The National Business Survey
The Nation's Premier Business Survey
Accommodating the needs of the business community is crucial to establishing or preserving a thriving local economy.
The National Business Survey (The NBS) helps you understand the local business climate for more effective budgeting, policy-making and planning for the future.
Managers and Economic Development Directors Use The NBS to:
Improve government and business relations
Develop programs for the labor market
Attract new businesses
Enact business-friendly policies
Retain existing businesses
Create strategic economic development plans

Tried and Trusted
The National Business Survey™ (The NBS™) is the fastest and easiest way for you to stay on top of the demands of your local business owners. The NBS provides the reconnaissance local governments need to make informed choices and strengthen business development, retention and the community’s economy.
The NBS assesses the perspectives of local business owners and managers to reveal the economic health of a community or district. This online tool, developed by survey research experts, tracks business expectations for the coming year, identifies characteristics of the business environment needed to enhance local economic vitality, monitors the kind of services and policy support that would allow local businesses to succeed, describes local companies and shows business owners’ perceptions of the quality of current services and community life.
The NBS Services
Best of Both Worlds
Mailed recruitment with online data collection
Detailed Comparisons
Comparisons to The National Community Survey (if available)
Advanced Reporting
Detailed report and dashboard of results on Polco
Benchmark Comparisons
Benchmark comparisons with hundreds of communities nationwide