Demographic Information Sources - ENTR 300: Entrepreneurship - Starting Your Own Business - Whittemore Library at Framingham State University

Various Sources for Information About Potential Customers

Bureau of Labor Stastics Demographic
Shows "...characteristics of labor force, spending and time use, and geographic profiles of employment and unemployment. Try searching using the terms "consumer spending".
Consumer Credit Data
Includes monthly data on car and personal loans and credit card plans. Also includes information and data about banking and related fields. From the Federal Reserve.
Current Population Survey
Sponsored jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics It is the primary source of labor force statistics for the United States.
Pew Research
"...(P)rovides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world."
Categories of reports (which include charts and graphics) are:
- U.S. Politics
- Media & News
- Social Trends
- Religion
- Internet & Tech
- Science
- Hispanics
- Global
ThomasNet
Source for information on industrial suppliers, their products and services.
United Nations Demographic Yearbook
"The Demographic Yearbook includes information on population size and composition, births, deaths, marriage and divorce... datasets cover a wide range of additional topics including economic activity, educational attainment, household characteristics, housing characteristics, ethnicity, language, foreign-born and foreign population."

U.S. Census - American Factfinder

Online Data Tools for Market Research

These are websites that are trying to sell/rent property, so they are biased, and less likely to report bad news about the housing market, but some of their data can be interesting sources for information.

Zillow Research
Access to housing data by area (values, sales, rentals, forecast). A Visuals section graphical displays of information including, policy/politics, and a variety of topics, such as "Unexpected Repairs and Maintenance Top the List of Regrets for Homeowners".
Redfin Data Center
Includes information about housing price, inventory, and sales. Also included is information about migration, which currently shows "a trend of people leaving large, expensive cities for more affordable, mid-tier cities."

Sources to access Census.gov

Keep in mind that the Census is taken every 10 years.

American Community Survey
Includes information about "...jobs and occupations, educational attainment, veterans, whether people own or rent their homes, etc." Compiled yearly. Includes "...Tables for each subject in American FactFinder".
"(T)he survey generates data that help determine how more than $675 billion in federal and state funds are distributed each year."
Quick Facts
Includes population, education, income, internet use, and more.
Census Bureau Economic Programs
Guide to using Census data for
- Opening a New Small Business
- Expanding Existing Businesses
- Re-evaluating an Existing Larger Business
Promoting Economic Development