In this document, an EMSI economist and data specialist evaluate the RaDiUS database of federal R&D grants as a potential source of regional economic indicators.

RaDiUS (Research and Development in the U.S.) is a database developed by a subsidiary of the Rand Corporation. It’s primary focus is the tracking of federal grants given to research and development. The grants are primarily awarded by the USDA, DoC, DoD, DoE, HHS, DoI, DoT, EPA, NASA, and NSF. RaDiUS’s main uses are “(1) exploring the overall scope of federal R&D activities across all agencies and (2) comparing R&D activities in specific areas of science and technology among the various federal agencies.”

Download the full document (PDF): An Evaluation of the RaDiUS R&D Database as a Resource for Regional Development

Nonemployer Statistics (Census): A major source of data on non-covered workers, particularly proprietors.

The 2002 Economic Census is a key supplemental source for industry data, although it is somewhat outdated. The 2007 Economic Census begins data collection in December 2007.

County Business Patterns (Census) provides the number of establishments and employee ranges by industry.

Local Employment Dynamics (Census): An attempt by the Census Bureau, in partnership with state labor market agencies, to make better workforce information available at the local level. Provides better integrated data than most other public sources.

Bureau of Economic Analysis: A central source for regional, state, national, and international economic information, including local area income, RIMS II, gross domestic product for states and MSAs by industry, and more.

QCEW Data Tool: QCEW is the comprehensive census of payroll employment in the U.S., produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This single-screen tool allows users to access the dataset for multiple industries and geographies, although aggregation of the employment numbers remains rather awkward.

The Census Bureau has launched a new site to create public awareness for the upcoming 2007 Economic Census. The site houses industry snapshots for featured industries, encouragements for businesses to fill out the census forms when they get them, and other things.

The “other thing” that sparked our interest was in the “Industry Ratios” reports, which link over to the NAICS definitions for the all of the industry codes—a nice resource and available here. At the two-digit NAICS super-sector level, the description is pretty lengthy and give some insight into the thought behind the classifications, as we see here for Manufacturing:

The boundaries of manufacturing and the other sectors of the classification system can be somewhat blurry. The establishments in the manufacturing sector are engaged in the transformation of materials into new products. Their output is a new product. However, the definition of what constitutes a new product can be somewhat subjective. As clarification, the following activities are considered manufacturing in NAICS: Milk bottling and pasteurizing . . .

The site allows you to drill down for higher digit detail and gives progressively shorter industry descriptions down to the six-digit level. It’s a great resource for research into some of the methodology behind the codes and finding your way through some of the trickier industry distinctions.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences has awarded a total of $62.2 million in grants to 13 state education departments for the design and implementation of statewide longitudinal data systems.

These systems are intended to enhance the ability of States to efficiently and accurately manage, analyze, and use education data, including individual student records. The data systems developed with funds from these grants should help States, districts, schools, and teachers make data-driven decisions to improve student learning, as well as facilitate research to increase student achievement and close achievement gaps.