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Business Resources

IUP Library electronic and print resources to support research in business and related subjects.

Demographic Information

  • Census Bureau Home Page
    This is the primary entry point to current and historical Census data for various topics (people and housing, business and industry, and several special topics) and by geography. News, quick facts, publications, and interactive maps are also available. Meant primarily for "power users" of data, or if you are looking for information from specific surveys; most people will elect to use American FactFinder and other aggregated sources of Census information.
    • Find information about and links to various Census and related surveys using the Topic or Geography drop-downs at the top of the page.
    • Quick links to data are listed at the bottom of the page.
    • County Business Patterns provides the number of businesses, employment counts and payroll by industry, size and geography, which can help you judge the density of businesses in an area and get a sense of the prevailing pay rate.
    • Economic Census data provides detailed statistics about businesses such as sales, receipts, value of shipments, revenue, inventory and expenses, broken down by industry and geography.
    • Survey of Business Owners details characteristics of business owners by industry, gender, race, ethnicity and veteran status, and can be distilled to the city and county level.

Consumer Spending

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the Consumer Expenditure Survey. The Consumer Expenditure Survey consists of two surveys—the quarterly Interview survey and the Diary survey—that provide information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics.

The Interview survey includes monthly out-of-pocket expenditures such as housing, apparel, transportation, health care, insurance, and entertainment. The Diary survey includes weekly expenditures of frequently purchased items such as food and beverages, tobacco, personal care products, and nonprescription drugs and supplies.

Advertising Expenditures

The Internet Advertising Bureau sponsors the Internet Advertising Revenue Report, which is conducted independently by the New Media Group of PriceWaterhouseCoopers. The full report is issued twice yearly for full and half-year data, and top-line quarterly figures are issued for the first and third quarters. The report provides key data in the area of internet advertising and includes measurement of internet/online advertising revenues compiled directly from information supplied by companies selling advertising online. The report includes data reflecting online advertising revenues from web sites, commercial online services, email providers, as well as other companies selling online advertising.