The MEPS-IC list sample of private sector
establishments is drawn annually from the most recently updated version
of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Register. Sample sizes are provided
in the table below by reference year and establishment type.
An establishment is a particular workplace or
location. A firm is a business entity consisting of one or more business
establishments under common ownership or control. The sample is drawn
at the establishment level, not at the firm level; more than one
establishment can be sampled from the same firm. Sample sizes for
private sector establishments are broken out by single and multiunit
establishments. Single establishments are those where the firm has only
one location; multiunit establishments are those where the firm has more
than one location.
The State and Local Government sample is drawn annually
from the most recently available Census of Governments. This sample is
drawn at the governmental unit level, which is defined as all sites under a
single controlling governmental entity.