After decades of absence, co-operatives will be featured in the USA’s Economic Census again. The Office of Management and Budget approved the 2017 Economic census package, which includes a question identifying co-operative businesses. The National Co-operative Business Association (NCBA CLUSA) has been welcomed the move, which it has been campaigning for.
“This is a breakthrough moment for co-operatives nationwide,” said Judy Ziewacz, president and CEO of NCBA CLUSA. “The data gathered by the 2017 Economic Survey will fill a critical gap within the co-operative sector, allowing us to tell the story of co-operative economic impact in a more compelling way.”
Back in 2007 a research conducted by a group of researchers led by Brent Hueth, director ofAgriculture and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, looked at the state of the sector. At the time there were 29,000 co-operatives in the USA with USD $3tn in assets, more than USD $500bn in revenue and accounted for 2m jobs.
The NCBA estimates the number is likely to have gone up to 40,000 co-operatives. The census will be conducted electronically for the first time this year.
Photo: map of electric co-ops in the USA (c) NRECA
