Market Research

• SBDCnet Industry Links (http://sbdcnet.org/industry.php) – links to resources by industry.
• Market Intelligence Centers (www.northernlight.com)
• Industry Resources Reports (www.valuationresources.com/IndustryReport.htm) – links to useful industry information from a variety of sources.
• Trade & Economy (www.ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea) – industry sector data sorted by NAICS code.
• BizMiner (www.bizminer.com) – generates reports on industry, market and financial trends by size of business.
• Zapdata.com (www.zapdata.com/zapmarkets) – allows you to profile U.S. markets by SIC code.
• County Business Patterns (www.census.gov) – lists establishments, payroll and employee size for all U.S. counties by SIC.
• MarketResearch.com www.marketresearch.com – databases of market research reports with free title searching.

Business Assistance Programs

• Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development (www.newpa.com) – includes links to other entrepreneurial assistance programs.
• Pennsylvania Open for Business (www.paopen4business.state.pa.us) – includes information on business structure, financial incentives, forms and assistance programs.
• The Ben Franklin Technology Partners invest in technology companies: Southeastern Pennsylvania (www.sep.benfranklin.org), Pittsburgh (www.innovationworks.org), Central/Northern Pennsylvania (www.cnp.benfranklin.org), and Northeastern Pennsylvania (www.nep.benfranklin.org)
• PennTAP (www.penntap.psu.edu) – free scientific and technical assistance to Pennsylvania firms.
• Innovation Partnershipwww.innovationpartnership.net) – provides guidance for Pennsylvania SBIR proposal preparation and assistance.

Company Directories

• Hoover's Corporate Directory (www.hoovers.com) – profiles large, mostly public companies.
• EDGAR (www.sec.gov) – database of 10-K and other SEC filings of public companies.
• AnnualReport.com (www.reportgallery.com
• ThomasNet (www.thomasnet.com) – directory of U.S. and Canadian manufacturers.
• PA SourceNet (www.pasourcenet.com) – business to business directory of PA products.
• Zapdata.com (www.zapdata.com) – sells mailing lists of companies and has useful industry profiles.
• InfoUSA.com (www.infousa.com) – sells mailing lists of companies and individuals.
• Kompass (www.kompass.com) – directory databases of foreign companies. Some data is free.
• ThomasGlobal (www.thomasglobal.com) – directory of industrial suppliers worldwide.
• International Company Directories and Yellow Pages (http://globaledge.msu.edu/ibrd/busresmain.asp) – links to worldwide directories.
• IFA's Franchise Directory (www.franchise.org) – lists franchises and has other franchising information.
• FranchiseOpportunities.com (www.franchiseopportunities.com– franchises directory and information on opportunites.

Business Statistics

General Statistics and Demographic Sites

• U.S. Bureau of the Census (www.census.gov)
• Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (www.census.gov/compendia/statab) – abridged version of this popular compilation of statistics.
• EconData (www.econdata.net) – links to regional statistical information from government, academic and private sources.
• FedStats (www.fedstats.gov/index.html) – searchable directory of statistics from over 100 Federal agencies.
• Statistical Resources on the Web (www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html)
• Easi Demographics (www.easidemographics.com) – offers easy access to demographic data.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (stats.bls.gov) – includes wage and unemployment rates.
• SBA Small Business Statistics: US (www.sba.gov/advo) – gives data on small businesses in the U.S.
• Stat-USA (www.stat-usa.gov) – statistics from many federal departments.
• BizStats (www.bizstats.com) – free ratios and benchmarking data by business types and revenue size.
• eMarketer (www.emarketer.com) – statistics on e-commerce.

Pennsylvania Business Statistics

• Penn State Data Center (http://pasdc.hbg.psu.edu) – Pennsylvania's official data source.
• SBA Small Business Profiles: PA (www.sba.gov/advo/research/profiles) – brief overview of the number and type of small businesses in PA. Previous years are available to gauge growth.
• Census Bureau Economic Pages (www.census.gov/econ/www/index.html) – links to the most current available reports on number of businesses, non-employer statistics, the Economic Census, minority and women-owned businesses, manufacturers, and building permits in PA and its counties.
• County Business Patterns (www.census.gov/epcd/cbp/view/cbpview.html) – detailed statistics on business activity on the county and zip code level.
• Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (www.dli.state.pa.us) – has a number of publications with workforce statistics including Long-Term Industry Employment Projections, Civilian Labor Force Data, Unemployment Rates by County, Employment by Industry and their monthly publication Pennsylvania Labor Force.
• State Export Data (www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/state/index.html)
• Small Business Economic Indicators (www.sba.gov/advo/research/sbei.html) – discusses small business activity nationally with state rankings.
• Development Report Card for the States (www.cfed.org) – looks at development measures including entrepreneurship by state.
• Statistics About Business Size (www.census.gov/epcd/www/smallbus.html) – gives national level data on firms by size and receipts.
• Minority & Woman-Owned Businesses (www.census.gov/econ/www/index.htm) – gives national and state level data on these businesses.
• Pennsylvania QuickFacts (quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/42000.html) – gives brief population, demographics, housing and income data.