UofL Libraries: Louisville Business Research: Research an Industry

Industry Classification Codes

Every industry is given a classification code by the U.S. government. The two main classification systems are:

NAICS (North American Industry Classification System): 6-digits
SIC (Standard Industrial Classification): 4-digit

While some databases will allow you to search for the appropriate NAICS code, the government websites below can help you identify the correct NAICS and SIC codes for a particular industry. There may be multiple codes relevant to the industry you are researching.

Industry Profiles & Reports

Use these resources to find profiles and data about U.S. industries. While a few profiles will be international, most will be national, and some may discuss regional strengths and weaknesses or provide regional data breaks.

Mergent Intellect
Click on First Research on the left in the middle of the page. Enter your UofL email address. On the next page, enter industry name, keyword, NAICS code or SIC code.
Business Source Premier
Select Industry Profile from drop down list under Publication Type in the right hand column. Enter NAICS code in designated box lower on the page, or industry name in main search box at top.
ABI/INFORM Collection
Click Browse under ABI/INFORM Collection title at top. Select First Research or Business Monitor International (BMI) Industry Reports under Industry and Market Research heading. Select industry from list. Use Narrow Results options in column at right, or Search Within box at the bottom of the page to filter results.
Nexis Uni
Click on the drop down Menu in the top left corner next to the Nexis Uni logo. Select Company Dossier. When the Dossier page opens, enter the name or ticker symbol of a company in the industry. When the company report opens, look for the "Industry Knowledge" drop down list in the left hand column.

Encyclopedia of American Businesses
Brief overviews of about 1000 industries. Provided by Reference for Business.

GfK MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer™

GfK MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer Trade; includes product/service/brand usage data collected semi-annually from a national probability sample of 25,000+ households.

Access to the data is part of a licensing agreement UofL Libraries has with Mediamark Research Inc. Use is limited to UofL faculty, staff, and students who hold valid UofL user accounts, agree to use the confidential and proprietary data solely for academic and research purposes, and accept MRI+'s other individual license terms. For more information download or open the pdf file below.

GfK MRI University Reporter Account Setup and Instructions
How to register for an account, find, download, and interpret the data.
GfK MRI University Reporter Log-In
Make sure you've registered first, then login with your UofL email and the password you created during registration.