Demographics, the statistical characteristics of the population, are important to many aspects of business, e.g. forecasting or market research. Demographics help analyze long-term trends, determine the location of business enterprises, identify competitors, predict customer base and sales volume, focus advertising, and assess the potential of new products. Federal and state governments are good sources of statistical information. Associations often provide statistics within their area of interest and business periodicals are good sources of current demographic information.

On the Web:

American Community Survey  From the U.S. Census, the ACS "is a new nationwide survey designed to provide communities a fresh look at how they are changing. It will replace the long form in future censuses and is a critical element in the Census Bureau’s reengineered 2010 census plan."

American Demographics Magazine  Search or browse 4 years of this outstanding demographic magazine.

County and City Data Books  1988, 1994, and 2000 U.S. county and city demographic data.

FedStats  Statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies; includes statistical profiles of U.S. states, statistics by geography, and published collections of statistics that are available online such as the Statistical Abstracts.

Hispanic Fact Pack  Includes data about top advertisers and brands, leading radio formats and television markets, and demographics among Hispanics.

Historical Census Browser  Data from the U.S. Census for states and counties from 1790 to 1970.

International Database (IDB)  From the U.S. Census, this database provides demographic and socioeconomic statistics for 227 countries & areas of the world.

MapStats  Quick demographic and business statistics for the U.S., states, counties, congressional districts. Excellent resource with up-to-date information.

Population Index  Annotated bibliography of recently published books, journal articles, working papers, and other material on population topics. Search by keyword or subject or browse issues from 1986 to the present.

The Right Site  Free "easy–to–use" demographic reports as well as products for sale.

United Nations Statistics Division  International demographic information.  Many of the databases are available to subscribers only, but unrestricted free access is provided to selected global datasets, such as the Millennium Indicators Database, which presents 48 social and economic indicators and related series by country and year since 1985, and the Social Indicators data set.

U.S. Census Bureau  Census Bureau maps and reports. Search by keyword.

In the Library:

• The American Marketplace: Demographics and Spending Patterns
  Profile of the American population from educational levels and health status to earning capacities and spending habits. A fascinating, data-heavy snapshot of contemporary America, spanning the period between 1990 and 2006.
   
• California Cities, Towns & Counties
  Provides data on areas in California including population characteristics, annual income, education, etc.
   
• City & County Extra
  Provides statistics from the Census for states, counties, and cities of 25,000 or more and places (towns, villages) of 2,500 or more.
   
• Lifestyle Market Analyst
  Demographic & lifestyle data compiled from more than 19 million households. A useful source for conducting market research at the local, regional, and national levels.
   
• Places, Towns & Townships
  Statistical information about U.S. places and the people who live in them.
   
• Sourcebook of Zip Code Demographics
  Provides demographic information for every zip code in the U.S., and data is presented by variables including households, families, income, age, race and spending potential.
   
• Statistical Abstracts of the United States
  Provides data on population, education, business and more from the U.S. Census.

Go to the Library catalog

On the Library network:

• InfoTrac OneFile

A large periodicals database featuring the full text and citations for newspaper and magazine articles. Includes the full text for magazines such as American Demographics.
 
• Business & Company Resource Center

Search for news and articles on demographics and statistics. An extensive business, company and industry database with news, articles, financial documents, rankings, company histories, industry reports, and more.
 
• ProQuest National Newspapers
  Look for newspaper articles about the advertising industry, which provides full text to the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Washington Post and other leading newspapers from roughly 1985-present.
   
• Rand (Sorry, this database may be used only in the LIbrary)
  This is another excellent source of California demographic information; available only in the Library. Provides numerous statistics in the areas of Business, Education, Population & Demographics, Community, etc., and is searchable by keyword. In many cases you can limit your searches to certain MSAs (metropolitan statistical areas) or cities within California.

Go to the Library's databases