Knowledgebase

How does NCCS develop its nonprofit employment and wage estimates? Why does it differ from other estimates?

See attached file containing the text of the Chapter 2 Technical Notes from the Nonprofit Almanac 2008.

Why do NCCS estimates differ from others?

The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data used by Johns Hopkins University for its employment estimates is based on state unemployment-insurance filings. There are five states missing from the data reported: Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Wyoming. In addition, religious organizations and religious-affiliated organizations (mostly schools) are not required to participate in unemployment insurance, so many are missing from the data.

When creating our estimates of nonprofit employment, we incorporate data from the QCEW, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), U.S. Economic Census, and IRS Form 990s to ensure that all industries are included. The BEA's wage and employment estimates are larger than QCEW figures because BEA includes wages for workers not covered by unemployment insurance as well as estimates wages earned but not reported to the government.