Industry Analysis

Books

For printed resources concerning industry analysis, consult the guide: Industry and Competitor Analysis, available online and in print in Milner Library.

For books about an industry, try a subject search in the Milner catalog using the name of the industry as the subject heading.

The subject headings used in the catalog are not always the terms you expect. For example, information about soft drinks is located under CARBONATED BEVERAGES, but information about the industry is under SOFT DRINK INDUSTRY. Use the Library of Congress Subject Headings to identify the correct headings. If you do not find any books listed for a specific industry, try the subject heading for the broad industry group instead. For example, if no books are listed under SOFT DRINK INDUSTRY, try BEVERAGE INDUSTRY.

Books about the broader industry group may contain chapters or sections about your industry. Books about individual firms can be located by searching the catalog under the name of the firm as a subject heading.

Back to top

Industry Classifications

Many sources that provide industry information are arranged or indexed by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)  code or by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code. NAICS and SIC codes are assigned to establishments by the federal government. For additional information about NAICS or SIC codes, visit the  NAICS and SIC Codes page.

To determine the NAICS code for an industry, consult:

2002 NAICS and 1987 SIC Correspondence Tables, 1997 NAICS and 1987 SIC Correspondence Tables or the printed manual, North American Industry Classification System - United States, 2002  (Reference HF 1042 .N67 2002)

To determine the SIC code for an industry, consult:

Standard Industrial Classification Search or the printed version, the Standard Industrial Classification Manual  (Reference HF 1042 .S73 1987)

Back to top

Industry Overviews

Current Industrial Reports (Census Bureau)
Provide data on the production, inventories, and orders for over 4,000 products.

Encyclopedia of American Industries  (Reference HC 102 .E53) and online
Two volume overview of over 1,000 manufacturing and service industries. Arranged by SIC code. Covers organization and structure, background and development, current conditions, industry leaders, work force, research and technology, and information sources for each industry. 

Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands  (Reference HF 5415.3 .E527 1994)
Brand histories and trends for about 600 brands of consumable, personal, and durable products. Old, but still quite useful.

Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries (Reference HD 2324 .E528)
Similar to the encyclopedia above, it covers 88 smaller, growing industries.

Encyclopedia of Global Industries (Reference HD 2324 .E53)
Covers 125 industries with global significance, including information about the history, development, current conditions, and leading countries involved in the industry.

Food Marketing Institute - Facts & Figures
Provides information and statistics on all aspects of the food industry.

IBISWorld
Provides in-depth industry data and analysis, as well as information about leading companies in each industry.

Industry Handbook
Investopedia.com's industry analyses, including Porter's 5 Forces Analysis for each of 12 major industries.

Industry Information Resources
ValuationResources.com provides links to information for over 400 industries. Many have only limited information available for free.

Industry Profiles in Business Source Premier
Search for the industry and select the industry profile from the list of source types for global, regional, and national profiles.

Industry Specific Business Guides
Industry-at-a-Glance and Business Profiles provided by the Missouri Small Business Development Centers. The focus is on industries in the state of Missouri, but much of the information is national.

Industry Surveys in Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage
Standard & Poor's publication providing industry analysis, trends, information sources, and financial data for selected companies in each industry.

Internet Intelligence Index
Compiled by the Fuld & Company Library, provides brief lists of links to online resources by industry.

Retail Trade International  (Reference HF 5429 .R4801 9th 1998)
Analysis of retail trade in each country, with international comparisons.  5 vol. Coverage is broader than the very narrowly targeted Industry Profiles in Business Source Premier.

Value Line Investment Survey  (Reference HG 4501 .V26)
Brief industry analysis with detailed financial data for key companies in the industry. Continuously updated.

Back to top

Industry Statistics

Annual Survey of Manufactures in the American FactFinder
Provides data on employment, payroll, inventory, and more.

Business Rankings Annual  (Reference HG 4050 .B88)
Published ranked lists of companies, products, services and activities, with the source given for each list. Arranged alphabetically by topic, with a name and subject index.

Business Statistics of the United States  (Reference HC101 .A131301)
Provides statistics by broad industry group. Older editions on floor 4.

County Business Patterns in the American FactFinder

Economic Census Bureau of the Census.
Available in the Documents Collection and online.

Global Market Information Database (GMID)
Provides volume amd value statistics for sales of various products. Select United States for domestic data or other regions or countries as desired.

IBISWorld
Provides in-depth industry data and analysis, as well as information about leading companies in each industry.

Industry Statistics
Resources from the Statistical Sources for Business page.

Market Share Reporter   (Reference HF 5415.2 .M34)
Compilation of market share data on companies, products, and services published or reported on the Investext online database. Arranged by SIC code with subject index.

Mergent's Industry Review  (Reference HG 4961 .M6803)
Comparative financial and operating data and ratios for approximately 4,000 companies in 138 industry groups. Each industry review is updated twice a year. Charts composite stock price movements for the industry group compared to the NYSE composite index over ten years.

MSA Business Patterns (NAICS)
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Standard & Poor's Statistical Service  (Reference HC 101 .S74701)
Contains current statistics, basic statistics, and security price index record, and is brought up to date in the monthly Current Statistics Bulletin.

Statistical Abstract of the United States

STAT-USA
The most relevant statistics will be found in the State of the Nation portion under the Manufacturing and Industry section near the bottom of the page.

Back to top

Professional Organizations

Encyclopedia of Associations  (Reference HS 17 .G33)
Directory of all types of associations.  Older editions on floor 4.

National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States  (Reference HD 2425 .D5302)
An annual directory of thousands of associations, with homepage URL's where available.

Back to top

Related Sources

Business Ratios
Milner Library Web page listing sources for industry norms and ratios and guides to ratio analysis.

Company Information
Milner Library Web page listing resources for information about specific companies.

How to Learn About an Industry or a Specific Company
A step-by-step process for obtaining industry information provided by the Industry Research Desk from Polson Enterprises.

Industry and Competitor Analysis
Milner Library guide to resources.

Industry Research
Rutgers University guide to resources.

Industry Research
Harvard's Baker Library collection of guides to resources on industries. Many of the sources listed are available only to Harvard users. The Industry Guides links at the right lead to guides to separate industries.

Industry Research Using the Economic Census  (Reference HC 101 .B594 2004)

IndustryLink
A directory of links to industry Web sites.

Small Business Profiles  (Reference HD 62.7 .S5935)
Aimed at entrepreneurs, provides information on start-up costs and profitability, financing, location and facilities, selecting products, licensing, certification, and insurance requirements, personnel, marketing and advertising, outlook, and additional sources of information.

Back to top

Back to the Business and Economics home page