Retail store data

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks to purchase individual store-level data on food retailers' characteristics and location, including (but not limited to) store name, address, telephone number, location (longitude-latitude, state, county, and census tract), market area identifiers, annual sales, selling area, full-time equivalent employees, and number of checkout registers.

Accurate, comprehensive retail foodstore data are needed to support current, ongoing, and planned research activities conducted by the USDA. In recent years, concerns about the availability of healthful, affordable foods by households in low-income neighborhoods has resulted in the need for detailed information on the kinds and locations of retail foodstores in relation to such vulnerable populations. More broadly, detailed store-level data and information are needed to assess the economic performance of the food retailing industry and its ability to serve the changing needs of consumers. USDA is interested in studying how firm characteristics, and entry and exit, interact with households' shopping preferences.

The USDA will use the data for projects that support economic and policy research. The research projects are often undertaken in collaboration with external experts, including but not limited to economists, researchers, and survey and data methodologists at non-governmental organizations. The data may be used in combination with (linked to) other data to conduct the research projects. The resulting aggregated findings (not the raw data) will be disseminated through multiple media, including but not limited to professional economic journals, USDA publications, the USDA web site, and presentations at meetings of professional economics associations. Before public release, all publications and reports will be reviewed by USDA to meet data disclosure requirements and to strictly maintain privacy and confidentiality requirements of data purveyors. The USDA will retain the right to use the data and information indefinitely to undertake its projects as specified above.
Anticipated award date 9/27/19

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