LibGuides: Business Plans: Industry Info

Industry Codes

Use NAICS (North American Industrial Classification System, pronounced "nakes") industry codes to find market size, develop lists of competitors, suppliers or customers, find industry ratios, and more. Many commercial publications use NAICS; some still use the older SIC (Standard Industrical Code) codes. When researching industry data, NAICS are extremely helpful.

See the US Census Business & Industry site for reports that measure industries using the NAICS.

Browse or search the NAICS site for your industry NAICS. Scan the definition of the code to understand what is included or excluded.
Use County Business Patterns, Tables by Economic Census sector, and NetAdvantage industry surveys to locate industry data.

Industry Overviews

Information may be found in news, business or trade publications, company or industry profiles, annual reports, SEC filings, investment or analyst reports, consulting firms information and from industry experts.

Census Data
Locate the number of businesses that match the NAICS Code within the zip codes you are working within.
Industries at a Glance
Each profile contains a variety of facts about the industry supersector, and includes links to additional statistics.

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Journal/trade journal articles on industries.
Provides full-text from over 2,000 journals and magazines. Also provides case studies.
NetAdvantage This link opens in a new window
Industry Surveys. Typically 30 page overviews of the industry. Click on the Industry tab to access surveys.
Wall Street Journal | Current This link opens in a new window
Newspaper articles on industries. Full-text.

Business Plans

NAICS, SIC

Industry Data

Industry Codes

Industry Overviews