Resource Economics

Screenshot taken from Business Wars website, January 04, 2022.

The podcast "Business Wars" provides episodes that are interesting, relevant, and that contain data about particular real-world industries. These episodes are available for free at https://wondery.com/shows/business-wars/. They can also be found on most podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, NPR One and Spotify. 

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is 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 (source).

Many business information sources use NAICS codes to organize information and publicize data. NAICS codes can be useful in searching more efficiently for relevant statistics and information and to assist with the identification of potential competitors. 

Finding NAICS codes (from the Columbus State Library)

Step-by-step instructions: How to search for NAICS codes on census.gov

1. Go to www.census.gov.
2. Select "NAICS Codes" at the top right-hand side of the page.
3. In the left side menu, find the search box labeled "2017 NAICS Search."
4. Conduct a keyword search to find NAICS codes.

Every five years, the United States Census Bureau conducts an official survey, or count, to measure businesses and their economic impact. These statistics and data are used to "provide timely information on the health of the U.S. Economy..." (source) and are known as the Economic Census.

Step-by-step instructions: How to find the Economic Census

1. Go to www.census.gov
2. In the horizontal menu at the top of the page, select "Topics", then select "Business and Economy"
3. Choose "Economic Census" from the middle of the page.
4. On the left-hand side of the page, click on "Data"

To find information about market size using the US Census, follow these steps on data.census.gov (best viewed in Google Chrome):

• Go to data.census.gov
• Click on "Explore Tables".
• In the Search box at the top of the page, type EC1700BASIC and click the search icon.
• Within the table, click on the 123 Codes icon.

• Click on the "Industry Codes (NAICS)" filter.
• Check the box next to 6-digit NAICS.
• Close the box, and the data in the table will be available in 6-digit NAICS.

For concentration data for 1997:

• Manufacturing industries concentration measures are available here.

For concentration data for 2002:

• Manufacturing industries concentration measures are available here.

To find concentration data for 2007:

• Navigate here: https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2007/econ/census/manufacturing-reports.html
• Note that the report needed is EC0731SR12 - Manufacturing: Subject Series: Concentration Ratios: Share of Value of Shipments Accounted for by the 4, 8, 20, and 50 Largest Companies for Industries: 2007
• Then go higher on the same page and click the link to the FTP directory.
• Select the file EC0731SR12
• Open the .zip file
• Select the DAT file
• CTRL +F and search by 6-digit NAICS
• Find the data needed!

To find the concentration data for 2012:

• Go to data.census.gov
• Click on "Tables".
• In the Search box at the top of the page, type EC1231SR2 and click the search icon.
• Within the table, click on the 123 Codes icon (as shown above).
• Click on the "Industry Codes (NAICS)" filter.
• Check the box next to 6-digit NAICS.
• Close the box, and available data will be at the 6-digit NAICS level.

To find the concentration data for 2017:

• Go to data.census.gov
• Click on "Tables".
• In the Search box at the top of the page, type EC1700SIZECONCEN and click search.
• Within the table, click on the 123 Codes icon.
• Click on the "Industry Codes (NAICS) filter.
• Check the box next to 6-digit NAICS.
• Close the box, and available data will be at the 6-digit NAICS level.