Research Guides: Company and Industry Research: Industry Research

Industry Research: Where Do I Start?

The first step in industry research is to identify the industry (or industries) of interest. Here are two methods:

Find the NAICS and SIC codes for an industry using the information in the Industry Codes tab on the left side of the page
If you have a company in mind, and simply want to research the industry for that company: look the company up in Mergent Online or NexisUni Company Dossier. The company profiles will include the industry codes.

Once you know the industry name and/or code, visit the resources below.

IBISWorld
Provides industry market research and risk ratings for over 700 industries. This is a great source if the business you are researching is in a niche industry

Download IBISWorld Navigation Tips (pdf).
Mergent Online
To view industry reports, select “Industry Analysis” from the tabs at the top of the screen, then select the “Reports” button
Business Source Premier (EBSCOhost)
On the “Advanced Search” page, find industry reports by choosing "Industry Profile" from the dropdown menu under "Publication Type," then enter the NAICS code for the industry
Morningstar Investment Research Center
Morningstar offers brief sector reports for major industries. To view them, click on "Equities" at the top of the page, then select "Research" from the links below, and sector reports will be in the bottom right of the page

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics by Industry
Includes BLS statistics by NAICS code, including industries at a glance, employment and earnings, producer price index, and more
U.S. Census Bureau: Economic Census
The Economic Census serves as the foundation for the measurement of U.S. businesses (by industry) and their economic impact. Select "2017 Economic Census Release Information" to view data by state or select "Data" to locate more specific data tables

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