I have been involved in several ongoing efforts to measure and create national datasets on entrepreneurship, startups, business ownership and self-employment. The most ambitious project is with the U.S. Census Bureau to capture information on the universe of U.S. startups including both employer and non-employer startups since 1996. I have also worked with the Kauffman Foundation to create indictors of entrepreneurial activity since 2005. Links to information and data are provided here.
Comprehensive Startup Panel (CSP): captures the universe of business startups in the United States including both non-employers and employer startups. All startups since 1996 are included and are followed for seven follow-up years. There are roughly 4.1 million business startup entities per year. The dataset is now available for use at FSRDCs.
Description, WP: Job Creation and Survival among the Universe of U.S. Startups
Kauffman Indicators of Early-Stage Entrepreneurship: measures of the most timely information on new business creation and opportunity entrepreneurship in the United States, all states, and for major demographic groups.
Business Ownership using Household Survey Data: tracking self-employed business owners and new business owners (entrepreneurs) in the U.S. economy.
Recovery from COVID-19 (MIT Press 2026)
First Estimates of COVID-19 Impacts (JEMS 2020)
Trends during Great Recession (JEMS 2013)
Measuring Opportunity and Necessity Entrepreneurship: measure that distinguishes between opportunity and necessity entrepreneurship using previous unemployment status
Method Description (NBER Working Paper)
Trends in Opportunity Share of New Entrepreneurs (National and State)