The Data Planet repository contains many statistical indicators of consumer behavior and demographic characteristics that influence spending patterns at national, state, county, city, census tract, zip code, MSA, etc, levels.
Frame your question and identify industry, product line, geographic area of interest and begin exploring such datasets as:
American Community Survey 5-year survey - provides data on how many people in the US take the bus to work, how many cars they drive, what kind of cooking fuel they use, and more.
Personal Consumption Expenditures - Compare spending by state for items such as food and beverages, gasoline, and more.
State Quarterly Personal Income - Examine state-level differences in wage and salary disbursements, compensation, and income.
Local Areas Personal Income and Employment - Explore income and employment characteristics to the county and MSA level.
Below are sample charts created in Data Planet Statistical Datasets showing comparisons of various demographic characteristics among different geographic units. For example, are you interested in demographic information comparing Dallas, Harris, and Travis counties (home to Dallas, Houston, and Austin, respectively), in Texas? The charts below provide some basic overview characteristics of the three communities.
Which county has the most children enrolled in preschools? The chart below, created using data from the American Community Survey 5-year file, illustrates the answer.
Are the three counties gaining population? Create an infographic of the answer using data from the Census Bureau Components of Population Change dataset.
How do median annual wages of preschool teachers compare across the three counties? The Bureau of Labor Statistics collects data on wages by industry - the chart below tells the story.
Try it yourself with your own area of interest. If you need help formulating your research questions, please contact your subject librarian!
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