Business

• Economic Census profiles American business every five years, from the national to the local level.
• Economic Indicators provides timely access to the daily releases of key economic indicators from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau.
• Major Economic Indicators include consumer price index, producer price index, real earnings, and other reports.
• Producer Price Indexes (PPI) program measures the average change over time in the selling prices received by domestic producers for their output.
• U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis provides statistics on U.S. gross domestic product, foreign trade, investment, and industries.

Most industries and professions have a trade association - a group that represents businesses in a certain sector. Trade associations often gather and publish industry data, and sometimes make it freely available, like these excellent examples:

• Research from the North American Retail Hardware Association. 

• Research from the National Council of Nonprofits.

• Research from the Outdoor Industry Association.

Yelp’s Economic Average (YEA) provides a benchmark of U.S. local economic activity. Quarterly, annual, and special topic reports. Learn more here.