Small Business

Menu

Business, Market, Industry Research Resources

The following resources provide high-quality information for business, market, and industry research. 

  • Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), Arizona: Resources: Provides a snapshot of Arizona's infrastructure, and key economy indicators, including GDP, unemployment rate, labor force, imports and exports. The Job Creation Progress Meter measures our state’s progress, celebrates our successes, and generates ideas for action. The indicators provide information about job growth, innovation, and overall economic health of our state and its communities. The Video Gallery highlights Arizona's unique value proposition and select companies. (24)
     

  • Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), Arizona Assets Map: Interactive map, searchable by more than 19 categories, allows for layers, so users can see multiple searches at the same time. Boundaries of legislative districts, tribal lands, military installations, Opportunity Zones and even mines in Arizona are also identified. Searchable resources include: Startup resources that include coworking spaces; university resources; incubators and accelerators; industry resources; and, capital resources; Community and county profiles, which contain economic, demographic, labor force and other information; and economic development organizations.


    The map also allows for a statewide search of points of interest to residents and visitors, including schools, libraries, hospitals, airports, arts and cultural landmarks, outdoor activities including state and national parks and monuments. (24)
     

  • Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), Community Profiles: Provides information on principal economic activities, scenic attractions, community facilities, distance to major cities, population growth, property tax, sales tax/transaction privilege tax, labor force, unemployment rate, workforce education attainment, industry (ranked by employment), and economic development contacts. (24)

     

  • Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), County Profiles: Provides county history/highlights, location on map, and information on population, age distribution, distance to major cities, labor force, unemployment rate, employment by sector, property tax, sales tax/transaction privilege tax, and economic development contacts. (24)

     

  • Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), Small Business Services: Your centralized resource for information on business licensing and statewide resources to get your business started and operational. The free online Checklist Program is designed to help you navigate information on what you need to know, who you need to contact and where you need to go to license your business in Arizona. The Arizona Entrepreneur's Edge is the state's resource guide for starting, operating and growing a business in Arizona –available online, searchable and printable. (24) 

     

  • Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) - Arizona Labor Market Statistics: Provides a wide variety of labor market information for Arizona, including local area employment and unemployment statistics, occupation and industry employment estimates and projections, wage survey data, and more. (24)
     

  • Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) - Arizona Population Statistics: Provides data, research and analysis on Arizona’s population. The State Demographer's Office develops the official population estimates and projections for the State of Arizona, and works collaboratively with the U.S. Bureau of the Census to facilitate the use of demographic information in Arizona. (24)
     

  • Arizona Office of Tourism, Research and Statistics: The Research Division generates, tracks and analyzes data about domestic and international travel behavior, economic impacts and industry trends, and serves as the research repository for all travel-related tourism information in the state. (24)
     

  • Arizona Prospector, All you need to know for your next move - Use our data tools to analyze Arizona plus find sites and buildings: Database launched by the Arizona Public Service (APS) in partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA). Data tools to analyze Arizona by city, county, metro area, region and/or state: Community Infographic - interactive infographic illustrates key data about Arizona; Demographics - Come see what our workforce can do for your business looking at robust, detailed, and interactive demographic information; Business Data - Explore industry clusters, find major employers and discover your competitors or customers; Dynamic Maps - Demographic variables and GIS data related to growing or expanding in Arizona; Compare Communities - Compare Arizona with other communities in the region or across the U.S.; Talent Pool - Research, analyze and map data about universities in Arizona, and degrees conferred by program. (24)
     

  • Arizona Public Service (APS), Economic Development - SizeUp Arizona: Provides small-to-medium sized businesses and entrepreneurs around the state with the market research and data analytics necessary to better understand competition and fine-tune their business model for success. The site provides the ability to research costs, revenue, customers, location, and marketing strategy scenarios comparative to similar businesses around Arizona or the U.S. (24)
     

  • Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, Center for Competitiveness and Prosperity Research: The Center administers the Productivity and Prosperity Project: An Analysis of Economic Competitiveness (P3), and the Office of the University Economist. Specializing in applied economic and demographic research with a geographic emphasis on Arizona and the metropolitan Phoenix area, the Center also conducts research projects under sponsorship of private businesses, nonprofit organizations, government entities, and other ASU units. (24)
     

  • Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business, JP Morgan Chase Economic Outlook Center: Provides these economic forecasts as a public service: The Western Blue Chip Economic Forecast and the Greater Phoenix Blue Chip, Job Growth USA, and real estate reports include the ASU Repeat Sales Index and the Housing Market Report. (24)
     

  • AZ COGs & MPOs: Arizona Council of Governments (COGs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) have been established in the state of Arizona to deal with issues and needs that cross city, town, county, and state boundaries. In Arizona, there are six COGs. In the urban areas, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) and the Pima Association of Governments (PAG) are the regional agencies which also serve as the designated metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) for transportation planning. In the rural areas of Arizona, the COGs perform planning services and direct service functions such as operating the Area Agency on Aging, the Head Start programs and employment programs.

    The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) hosts an online, interactive mapping site that provides a wide variety of viewing and reporting functions. Datasets include: selected population and housing data; employment data; key data sets (census, school, health, family engagement) that impact early literacy outcomes in communities; public parks and recreational opportunities; locally-designated bicycle facilities data; land use and development data for all or virtually any contiguous subset of Maricopa County and Pinal County; socioeconomic projections data; landmark data; MAG region’s bicycle and pedestrian network, along with the network connections to the region’s transit system; and capital improvement program of transportation projects for the region. (24)
     

  • Data USA: Created in partnership with Deloitte, MIT Media Lab MacroConnections Group and Datawheel, is the most comprehensive website and visualization engine of public US Government data. Through advanced data analytics and visualization, Data USA tells stories about: places in America—towns, cities and states; occupations; industries--where they are thriving, where they are declining and their interconnectedness to each other; and education and skills. It allows people to conduct their own analyses and create their own stories about America – its people, places, industries, skill sets and educational institutions. Ultimately, accelerating society’s ability to learn and better understand itself. Includes various trends and rankings. (24)
     

  • Data.gov: The home of the U.S. Government’s open data. Here you will find data, tools, and resources to conduct research, develop web and mobile applications, design data visualizations, and more. Data.gov was launched in 2009 and is managed and hosted by the U.S. General Services Administration, Technology Transformation Service. (24)
     

  • Internal Revenue Service (IRS): Tax Statistics: Wide range of tables, articles, and data that describe and measure elements of the U.S. tax system. Includes U.S. Population Migration Data. (24)
     

  • Libraries - Find a Library Near You for Business Resources: Librarians will help you find information on every phase of business ownership, information on writing the business plan and electronic databases where you can research industries and competitors. In addition, libraries provide free access to the Internet. Many libraries present free programs, workshops and book lists on business topics. (24)
     

  • Newspapers - such as the Phoenix Business Journal - will keep you informed on business news, the economy, online resources and tools, local issues and trends in your community, company profiles, business leads, events, contacts, etc. (24)
     

  • North American Industry Classification System (NAICS): The standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy. Businesses interested in selling their goods or services to the government, will want to research primary and secondary NAICS codes that best describe their business activities, since governmental offices often identify the NAICS code that describes the principal purpose of that procurement. Businesses may also find it helpful to use NAICS codes to identify suppliers and vendors in business/company databases. (24)
     

  • Data Axle: Helps users to power their business research; whether it is for finding new prospects, doing market analysis or gathering competitive intelligence. Data Axle provides access to over 49 million U.S. businesses, 2.6 million closed businesses, 198 million U.S. historical business records, 156 million U.S. residents, over 4 million new businesses, over 1.2 million U.S. physicians and dentists, over 1.9 million Canadian businesses, over 16 million U.S. new movers/homeowners, and 11 million Canadian individuals. Information is also available on U.S. consumers/lifestyles.

     

    Business information includes company name, address, phone, executive contact names and titles, SIC codes, NAICS codes, credit rating, employee size (location and corporate), sales volume (location and corporate), location type, years in database, etc. With over 40 different custom search functions and the ability to download lists. Residential information includes name, address, phone, home value, home income, lifestyle interests, etc.

     
    (To access the Data Axle database, visit your local Arizona library's home page and look for Databases, Online Resources or E-Resources. Your valid Arizona library card will give you access to Data Axle through the library’s website.) (24)

     

  • State of Arizona Research Library, Patent and Trademark Resources: The State of Arizona Research Library has been designated as a Patent and Trademark Resource Center by the US Patent Office. In addition as the state's regional Federal Depository Collection of federal documents it receives patent related materials. (24)

     

  • ThomasNet.com  - Supplier Discovery, Product Sourcing: A free platform database of over 660,000 commercial and industrial suppliers. This resource can help you meet your unique sourcing challenges - whether its adding quality certified suppliers to the supply chain, meeting diversity goals, identifying local job shops, finding specific products or accelerating the design process. (24)

     

  • University of Arizona's Eller College of Management, Economic and Business Research Center: Provides the Arizona community of business and public-sector decision makers with high quality economic forecasts and applied economic research. (24)

     

  • U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Census: Every 5 years—in years ending in “2” and “7”—the Economic Census collects reliable business statistics that are essential to understanding the American economy. Only the Economic Census provides information on industry revenues and other measures of American business performance that are consistent, comparable, and comprehensive across industries and geographic areas. Businesses use Economic Census data to compare their operations to industry norms, find markets, and to inform key decisions. (24)
     

  • U.S. Department of Commerce: Promotes job creation, economic growth, sustainable development and improved standards of living for all Americans by working in partnership with businesses, universities, communities and our nation’s workers. The department has a wide range of responsibilities in the areas of trade, economic development, technology, entrepreneurship and business development, environmental stewardship, and statistical research and analysis. (24)

     

  • U.S. Department of Commerce, 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. (24)
     

  • U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): The principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. The BLS is an independent statistical agency that collects, analyzes, and disseminates essential economic information to support public and private decision-making. (24)
     

  • U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR): EDGAR, the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system, performs automated collection, validation, indexing, acceptance, and forwarding of submissions by companies and others who are required by law to file forms with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This information can be accessed and downloaded for free. (24)
     

  • VisitArizona.com - The official Arizona travel and vacation guide from the Arizona Office of Tourism. Find in-depth Arizona visitor information and videos about visiting the state of Arizona, including comprehensive directories of Arizona hotels, dining and shopping, as well as things to do and places to visit throughout the Grand Canyon State. (24)