Economic and Statistical Data
The sheer volume of economic data available on the World Wide Web makes cutting the information down to a manageable and useful size quite a challenge. However, the statistical sources listed here are accurate and typically gathered over long time series, making them a useful foundation for forecasts.
U.S. Economic Census data
As it does with population data, the U.S. government maintains a census of economic activity, gathered every five years. This information provides a finely detailed snapshot of U.S. economic activity, though it can be bit daunting to sort through.
Bureau of Economic Analysis survey of current business
More recent and frequently updated information is available from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis. Monthly reports and historic data are available.
American Statistics Index
The American Statistics Index is a master database of all statistical publications of the United States government. Because it includes all statistical information, not just energy and business data, it includes much data that will not be of use in market assessment. In addition, it must be accessed through a university library or Lexis-Nexis.
Forecast Center
Registration is required for this portal site, which focuses on economic forecasts. The quality of the presentation and information is uneven, but content may be of use depending on the topic.
Statistics.com
A privately-maintained directory of statistical sources on the Web. This directory is quite wide-ranging in its offerings, so not all sources are of equal quality. However, it does exhaustively catalog currently available public-data sources. In addition, this site offers some statistical support services.
Consensus Economics
A private firm specializing in the aggregation of official economic forecasts into "consensus" views. Generally, the averaged opinions of many economists have better predictive use than any one economic analysis. Most information on this site requires a fee.
World in Figures
Useful portal site gathering together available statistical data pertinent to world trends, including data at the national level. Most of this information is available for free and is perhaps most useful for understanding market demographic trends.
Economagic
An inexpensive source of economic data ($10 for 8 weeks of access) with all data available to Excel for manipulation. Much of this data is available from government sources for free, though not in a format that is as easy to navigate.
STAT-USA
A government site with real-time and historical economic data. Aggregates data from U.S. Economic Census, Department of Commerce, and other federal sources. Requires a subscription.
Eurostat
Portal site to statistics gathered by various European Union agencies, possibly useful for researching European markets.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics
Downloadable data on prices, wages, unemployment, and workforce demographics.
U.S. Small Business Administration
SBA supports small businesspeople in the United States through advocacy, counseling, research, and financial assistance. Of particular interest to market researchers will be the economic statistics data.