Commerce, Department of, is an executive department of the United States government that promotes the nation’s economic development, international trade, and technological advancement. It also collects census data. The department helps the president form national economic policy and provides economic information and advice to other federal agencies and to businesses.
The secretary of commerce, a member of the president’s Cabinet, heads the department. The president appoints the secretary with U.S. Senate approval.
Functions.
The department provides a wide range of services. For example, the Census Bureau, a department agency, assembles data on such subjects as the nation’s population, businesses, and international trade. The department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes statistics on the American economy. 
To improve the economy, the department runs programs to create jobs and increase incomes in poorer areas of the country. It also helps minority group members establish new businesses and expand existing ones.
One of the department’s most important responsibilities is promoting growth in trade with other countries. To encourage this growth, the department works to increase U.S. competitiveness in the world economy and to prevent unfair trade practices by other nations. The department also advises U.S. businesses that wish to export their goods or services.
To strengthen U.S. industries, the department encourages scientific and technological research and the adoption of new industrial technologies. It also develops measurement standards and techniques for industry and science and for government agencies. In addition, it issues patents and registers trademarks and promotes the development and widespread availability of advanced telecommunications technologies.
To assist the nation’s transportation industries, the department publishes special maps to aid in the navigation of airplanes and of ships at sea. It also measures the nation’s land areas and coastlines and researches and manages U.S. ocean resources. The department’s National Weather Service watches for hurricanes, tornadoes, and other dangerous weather conditions and provides weather forecasts.
The department’s website at http://www.commerce.gov presents information on its activities.
History.
Congress set up the Department of Commerce and Labor in 1903. The department handled matters concerning the censuses, corporations, fisheries, immigration, labor, navigation, measurement standards, and statistics. In 1913, Congress set up a separate Department of Labor and a new Department of Commerce.
Since 1913, many bureaus and agencies have been transferred to or from the Commerce Department. In 1925, for example, Congress switched the Patent Office (now the Patent and Trademark Office) from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Commerce.
See also Census Bureau, United States ; Free trade zone ; National Institute of Standards and Technology ; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ; Weather Service, National .
