In the Economic Census, a company (or "enterprise") is comprised of all the establishments that operate under the ownership or control of a single organization. A company may be a business, service, or membership organization; consist of one or several establishments; and operate at one or several locations. It includes all subsidiary organizations, all establishments that are majority-owned by the company or any subsidiary, and all the establishments that can be directed or managed by the company or any subsidiary.
A company may have one or many establishments. Examples include product and service sales offices (retail and wholesale), industrial production plants, processing or assembly operations, mines or well sites, and support operations (such as an administrative office, warehouse, customer service center, or regional headquarters). Each establishment should receive, complete, and return a separate census form.
If the company operated at different physical locations, even if the individual locations were producing the same line of goods, a separate report was requested for each location. If the company operated in two or more distinct lines of manufacturing at the same location, a separate report was requested for each activity.