Census 2020

Weekly Pulse Newsletter

September 28, 2020

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.

A woman wearing a face mask as protection against COVID-19 walks back to her car with a bag of groceries.

Household Pulse Survey Updates

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Based on responses collected September 2 through September 14, the Household Pulse Survey estimates that:

25.2% of American adults expect someone in their household to experience a loss in employment income in the next 4 weeks
36.4% of adults live in households where at least one adult substituted some or all in-person work for telework because of the #coronavirus pandemic
10.5% of American adults lived in households where there was either sometimes or often not enough to eat in the previous 7 days
7.3% of adults are either not current on their rent or mortgage payment, or have slight or no confidence in making their next payment on time
Of adults living in households not current on rent or mortgage, 33.5% report eviction or foreclosure in the next two months is either somewhat or very likely
32.7% of adults live in households where it has been somewhat or very difficult to pay usual household expenses during the #coronavirus pandemic
80.9% of adults in households with post-secondary educational plans had those plans cancelled or changed significantly this fall

Small Business Pulse Survey Updates

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Based on responses collected September 13 through September 19, the Small Business Pulse Survey estimates that:

43.0% of U.S. small businesses have experienced a moderate negative effect from the COVID-19 pandemic
45.6% of U.S. small businesses believe more than 6 months of time will pass before their business returns to its normal level of operations
54.7% of U.S. small businesses did not #furlough or lay off any paid employees after March 13, 2020
59.9% of U.S. small businesses experienced no change in operating revenues in the last week
68.0% of U.S. small businesses experienced no disruptions in their supply chain in the last week
64.4% of U.S. educational services businesses have experienced an increase in the use of online platforms to offer goods or services since March 13, 2020
49.2% of U.S. retail trade businesses have experienced domestic supplier delays in the last week
38.8% of small businesses in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metro Stat Area have experienced domestic supplier delays in the last week

A graph showing the change in operating revenues/sales/receipts businesses had in the past week, not including any financial assistance or loans

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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 1.4 is now available!

More Resources and Recent Releases:

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Business Formation Statistics Updates

The Census Bureau recently released the updated weekly Business Formation Statistics (BFS) series with business application data at the national, regional, and state levels through the week ending September 19.