# Census Business Formation Statistics (BFS) Scraper (`compute-edge/census-business-formation-scraper`) Actor Extract U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics — new business application counts by state and NAICS sector, including high-propensity applications. Free Census API key required. Ideal for market research and economic signal tracking. - **URL**: https://apify.com/compute-edge/census-business-formation-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Compute Edge](https://apify.com/compute-edge) (community) - **Categories:** Lead generation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $3.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Census Business Formation Statistics (BFS) Scraper Extract U.S. Census Bureau **Business Formation Statistics** (BFS) via the official Census API — no web scraping required. Get **weekly and monthly new business application counts** by state, NAICS industry sector, and application type, including high-propensity applications that signal real economic activity. **Data fields extracted:** | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | `time` | Month period (YYYY-MM, e.g. `2024-06`) | | `stateFips` | Two-digit state FIPS code (e.g. `06` for California) | | `geography` | Human-readable geography label (`United States` or `State FIPS XX`) | | `categoryCode` | NAICS sector or `TOTAL` for all industries | | `dataTypeCode` | Application type code (`BA_BA`, `BA_WBA`, `BA_HBA`, `BA_CBA`) | | `dataTypeLabel` | Human-readable label for the data type | | `cellValue` | Business application count (integer) | | `seasonallyAdj` | Whether the value is seasonally adjusted (`yes` / `no`) | | `timeSlotId` | Time slot identifier (`M` for monthly) | | `timeSlotDate` | Full date of the time slot | | `timeSlotName` | Name/label for the time slot | | `errorData` | Margin-of-error data (if available) | **Application type codes:** - **BA_BA** — Total Business Applications (all types) - **BA_WBA** — Applications with Planned Wages (likely hire employees) - **BA_HBA** — High-Propensity Applications (most likely to become active employer businesses) - **BA_CBA** — Corporate Business Applications A **free Census API key** is required. Registration takes under a minute at [api.census.gov/data/key_signup.html](https://api.census.gov/data/key_signup.html). --- ### How to Scrape Census Business Formation Statistics Follow these steps to extract BFS data for economic analysis, market research, or B2B lead generation signals. #### Step 1 — Get a free Census API key Go to [https://api.census.gov/data/key_signup.html](https://api.census.gov/data/key_signup.html) and fill out the form. You'll receive a 40-character key by email within seconds. No credit card required. #### Step 2 — Configure the Actor Open the Actor's **Input** tab and enter: 1. **Census API Key** — paste your key. It is stored as a secret (never logged or exposed). 2. **Start Time** — earliest month to fetch (e.g. `2024-01`). Leave blank for last 12 months. 3. **End Time** — latest month to fetch (e.g. `2024-12`). Leave blank for current month. 4. **State FIPS Code** — two-digit FIPS to filter by state (e.g. `06` for California). Leave blank for national U.S. totals. 5. **Data Type Code** — choose one type or leave blank to fetch all four types. 6. **Category / NAICS Sector** — `TOTAL` for all industries, or a NAICS sector code (e.g. `62` for Healthcare, `54` for Professional Services). 7. **Seasonally Adjusted** — `no` for raw counts, `yes` for seasonally adjusted figures. 8. **Max Results** — cap the number of rows returned (default 500, 0 = unlimited). #### Step 3 — Run the Actor Click **Start**. The Actor queries the Census Bureau's EITS/BFS timeseries API for each month in your range and streams the results into the dataset in batches. #### Step 4 — Download your data Use the **Export** button to download as JSON, CSV, XLSX, or XML. Or consume results via the Apify API. --- ### Pricing This Actor uses **Pay Per Result** pricing: | Run type | Approx. cost | |----------|-------------| | 1 month × 1 data type × national | ~1 record → ~$0.003 | | 12 months × 4 data types × national | ~48 records → ~$0.14 | | 12 months × 4 data types × all 50 states | ~2,400 records → ~$7.20 | You also pay Apify platform compute (typically $0.005–$0.02 per run for this Actor's lightweight requests). --- ### Input Example ```json { "apiKey": "YOUR_CENSUS_API_KEY_HERE", "startTime": "2024-01", "endTime": "2024-12", "state": "06", "dataTypeCode": "BA_HBA", "categoryCode": "TOTAL", "seasonallyAdj": "no", "maxResults": 500 } ```` ### Output Example ```json [ { "time": "2024-06", "stateFips": "06", "geography": "State FIPS 06", "categoryCode": "TOTAL", "dataTypeCode": "BA_HBA", "dataTypeLabel": "High-Propensity Business Applications", "cellValue": 4821, "seasonallyAdj": "no", "timeSlotId": "M", "timeSlotDate": "2024-06-01", "timeSlotName": "June 2024", "errorData": "" } ] ``` *** ### NAICS Sector Codes | Code | Sector | |------|--------| | TOTAL | All Industries | | 11 | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing | | 21 | Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas | | 22 | Utilities | | 23 | Construction | | 31 | Manufacturing | | 42 | Wholesale Trade | | 44 | Retail Trade | | 48 | Transportation & Warehousing | | 51 | Information | | 52 | Finance & Insurance | | 53 | Real Estate | | 54 | Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | | 56 | Administrative & Support Services | | 61 | Educational Services | | 62 | Health Care & Social Assistance | | 71 | Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | | 72 | Accommodation & Food Services | | 81 | Other Services | *** ### Frequently Asked Questions **Do I need to pay for the Census API?** No. The Census API is completely free. You only pay for Apify compute and per-result pricing to use this Actor. **How recent is the data?** The Census Bureau publishes BFS data with approximately a 3–4 week lag. Monthly data is typically available by the end of the following month. **Why am I getting no results for a specific time period?** BFS monthly data coverage starts from around 2004. Very recent months may not yet be published. Try an earlier time range (e.g. `2023-01` to `2024-12`). **What's the difference between BA\_BA and BA\_HBA?** `BA_BA` counts all Employer Identification Number (EIN) applications. `BA_HBA` (High-Propensity) is a subset filtered by Census models to identify applications most likely to become active employer businesses — a stronger leading indicator of business formation. **Can I get weekly data?** Yes — BFS also publishes weekly data. The current Actor returns monthly data (`time_slot_id=M`). For weekly data, contact us via the support link below. **My API key isn't working — what should I check?** 1. Make sure you activated the key by clicking the link in the Census confirmation email. 2. Check for extra spaces before/after the key string. 3. Keys typically activate within a few minutes of email receipt. *** ### Other Actors You Might Like - **FRED Economic Data Scraper** — Federal Reserve economic timeseries data - **CISA KEV Scraper** — CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog - **Census Population Scraper** — U.S. Census population estimates by county *** ### Legal Disclaimer This Actor uses the U.S. Census Bureau's public API. Census BFS data is published by a U.S. government agency and is in the public domain. This Actor does not scrape or circumvent any website — it queries the official Census API endpoint. Usage of this Actor is subject to Apify's [Terms of Service](https://apify.com/terms-of-use). The Actor developer is not affiliated with the U.S. Census Bureau. For questions or support, visit [apify.com/seatsignal](https://apify.com/seatsignal). # Actor input Schema ## `apiKey` (type: `string`): Your free U.S. Census API key from https://api.census.gov/data/key\_signup.html. Required. Registration is free and instant. ## `startTime` (type: `string`): Earliest month to fetch in YYYY-MM format (e.g. 2024-01). Leave blank to use a sensible default (12 months ago). ## `endTime` (type: `string`): Latest month to fetch in YYYY-MM format (e.g. 2025-12). Leave blank to use the current month. ## `state` (type: `string`): Two-digit state FIPS code to filter by state (e.g. '06' for California, '36' for New York). Leave blank or set to '' for national (U.S.) totals only. ## `dataTypeCode` (type: `string`): Type of business application count to retrieve. BA\_BA = Total Business Applications, BA\_WBA = Applications with Planned Wages, BA\_HBA = High-Propensity Applications (likely to become employer businesses), BA\_CBA = Corporate Business Applications. Leave blank to fetch all four types. ## `categoryCode` (type: `string`): Industry category (NAICS sector) code to filter by. TOTAL = all industries. NAICS sector codes: 11 (Agriculture), 21 (Mining), 22 (Utilities), 23 (Construction), 31 (Manufacturing), 42 (Wholesale), 44 (Retail), 48 (Transportation), 51 (Information), 52 (Finance), 53 (Real Estate), 54 (Professional Services), 56 (Admin/Support), 61 (Education), 62 (Healthcare), 71 (Arts), 72 (Accommodation/Food), 81 (Other Services). Leave blank for TOTAL. ## `seasonallyAdj` (type: `string`): Whether to return seasonally adjusted figures ('yes') or unadjusted figures ('no'). ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of data rows to return. 0 = unlimited. ## Actor input object example ```json { "startTime": "", "endTime": "", "state": "", "dataTypeCode": "", "categoryCode": "TOTAL", "seasonallyAdj": "no", "maxResults": 500 } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("compute-edge/census-business-formation-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("compute-edge/census-business-formation-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{}' | apify call compute-edge/census-business-formation-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=compute-edge/census-business-formation-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Census Business Formation Statistics (BFS) Scraper", "description": "Extract U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics — new business application counts by state and NAICS sector, including high-propensity applications. Free Census API key required. Ideal for market research and economic signal tracking.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "w2iISEAfGcdekHML3" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/compute-edge~census-business-formation-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-compute-edge-census-business-formation-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/compute-edge~census-business-formation-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-compute-edge-census-business-formation-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/compute-edge~census-business-formation-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-compute-edge-census-business-formation-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "apiKey": { "title": "Census API Key", "type": "string", "description": "Your free U.S. Census API key from https://api.census.gov/data/key_signup.html. Required. Registration is free and instant." }, "startTime": { "title": "Start Time (YYYY-MM)", "type": "string", "description": "Earliest month to fetch in YYYY-MM format (e.g. 2024-01). Leave blank to use a sensible default (12 months ago).", "default": "" }, "endTime": { "title": "End Time (YYYY-MM)", "type": "string", "description": "Latest month to fetch in YYYY-MM format (e.g. 2025-12). Leave blank to use the current month.", "default": "" }, "state": { "title": "State FIPS Code", "type": "string", "description": "Two-digit state FIPS code to filter by state (e.g. '06' for California, '36' for New York). Leave blank or set to '' for national (U.S.) totals only.", "default": "" }, "dataTypeCode": { "title": "Data Type Code", "enum": [ "", "BA_BA", "BA_WBA", "BA_HBA", "BA_CBA" ], "type": "string", "description": "Type of business application count to retrieve. BA_BA = Total Business Applications, BA_WBA = Applications with Planned Wages, BA_HBA = High-Propensity Applications (likely to become employer businesses), BA_CBA = Corporate Business Applications. Leave blank to fetch all four types.", "default": "" }, "categoryCode": { "title": "Category / NAICS Sector", "type": "string", "description": "Industry category (NAICS sector) code to filter by. TOTAL = all industries. NAICS sector codes: 11 (Agriculture), 21 (Mining), 22 (Utilities), 23 (Construction), 31 (Manufacturing), 42 (Wholesale), 44 (Retail), 48 (Transportation), 51 (Information), 52 (Finance), 53 (Real Estate), 54 (Professional Services), 56 (Admin/Support), 61 (Education), 62 (Healthcare), 71 (Arts), 72 (Accommodation/Food), 81 (Other Services). Leave blank for TOTAL.", "default": "TOTAL" }, "seasonallyAdj": { "title": "Seasonally Adjusted", "enum": [ "no", "yes" ], "type": "string", "description": "Whether to return seasonally adjusted figures ('yes') or unadjusted figures ('no').", "default": "no" }, "maxResults": { "title": "Max Results", "minimum": 0, "maximum": 50000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of data rows to return. 0 = unlimited.", "default": 500 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```