Directories of Industries and Companies

There is a wide range of directories that can provide you with information about specific companies and industries. Many of these can be very expensive to purchase, so you might want to try to find them at your library. Here is a sampling of some of the more comprehensive:

• Dun’s Million Dollar Directory – identifies companies by SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) code, geographic location, and size. Dun & Bradstreet also publishes a number of other useful directories, including State Sales Guides, Regional Business Directories, and the Census of American Business.
• Thomas Register – lists data on more than 100,000 manufacturing companies by type of product, company name, and location. Also includes product catalogs of many firms.
• Moody’s Manuals – comprehensive information on companies listed on the U.S. stock exchanges, including corporate history, income statements, and balance sheets.
• MacRae’s State Industrial Directory – includes product/service, SIC and company name indexes arranged by county and city.
• Macmillan Directory of Leading Private Companies – contains information on 12,500 privately-held companies.
• U.S. Industrial Outlook – this Department of Commerce study includes growth statistics for 200 industries, including 5-year projections, background information, statistics and trend forecasts.
• Predicasts Basebook – gives historical economic data from 1960 on 16,000 industrial statistics.
• Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Associations (Gale Research) – lists trade associations by industry, and provides contacts for local chapters.
• The Small Business Sourcebook (Gale Research) – contains lists of professional trade associations, suppliers, trade shows, along with references and statistics for small businesses.
• Business Information Sources (University of California Press) – includes publications, newsletters, directories, and other resources.

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