LibGuides: Marketing Research: Demographics

Demographics

view of the 2000 US census results on peoples ancestry, by county. Demographics or demographic data are the characteristics of a human population as used in government, marketing or opinion research, or the demographic profiles used in such research.

Commonly used demographics include sex, race, age, income, disabilities, mobility (in terms of travel time to work or number of vehicles available), educational attainment, home ownership, employment status, and even location.

Distributions of values within a demographic variable, and across households, are both of interest, as well as trends over time.

Image by the U.S. Census Bureau, on Wikimedia Commons.

Free Websites

American Fact Finder (US Census)
American Fact Finder is a great source for information on U.S. population, housing, economic and geographic information. A Guided Search is often helpful for those new to American Fact Finder.
U.S. Census' Quick Facts
QuickFacts provides easy access quick demographics for all states and counties, and for cities and towns with more than 5,000 people.

Free Websites

NationMaster
NationMaster is a vast compilation of data from hundreds of sources. Using the search forms, you can get maps and graphs on all kinds of statistics with ease. With data compared across 305 countries and over 5,000 specific categories to analyze, this site offers a wealth of information. Select 'countries' to view the list offered and see information such as: Cost of Living, Environment, Industry, Lifestyle, etc.
C.I.A. World Factbook
This site contains profiles for all of the nations around the world, including demographic profiles and statistics. Use the drop-down box at the top to select the country of interest. Detailed descriptions and demographic information for each country are presented to user, such as: Population, Median Age, Urbanization, Economy, and Government.
U.S. Census Bureau's International Database
Select a report, year(s), countries or region to search for data. Other information is available by clicking the "Data" tab, such as links to the World Population Summary, Country Ranking (by population), or Global Population Mapping.
globalEdge
From the Center for International Business Education and Research at Michigan State University, information on industries and demographics for consumers can be found. Find specific country by selecting from the drop-down box By Country.