BUSINESS-Facts

Businesses, Employee Counts and Sales

The Nation's Most Comprehensive Database of U.S. Business and Employee Counts

 

Business-Facts® gives marketers access to U.S. business and employee count information for all types of companies, both large and small. This data can be used for a broad range of sales and marketing applications, including market analysis, site location, targeting, planning, and territory evaluation. Business-Facts is a national database covering business establishments and professionals in the U.S. and contains more than 12 million records.

 

Methodology

How is the Business-Facts Database Built?

Beginning with Yellow Pages and White Pages phone directories, infoUSA collects data (number of employees, annual sales, SIC codes, and much more) on more than 12 million U.S. businesses. Beyond these two sources, infoUSA mines its base data from federal, state, and municipal government blue pages, annual reports for publicly-held companies, and industrial and regional business journals. Specific input data sources include:

 

  • American Stock Exchange Facts Book
  • Annual reports
  • Big business directories
  • Business and standard listings in the White Pages
  • City directories
  • County courthouse records for new business formations
  • Industry directories
  • IPO Reporter
  • Major metropolitan newspapers
  • NASDAQ Fact Book
  • Standard & Poors Stock Guide
  • State manufacturers directories
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • Yellow Pages

 

After compiling the base file, infoUSA runs the business information through several routines to ensure that the final product will be dependable for use by salespeople and marketers interested in using its contents for mailing campaigns. For instance, infoUSA processes the business file through Group 1 CASS Certified Software for address and ZIP Code verification. Furthermore, each month infoUSA runs the files against the National Change of Address (NCOA) and the Delivery Sequence files to ensure that business addresses are current and accurate.

 

Telephone Verification/Enhancement

infoUSA calls existing and new businesses at least once each year to verify information, collect additional data, and correct suspected errors. At least four attempts are made to contact each business. Large businesses (i.e., those with 100 or more employees) are phoned twice a year to verify their information. This activity results in 17 million out-bound telephone calls each year by infoUSA. Telephone verification concentrates on the following data elements:

  • Address
  • Name of owner or manager
  • Number of employees
  • Primary business activity
  • Fax number

 

Enhancement of the Base File by Claritas

All data compilation, validation, and verification techniques outlined above result in a robust, thorough base file for use in creating the Business-Facts database. However, when the base file is delivered to Claritas, additional enhancements are made to improve matching capabilities and provide greater integration into a range of applications, like mapping. For instance, employment data, sales figures, and point/geo codes (latitude, longitude, census tract, etc.) remain incomplete when Claritas receives the data. The database development team at Claritas adds value to the business data by populating fields that are left empty by infoUSA, providing the most precise point coding and creating an improved SIC roster.

 

Details and Delivery Options

The Business-Facts/Basic Database consists of 11 major industrial groupings

  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
  • Construction
  • Finance, Insurance, Real Estate
  • Manufacturing
  • Mining
  • Public Administration
  • Retail Trade
  • Services
  • Transportation, Communication, Utilities
  • Wholesale Trade
  • Non-classifiable Establishments

 

Census & ZIP Code Boundary Maps

Claritas Data includes Census and ZIP Code Boundary files to use with MapInfo and ArcView for Thematic mapping.

 

 

Download the Claritas Data Catalog...