO RICO

Data collection begins for Puerto Rico's 2017 Economic Census

Statistics Institute urges companies to complete the Economic Census questionnaire on or before June 12

San Juan, PR, June 6, 2018 — The 2017 Economic Census of Puerto Rico, the main source of data on the structure and functioning of the country's economy, has already begun in Puerto Rico with the sending of questionnaires by post to companies, which will have until June 12 to fill it out.

This was reported by the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute), representative and coordinator of the activities of the U.S. Census Bureau in Puerto Rico, while urging business owners to complete the questionnaire online (https://portal.census.gov), as soon as possible, to ensure timely compliance, required by federal law.

Specifically, this time, the questionnaire sent by post includes instructions and a unique code that participants can use to complete it online. That way, respondents can complete it securely. Companies also have the option of filling out the printed questionnaire that was included in the mailing. If you have any questions or need assistance completing the questionnaire, companies can call 1-888-872-8390, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The mailing of Puerto Rico's 2017 Economic Census questionnaires began in early May. Title 13 of the United States Code requires each company to complete the questionnaire. The answers are confidential. By law, the U.S. Census Bureau you have a duty to keep information private and secure. Federal law protects the responses of all companies and ensures that data can only be used for statistical purposes.

“Puerto Rico's 2017 Economic Census is already taking place. Companies should have already started receiving the questionnaire by post. For the first time, a mechanism will be offered to complete the Economic Census by electronic means. The collaboration of all companies with this Census is extremely important, because it is expected that this will be the first Economic Census to be used for the purpose of preparing the gross product statistics of Puerto Rico's economy,” said Dr. Mario Marazzi-Santiago, executive director of the Institute.

The results of Puerto Rico's 2017 Economic Census will be available in December 2020 and will include aggregated information at the industrial and municipal levels on the number of establishments, revenues, sales, payroll, number of employees, goods and services produced, and other topics specific to each industry. For the previous results of the Economic Census, visit the following link: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/about/island-areas.html.

El U.S. Census Bureau measures the population of Puerto Rico once every 10 years. In addition, every 5 years, it conducts the Puerto Rico Economic Census. This Census is used by trade associations, economic development agencies, governments and individual companies for business decision-making and public policy formulation. In addition, as recommended by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to the Government of Puerto Rico, this should be used as a reference when estimating statistics on the gross product of the economy, which is expected to be achieved for the first time with the 2017 Economic Census.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access. The Institute has in its inventory, accessible through www.estadisticas.pr.gov, about 300 statistical products. In addition, it is a custodian and provides access to over 100 data sets or “data sets” through www.data.pr.gov and to over 40 tables and more than 6 thousand indicators through: www.indicadores.pr.

In addition, as the leading entity of the SDC in Puerto Rico, the Institute manages the SDC portal, which contains the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau on Puerto Rico, specifically those that are most in demand, such as annual population estimates; the Puerto Rico Community Survey (Puerto Rico Community Survey) and official statistics on Puerto Rico's 10-year population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed through: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/.

For more information you can visit our website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. In addition, you can follow us on social networks through Facebook (estadisticas.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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Press Contact: Sandra Morales Blanes/(787) 688-0401

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