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Business Feasibility Analysis and Plan Writing Resource Guide: Researching Your Geographic Market

Researching Your Geographic Market

The resources on this page are good for researching the United States as a whole and/or for researching a part of the country whether it be a state, county, or city/town.

U.S. Census Bureau

The U.S. Census Bureau has a wealth of very high quality demographic information that can be valuable in market research.

Below are links to the main website of the Census Bureau and to specific access points of it.

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

U.S. Department of Labor -- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) -- A Box from the Marketing Research Guide

The Bureau of Labor Statistics collects statistics on all aspects of the employment status of the U.S. economy.  Economic statistics are also collected, thus resulting in the data found in the Consumer Expenditure Survey and American Time Use Survey.

Missouri Census Data Center

A partner with the U.S. Census Bureau, this center helps disseminate census data to the public. 

This center has information on not only Missouri, but also the other 49 states and the District of Columbia. 

The tables on this center's website are sometimes more easily understandable than those on the website of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Below are links to the Missouri Census Data Center website and to sample data available within it.

Sites at Which You Can Find Data on Multiple States & Local Jurisdictions

Below are some sites at which you can find helpful information when doing marketing research for various states.  

Researching State and Local Markets

To find resources with information on state and local markets, click on the links below.  These are links to subpages of this page.

Researching Countries Other Than the United States

To find resources with information on other countries, click on the link below to access the appropriate subpage of this page.