Finding Statistical Information
There are a number of sources for statistical information. As always, be sure of the source's methodology and reputation. Also look at the currency of the information, i.e. is it too dated to be useful, does it cover the time period you want, etc.
Among the databases that will be most useful for locating statistical information about a company or an industry are:
Academic Universe - Provides access to full-text articles from hundreds of newspapers, journals and magazines, and financial information for companies, including: SEC reports, Standard and Poor's Corporate Descriptions, Disclosure Reports, NAARS - Annual Reports 84-95, legal information including case law and statutes, and more.
Associations Unlimited - directory of associations and organizations. It is searchable by subject or industry. Organizations/ Associations often have a wealth of information about their industry and the national and state politics concerning the industry.
Business and Company Resource Center - Offers accurate, and up-to-date company and industry intelligence on thousands of global companies. Included in the database are: periodical articles, company information, investment reports, product information, industry and company rankings, financial overviews, industry overviews, and HR law case digests.
Mergent Online - database of statistical information about companies. It includes a Country Profiles section.
Regional Business News - Regional Business News is a collection of full text newswires which incorporate news information from all over the world. Included in this database are A&G Information, Africa News Service, Inter Press Service, Resource News International, South American Business, M2 Communications, etc. Information provided by these sources covers business, political, economic, and other diverse, international news events. In order to maintain the most current collection of news, this database contains the most recent 30 days of information from each of the wire sources. Several hundred articles are added to this database each day.
Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage - This searchable database is a comprehensive source of business and investment information, offering on-line access to popular Standard & Poor's research products such as Industry Surveys, Stock Reports, Corporation Records, The Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives, The Outlook, Mutual Fund Reports among others. It includes export tools so that data can be downloaded into spreadsheet programs for further analysis.
Databases that provide information about the community and the environment within which the company operates are:
World Almanac - Offers a fundamental reference source for students, library patrons, library reference staff, and scholars alike. Includes biographies, encyclopedia entries, facts, and statistics. When you use this database to find information for this class you might find it useful to limit to World Almanac and Book of Facts.
LexisNexis Statistical - Provides indexing to all statistics issued by the U.S. government since 1973 through CIS' American Statistics Index and provides the actual statistical tables for approximately 60% of the indexed information. The searches in this database can be tailored to a high degree.
Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage - This searchable database is a comprehensive source of business and investment information, offering on-line access to popular Standard & Poor's research products such as Industry Surveys, Stock Reports, Corporation Records, The Register of Corporations, Directors and Executives, The Outlook, Mutual Fund Reports among others. It includes export tools so that data can be downloaded into spreadsheet programs for further analysis.
There are a number of books at the Library that can provide you with statistical information. Among them are:
Advertisers red books. Advertiser, Indexes. New Providence, NJ : LexisNexis. Located in the Reference area, the call number is HF5805 .S714.
The advertising red books. Agencies. New Providence, NJ : LexisNexis. Located in the Reference area, the call number is HF5805 .S72.
Hoover's Handbook of American Business. Austin, Tex. : Reference Press. Located in the Reference area, the call number is HG4057 .A28617.
Hoover's Handbook of Private Companies. Austin, Tex.: Hoover's Business Press. The most current is located in Ready Reference and previous editions are in the Main Collection. The call number for both is HG4057 .A28.
Also available are numerous encyclopedia. They will often provide you with a great deal of general information about a state or country, including: economy, population, business, demographics, etc. They're located in the Reference Area.
All of the Web pages listed below, with one exception, are government Web sites. Although there are a number of commerical or private sites that contain the information you may want, most are subscription or fee based.
www.bea.gov
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) promotes a better understanding of the U.S. economy by providing the most timely, relevant, and accurate economic accounts data in an objective and cost-effective manner.
www.bls.gov
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is an independent national statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential statistical data to the American public, the U.S. Congress, other Federal agencies, State and local governments, business, and labor. The BLS also serves as a statistical resource to the Department of Labor.
BLS data must satisfy a number of criteria, including relevance to current social and economic issues, timeliness in reflecting today’s rapidly changing economic conditions, accuracy and consistently high statistical quality, and impartiality in both subject matter and presentation.
www.census.gov
The Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about the nation's people and economy. Information is divided into categories: People and Households, Business and Industry, Geography, Newsroom, and Special Topics. Special Topics includes access to Statistical Abstract of the United States, one of the better resources for information.
www.commerce.gov
The historic mission of the Department is “to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce” of the United States. This has evolved, as a result of legislative and administrative additions, to encompass broadly the responsibility to foster, serve, and promote the Nation’s economic development and technological advancement.
City-data.com
We've collected and analyzed data from numerous sources to create as complete and interesting profiles of all U.S. cities as possible. This is a commercial rather than a government Web site. Although much of the information is dated, some is useful
www.state.tx.us
The State of Texas web site is intended to serve as the official compilation of Texas government electronic resources, both at the state and local levels, and as an index of Texas governmental or taxing authority web sites and services. The site is organized by subject to provide a collection of links and portals designed to allow citizens, visitors, businesses, state government, and others to quickly and efficiently locate appropriate resources.
Local Chambers of Commerce are also good sources of statistical and community information.
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