MARKET ANALYSIS

Government Statistics:

The mother of all data sources is the U.S. Census Bureau, with county profiles at State and County QuickFacts [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html] and Community Fact Sheets on American FactFinder. If available, select the 'Narrative Profile' for your community for s quick summary of the highlights.

For the latest detailed data from the U.S. Census 2000, use American FactFinder and select Summary File 3. [http://factfinder.census.gov]

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics periodically conducts the Consumer Expenditure Survey which provides information on consumers and their expenditures. [http://www.bls.gov/cex/]

Other Resources:

An alternative to the American FactFinder is CensusScope, which is a portal to Census 2000 data. This site offers colorful charts, graphs and maps for many frequently requested data sets. [http://www.censusscope.org]

PolicyMap displays many popular categories of demographic information as maps, including population, income, home ownership, and education. [http://www.policymap.com/map]

To see historical Census data displayed as maps, consult Social Explorer. This site provides access to maps based on selected data sets for censuses from 1790-2000. [http://www.socialexplorer.org]

Another site with summary metro area, county, and state data on population, employment, income, and expenditures is the Community Demographics Library from Development Alliance. The information presented here is aggregated from a variety of government and commercial sources. (Registration required). [http://www.developmentalliance.com/newdemog/]

Rutgers Research Guide:

The Market Research Guide will lead you to dozens more sources of information, both online and in print, including the annual Demographics USA with demographic and consumption data for counties and states (DANA, KILMER REF HF 5438.4 .S87) and Household Spending with consumer expenditure data (CAMDEN, DANA REF HC 110 .C6 A666).