InfoGuides: Finding Data & Statistics: Reference Solutions

About Reference Solutions

Reference Solutions, formerly known as ReferenceUSAGov, is a premier online research and reference tool for area business professionals, government agencies, marketing executives, sales reps, job seekers, entrepreneurs, etc.

The U.S. Business database contains a total of 54 million businesses, including 15 million verified and 39 million unverified businesses that are updated weekly. Details include company name, executive contact names, address, phone, SIC/NAICS codes, employee size, sales, and more.

The U.S. Consumer / Lifestyles database contains over 317 million U.S. individuals. Records are continuously updated and processed against the USPS National Change of Address (NCOA) and Delivery Sequence File (DSF). Details include name, address, median home value, median home income, demographic information, and more.

Use Reference Solutions to:

Create and download customized lists
Conduct market research
Locate and research companies
Build a business plan
Market analysis and trends

Database Documentation

Business Address Data
In order to make the business database as deliverable as possible and as location specific as possible, address data in Reference Solutions may contain as many as three address for each business: location, mailing, and landmark.
Open the document for more information about the address types and how the addresses are gathered.
Business and Residential Data (booklet)
A booklet with information about how the business and residential data is gathered and verified for Reference Solutions. Includes a data dictionary.
Business Update News (June 2019)
Updates for business data in Reference Solutions as of June 2019.
Business Update News (July 2019)
Updates for business data in Reference Solutions as of July 2019.
Data Comparison Sample — Top Beer Cities (2017)
A sample sheet illustrating the use of business and population data from Reference Solutions.
Open the document to see how Bend came out on top with 1.54 beer-related businesses per 10,000 residents. (Corvallis wasn't far behind at #8.)
Data Comparison Sample — Top Donut Cities (2019)
A sample sheet illustrating the use of business and population data (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) from Reference Solutions.
Open the document to see which city came out on top with the most donut-related businesses per 10,000 residents.
Data Comparison Sample — Top Small Town Vacation Hotspots (2015)
A sample presentation illustrating the use of business and population data from Reference Solutions.
Open the document to see how Astoria and Newport ranked in the study focused on the concentration of hotels relative to population.
Data Comparison Sample — Top Wine Cities (2019)
A sample sheet illustrating the use of business and population data (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) from Reference Solutions.
Open the document to see how Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA came out on top with 1.89 wine-related businesses per 10,000 residents.
Employment Size
Location Employment Size represents the number of employees of the business at that location. Reference Solutions carries two separate employment number fields: Location and Corporate.
Open the document for more information about employment size and how the numbers are verified and/or modeled.
Employment Size - Corporate
Reference Solutions carries two separate employment size attributes, one to represent location count and another to represent total employees at a corporate level. While most records are allowed to possess a Location Employment Size, Corporate Employment Size is limited to parents and subsidiary headquarters.
Open the document for more information about corporate employment size and how the numbers are reported and/or inferred.
Infogroup ID (IGID) for Business
Infogroup has developed a unique, nine-digit identifier for each operating entity, which remains constant for the life of the business.
SIC & NAICS Codes
The Reference Solutions database includes a conversion file that allows users to have both SIC and NAICS codes. Thus, whether you require NAICS codes, SIC codes, or both, the database will be able to response to all requests for data.
Open the document for more information about SIC and NAICS codes and how they're gathered and updated.
SIC & NAICS Codes - Enhancement
Additional information about how SIC and NAICS codes are enhanced.
Open the document for more information about SIC and NAICS codes and how they're enhanced.