Industry Research

Industry Associations

Most industries have a professional association that collects data and provides resources for members.  Their websites can have a wealth of information that may not be available elsewhere.  Some data may be for members only, but it's worth checking.  Look for pages such as "resources", "data", "news", or "research".

Associations are especially helpful for smaller industries, when data may be hard to find elsewhere.

• List of Industry Trade Groups in the United States - Wikipedia

While not comprehensive, Wikipedia maintains a list of major associations organized by industry

• Google Search

Structure a search with: industry name + association

Example: Aircraft + association

Associations for Specific Industries

Below are just a few examples of trade associations for major industries

• APPAREL
  • American Apparel and Footwear Association - American Apparel and Footwear Association provides annual compilation of statistics on apparel and footwear industries from 2001-2008
• AUTOMOTIVE
  • Automotive Industries - Provides current news about automotive industry
  • National Automobile Dealers Association  - Professional association for car and truck dealers. Contains industry news and consumer used car guides
  • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Includes research reports on various aspects of vehicle safety such as efficacy of certain safety features, driver behavior, and risk factors
• BEVERAGES (including alcoholic)
  • Beer Institute - Check out the Brewer's Almanac for beer manufacturing statistics and Annual Report for latest news and industry trends
  • Beverage Digest: Data & Statistics - Non-alcoholic beverage industry. Ranks companies by market share once a year
  • International Coffee Organization - Inter-governmental organization for coffee offers statistics on coffee prices and trade, as well as country profiles, monthly market reports and employment and consumption data
• CONSTRUCTION AND HOUSING
  • Manufactured Housing Institute - MHI is the national trade organization representing all segments of the factory-built housing industry
  • National Association of Home Builders - NAHB is a trade association for home builders and includes information on home building practices, research, and news
• FOOD
  • Food Marketing Institute - FMI is an organization representing food retailers and wholesalers
  • National Cattlemen's Beef Association - Resource for cattle producers and the beef industry
  • National Restaurant Association - Trade association for restaurants and affiliated organizations (suppliers, etc.)
  • Grocery Manufacturers Association - Trade association for grocery manufacturers providing news, research, and industry trends

• HEALTH CARE
  • American Hospital Association - Trade association for hospitals and health care facilities providing research, news, and other resources
  • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - US Department of Health and Human Services office for Medicare and Medicaid services. Includes policies and regulations as well as analytical and technical data
  • Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - Product of the US Department of Health and Human Services providing comprehensive data on the cost and use of health care and health insurance coverage
  • National Center for Health Statistics - US Centers for Disease Control website for US health statistics
  • State Health Facts - Kaiser Family Foundation site with information and statistics about health at the state level
  • World Health Organization - including World Health Report and health data - WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations. Provides health data and statistics, publications, and health-related country information

• MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS
  • Entertainment Software Association - Provides data about the video game industry according to economic figures, sales and genre, game player information, and reports on games and violence
  • Federal Communications Commission Wireline Competition Bureau - The Wireline Competition Bureau develops and recommends policy goals, objectives, programs and plans for the FCC on matters concerning wireline telecommunications
  • International Federation of the Phonographic Industry - Some free statistics on the music market, including Digital Music Report, chart providers by territory, and artists and repertoire (A&R) investment
  • Measuring the Electronic Economy - E-Stats is the U.S. Census Bureau's Internet site devoted exclusively to measuring e-commerce
  • National Cable and Telecommunications Association  - Includes annual industry overview reports, an interactive map showing cable industry's impact on the US economy, a brief history of cable, and cable glossary
  • Newspaper Association of America - NAA is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 2,000 newspapers and their multiplatform businesses in the U.S. and Canada. Their website includes trends and numbers in advertising, audience demographics and circulation
  • Pew Internet and American Life Project - This Pew Research Center's project produces reports exploring the impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life
  • Recording Industry Association of America - The RIAA collects and compiles information on both shipment and purchasing trends of recorded music in the United States

• METALS AND MINERALS
  • Aluminum Association - The Association represents U.S. and foreign-based primary producers of aluminum, aluminum recyclers and producers of fabricated products, as well as industry suppliers. Website includes industry overview as well as news and statistics
  • American Iron and Steel Institute - Look up policy news,steel making facts, and industry trends
  • USGS Minerals Information  - Find information and statistics about minerals production, demand, and usage by commodity, country, and state
• RETAIL
  • Food Marketing Institute - Provides data about supermarkets, including top retailers, industry reports, top food processors and regulatory affairs
  • International Council of Shopping Centers  - International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is the global trade association of the shopping center industry. Research information is for members only, but periodicals listed under "publications" are free
  • National Association of Convenience Stores - Includes fact sheets about scope of the convenience store industry, motor fuels, industry issues and merchandise and services
  • National Automobile Dealers Association  - Auto industry news, product information, and sales reports from professional association of American car and truck dealers
  • National Retail Federation - NRF represents retailers throughout the globe, publishes STORES magazine, and provides limited research information (some for members only)
  • Toy Industry Association  - Find economic data, corporate social responsibility initiatives, international trade regulations, reports and studies, and toy industry trends
• TRAVEL AND TOURISM
  • Bureau of Transportation Statistics Airline and Airport Data - Find air traffic hubs, aircraft information, employment data, fares, financial statistics and on-time performances.
  • National Restaurant Association  - Locate restaurant industry statistics by state, CSR company rankings and industry news
  • Travel Industry Association of America -Industry association for U.S. travel and tourism. Provides industry research, news, and advocacy for the industry
  • World Tourism Organization - The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO/OMT) is a specialized agency of the United ‎Nations and the leading international organization in the field of tourism. Check out the Elibrary for free books, journals and statistics