Demographics

"Demographics are the average or typical characteristics of the people who buy your products or services. They include age, income, education, status or type of occupation, region of country and household size. Demographics can also include the age of children, home ownership, home value and urban or rural location.

Psychographics take this a step further: These include people's lifestyles and behaviors — where they like to vacation, the kinds of interests they have, the values they hold and how they behave.To find out this information you need to conduct market research — survey people who have bought your products or those who buy a similar one if you haven't yet launched yours.

You need to know both demographics and psychographics in order to advertise and sell effectively. You'll need to match the audience's characteristics of the media you use with the characteristics of your purchasers. That way you won't waste precious dollars when starting your business. "

-From AllBusiness Champions of Small Business (http://www.allbusiness.com/)

Demographics by State, City and/or Zip Codes

Community Sourcebook of Zip Code Demographics
Ask at Reference Desk
HB849.4 .S68
Provides detailed information about every Zip code and county in the U.S. Includes:

· 2000 updates and 2005 forecasts
· All residential and non-residential U.S. Zip Codes
· Business data including total firms and total employees
· Spending potential indices for 20 product and service categories
· Dominant ACORN lifestyle segmentation type for each ZIP Code

Lifestyle Market Analyst
REF HF 5415.33U6 .L54
Provides preliminary market analysis at the local, regional or national level. Includes extensive lifestyle information on the interests, hobbies, and activities popular in each geographic and demographic market. Divided into four major sections: Market Profiles; Lifestyle Profiles; Consumer Segment Profiles; and Consumer Magazines and Direct Marketing Lists.

Market Guide (Editor & Publisher)
REF HF 5905.E38
Includes MSAs, Market Rankings by County, MSA, and City, Population Demographics, Retail Sales, Housing Income, E&P Indices, etc.

American Fact Finder
Offers "fact sheets" for specific city/town, county or zip code.

Demographic Reports

Market Research.com
Browse Research by Category > Select Demographics
Includes a wide range of extensive market research reports.

MRI MediaMark
Hundreds of parameters on thousands of products, brands, and lifestyles. Offers San Francisco and Los Angeles regional reports.

California Data

California Statistical Abstract
Ask at Reference Desk - Government Ready Reference Area
CALIF F380 S8
A vast collection of statistical data including cash farm income, farm sizes, crops, livestock, cash income by commodity, retail trade, wholesale trade, etc.

California State Home Page

California Agricultural Statistics Service

Rand California

San Luis Obispo County, CA - Economic Outlook
UCSB - Economic Forecast Project
Ask at Reference Desk
REF HC 107 .C2
"Covers a wide range of data including Economic Review Forecast; Demographics; Business Sentiment; Economic Activity; Real Estate; and Community."

Demographics and Business Data by County

County and City DataBook (U.S. Department of Commerce)
Ask at Reference Desk - Government Documents Reference Shelves
C 3.134/2:C 82/2 (Docs)
A huge collection of data including:

Area and population
Vital statistics
Education, income, and poverty
Crime, Housing, and building permits
Labor force and private business establishments
Personal income and earnings
Farm population, farm earnings, and agriculture
Wholesale Trade and Retail Trade
Plus much more!

The Sourcebook of County Demographics
ESRI
REF HA 203 .S65
Data includes population, households, families, race, income, and spending potential.

County Business Patterns
County Business Patterns is an annual series that provides subnational economic data by industry. The series is useful for studying the economic activity of small areas; analyzing economic changes over time; and as a benchmark for statistical series, surveys, and databases between economic censuses. Businesses use the data for analyzing market potential, measuring the effectiveness of sales and advertising programs, setting sales quotas, and developing budgets. Government agencies use the data for administration and planning.

County Business Patterns covers most of the country's economic activity. The series excludes data on self-employed individuals, employees of private households, railroad employees, agricultural production employees, and most government employees. Beginning in 1998, data are tabulated by industry as defined in the North American Industry Classification System: United States, 1997 (NAICS). Data for 1997 and earlier years are based on the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System. For more information on the relationship between the two systems, see the Bridge Between NAICS and SIC

County Business Patterns - By State - pdf reports

U.S. Demographics Statistical Sources

The American Marketplace: Demographics and Spending Patterns
Ask at Reference Desk
REF HA 214 .A512
A massive collection of data organized into nine chapters -- Education, Health, Housing, Income, Labor Force, Living Arrangements, Population, Spending, and Wealth.

Business Statistics of the United States: Patterns of Economic Change
REF HC 101 .A13122
Includes individual chapters on: national income and product and cyclical indicators; industrial production and capacity utilization; income distribution and poverty; consumer income and spending; saving and investment; business sales and investment; government; foreign trade and finance; prices; employment costs, productivity, profits; employment, hours, and earnings; energy; money and financial markets; industry definition and structure; GDP by industry; key sectors; historical data; and state and regional data.

International Marketing Data & Statistics
REF HA 42 .I56
Packed with vital forecasting intelligence, this book offers growth predictions to 2008 for over 330 consumer products and to 2016 for over 100 marketing parameters.

Datapedia of the United States 1790-2000: America Year by Year
REF HA 202 .K87
Includes: population; vital statistics and health; migration; labor; national income and wealth; consumer income and expenditures; social statistics; land, water and climate; agriculture; forestry and fisheries; minerals; construction and housing; manufactures; transportation; communications; energy; distribution and services; and much more!

Statistics Sources
REF HA 36 .S8
A subject guide to data on industrial, business, social, educational, financial, and other topics for the United States and Internationally.

Industrial Commodity Statistics Yearbook
United Nations
REF HC 59 .U458
Contains annual quantity data on production of industrial commodities by country, geographical region, economic grouping and for the world. A standard list of about 530 commodities has been adopted for this publication.

Statistical Abstract of the United States: The National Data Book
Department of Commerce
REF HA 202 .A2 (Ask at Reference Desk)
The standard summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organizations of the United States.

Demographic Trends in the 20th Century
Census 2000 Special Reports - US Census Bureau
Ask at Reference Desk - Government Documents Reference Shelves
C 3.2:D 39/3 (Docs)

Demographics: A Guide to Methods and Data Sources for Media, Business, and Government
HB 849.4 .D46 2006

Related Research Guides

Consumer Behavior

Government Data and Resources

Potential Markets

San Luis Obispo - Demographic Profile

Target Markets

<<Back to Research Guides

Business Research Portal | Agribusiness Research Portal | Industrial Technology Research Portal |
Cal Poly Home | Kennedy Library | Orfalea College of Business | Agribusiness Department |

Frank Vuotto, M.A., M.L.I.S.
Business & Agribusiness Librarian, Faculty
California Polytechnic State University
Robert E. Kennedy Library
San Luis Obispo, CA 93420
fvuotto@calpoly.edu

Last updated May 18, 2006