To construct a successful business or marketing plan, it is important to know your audience. Demographic tools are a good way to discover something about the people and the communities you plan to market to.

Here are several online tools (freely available) to get you started.

Statistical Abstract of the United States from Proquest (this one is available to OSU students, faculty and staff only) - A comprehensive collection of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States. Tables may be downloaded as Excel or PDF files.

U.S. Census Data Portal - Data from the U.S. Census Bureau's many surveys. Includes population, housing, and economic information. A step-by-step LibGuide for how to use the new data website can be found at https://guides.library.oregonstate.edu/USCensusData. 

Oregon Explorer: Rural Communities - Information compiled and updated here at OSU. It pulls together information from a variety of sources about Oregon communities that can't be found anywhere else.

Census Bureau Home Page

This is the primary entry point to current and historical Census data for various topics (people and housing, business and industry, and several special topics) and by geography. News, quick facts, publications, and interactive maps are also available. Meant primarily for "power users" of data, or if you are looking for information from specific surveys; most people will elect to use American FactFinder and other aggregated sources of Census information.

• Read the latest news and publications that are created using Census data.
• Find information about and links to various Census and related surveys using the Topic or Geography drop-downs at the top of the page.
• Read about the context behind the data.
• To find or create downloadable tables and maps, use the Census Data Portal.