FAQs - BrightQuery

How does BrightQuery collect its data?

BrightQuery only uses official government sources, including: IRS (payroll and tax filings), Department of Labor (employment and benefits data), SEC (public company filings), U.S. Postal Service (address verification), SBA (loan data), State of Delaware (stock filings), and Secretaries of State (legal registrations across all states). All data is updated monthly, typically with a 2–3 week lag from the close of each month.

Does BrightQuery do any data cleanup?

Data is ingested and harmonized into a company level dataset monthly. BrightQuery does a few things to ensure usable data:

• Point in time data extracted and normalized
• Accounting logic applied to data; Cash and Accrual basis
• Reconciliation of tax and IFRS reporting standards
• Automated checks and a review process for release

What is BrightQuery?

BrightQuery is a business intelligence platform that provides a comprehensive view of U.S. businesses—both public and private—by sourcing data exclusively from government filings. It enables robust company-level and aggregate economic analysis without requiring direct outreach to the businesses themselves.

What makes BrightQuery different from other data providers?

BrightQuery stands out in several ways: Government-Only Filings: No surveys or self-reported information. Complete Coverage: Tracks the entire population of legal U.S. businesses. Longitudinal Dataset: Historical data back to 2010, supporting time-series analysis. Higher Accuracy: Government compliance requirements ensure data accuracy. Greater Scope: Covers twice as many legal entities as traditional private company datasets.

What kinds of insights does BrightQuery provide?

BrightQuery offers multiple layers of business and economic intelligence: Legal and Organizational Insights: Entity legal status and registration details; corporate structure and entity relationships (e.g., "family trees"); ultimate parent organization mapping. Operational and Financial Metrics: Employment, payroll, and geographic footprint; imputed financial statements for private companies; business model indicators (e.g., sole proprietorships, multi-location businesses). Benefits & Retirement Plan Data: Plan participation counts and funding trends; employer vs. employee contributions over time; per-employee benefit analysis. Firmographics: Industry classification (e.g., NAICS codes); identifiers like EINs, stock tickers, and legal names; geographic tags for regional economic breakdowns.

Can BrightQuery be used for industry or geographic analysis?

Yes. Because BrightQuery builds a consistent, time-series dataset at the company level, it enables: Industry-level rollups, Geographic segmentations, and Macro and microeconomic insights down to state or metro levels. These capabilities support benchmarking, market sizing, and trend analysis across a wide range of sectors and geographies.

How frequently is BrightQuery updated?

BrightQuery refreshes its full dataset monthly, reconstructing the complete history from 2010 through the latest reporting period. While most data is monthly, some components (e.g. benefit plans and financials) are updated annually, with retroactive updates incorporated if filings are amended.